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NEW YORK – Ben Rice’s homer wiped out a three-run deficit, but the Yankees couldn’t rally for more.
Once again, a stalled lineup cost the Yanks, as the Pirates won the first game of a split doubleheader, 5-3, in 10 innings Wednesday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.
Gerrit Cole pitched seven innings and struck out 11 batters with zero walks, but the two homers he gave up were costly; the Yanks didn’t score until he was out of the game.
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Rice’s three-run homer tied it in the eighth, but Fernando Cruz yielded two runs in the 10th and the Yankees turned to Max Fried – just off the injured list – to get them even in the nightcap.
Heading into Wednesday’s long doubleheader day of live coverage, manager Aaron Boone provided an update on Giancarlo Stanton.
But the short answer is, the Yankees still don’t know when he’ll return to their lineup.
On the injured list since April 25, with two separate right calf strains (he was injured again in early June), the slugging DH is a couple of weeks into a running program.
Stanton is also hitting indoors off the Trajekt machine that simulates MLB pitchers, but he is not running the bases as yet.
“I don’t have a timeline, I don’t know when he gets to the end of that and what we do to get him back,’’ Boone said before Wednesday’s day-night doubleheader opener against the Pirates.
“But I feel like he’s moving in a good direction,’’ said Boone. “I just don’t know if that’s a couple of weeks from now, a few weeks from now, whatever it is. But he is getting much closer to that point.’’
Meanwhile, we’re also waiting for Aaron Judge (first right rib fracture) to be scheduled for another follow-up MRI to determine when he’ll be cleared to begin baseball activity.
Last chance
Cruz can't put away Triolo or Mangum, who deliver one-out RBI singles on two-strike splitters, giving Pittsburgh a 5-3 lead in the 10th.
Exiting after his second walk, with the bases loaded, Cruz watches Kervin Castro retire the next two batters, with strikeouts of Reynolds and Valdez.
This doubleheader opener is the Yankees' 101st game of the year, and they entered today trailing the Rays by two games.
They'd be tied atop the East if they were just .500 in extra-inning games; this year, so far, the Yanks are 1-5 in extra-inning games.
Extra innings
Just what you want in a doubleheader, as we go to the 10th.
With Grisham (walk) on first), lefty Mason Montgomery strikes out Rice and pinch-hitter Amed Rosario to send it to extras.
Fernando Cruz will pitch the 10th for the Yanks, with Nick Gonzales as the auto runner at second and the bottom of the order due up.
Walk off Territory
In the bottom of the ninth, tied, 3-3.
Headrick does his usual nice work, striking out the side in the Pirates eighth, and Bednar works around a hit and a walk in the ninth.
Rice ties it
The dangerous Ben Rice has just hit a three-run homer off Carmen Mlodzinski, tying it 3-3 in the seventh with one out.
Rice clubbed a 3-1 fastball to right for his 30th HR of the year. Now, Brent Headrick is warming up for the Yanks.
This was Mlodzinki's second inning of work, and the Pirates have three rested lefty relievers in their 'pen, but manager Don Kelly stuck with the righty in a heavy lefty lane.
Keller was also lifted after just 75 pitches and five sharp, scoreless innings.
Pirates 3, Yanks 0
Nick Gonzales' two-out solo homer off a Cole 1-0 fastball increases the Pirate lead on a dull afternoon for the Yanks to this point, except for their issues with the umps.
Pittsburgh hit the ball hard that inning vs. Cole, who is likely done for the day. Again, it was a mostly encouraging performance (11 Ks, 0 walks), save for a couple of pitches that left the park.
And with no run support for Cole again, he's looking at a fifth loss in his last six starts if the Yanks fail to rally.
More Caballero controversy
The Yanks aren't scoring and they are not having any luck with Adrian Johnson's umpiring crew.
With a runner at first and two out, Caballero was called for an automatic strike (making the count 0-2) by plate ump Quinn Wolcott, presumably for not engaging the pitcher on time.
That led to hitting coach James Rowson's ejection by Johnson and a heated argument by Boone, who between innings kept up the debate with Wolcott.
Caballero was struck out looking at the next delivery, an 0-2 split, to keep it Pirates 2, Yanks 0 after six. Cole is out for the seventh.
Cole grinds through
Still 2-0 Pirates as the Yanks prepare to send up 4-5-6 in their order.
Cole strands a runner on second with one out, with a balk call that the Yanks were very upset about. Cole and Boone wanted an explanation, after second base ump (and crew chief) Adrian Johnson made the call.
Perhaps Cole broke his hands after coming set, not sure. Whatever it was, Cole and company were not happy.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh goes to the bullpen for Carmen Mlodzinski, a righty, after Keller's scoreless five, and Angel Chivilli is warming up for the Yanks, with Cole at 82 pitches.
Stranded
The Yanks leave two runners on base (this time on singles) again, as Rice strikes out and Jones flies out.
Still 2-0, Pittsburgh, entering the sixth.
Rice unsuccessfully challenged a Keller 3-2 sinker, and the Yanks are out of ABS challenges.
Meanwhile, Keller - who entered with a 5.14 ERA in 19 starts - is looking like his old self again. He's coming off two tough starts, yielding eight runs in nine total innings vs. Washington and Atlanta.
Not perfect
Middle of the fifth, and it's suddenly 2-0, Pirates.
Cole retired the first 14 Pirates before Nick Gonzales rifled a two-out single to left (1-0 curveball) followed by a Jacob Gonzalez homer to right off a 1-1 changeup.
Then, Cole finished by striking out the side. He has 9 Ks in five innings, but once again, a homer (so far) has hurt him, and the Yanks (so far) have given him nothing offensively.
Missed chance
After Spencer Jones and Cody Bellinger open the home fourth with walks, Keller gets out of it quickly and it's still 0-0.
It started with an unproductive AB by Jasson Dominguez (fly out), who doesn't get the runners over. Jazz and Caballero follow with Ks.
Jazz also cost the Yanks an ABS challenge, guessing wrong on a 1-2 curveball.
12-for-12
Without a strikeout, Cole gets the side in order in the fourth, on a groundout and two soft flyballs.
He's at 47 pitches after four. In the second game, Max Fried's max will be about 60 pitches.
Incidentally, Will Warren (who was supposed to start Tuesday night's rained out game) is now expected to pitch Friday's series opener at Philly, followed by Cam Schlittler and Ryan Weathers.
Robbed
With Austin Wells (HBP) at first base, Ben Rice's bid for a hit - a sinking liner to left-center field - is turned into an inning-ending, diving catch by Bryan Reynolds.
No score after three innings as Cole faces the top of Pittsburgh's order again.
9-for-9
Through the first time in the Pirates order, Cole is perfect - already with six strikeouts in this scoreless game.
Pittsburgh has more hits (923) than any MLB team this year, and they're second in runs scored. And they've maintained a pretty good offense even with the dynamic Oneil Cruz out since June 8 with a fractured hand.
One reason is Esmerlyn Valdez, who enters today with at least one extra-base hit and one RBI in each of his last eight games, the first Pirate to accomplish that since Kevin Young in May 1999.
Good start for Cole
That's four straight Ks for Cole as he strikes out the side in the second inning. No score here.
And the Pirates are already down an ABS challenge, as Ryan O'Hearn guesses wrong on a 1-2, 98-mph fastball confirmed as strike three.
Cole also fanned Esmerlyn Valdez on a 96-mph fastball and got Nick Gonzales on an 0-2 curve.
First impressions
No score after one, as Cole fans one in a 1-2-3 opening frame.
He's coming off a really good outing vs. the Dodgers last Friday night, which turned on that middle-of-the-plate slider Max Muncy drove for a two-run homer in the seventh inning of a 2-1 L.A. win.
To that point, Cole was a lot more like his vintage version, in his 10th start of the season since his return from Tommy John surgery rehab, with a lot of life on the fastball.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Yankees fall to Pirates in extra innings to start doubleheader
