The Yankees broke their five-game losing streak on Tuesday, but a night later, their brutal offensive funk at the start of the season remained alive and well.
Without the wild height loaded with bases, the Braves offered them on Tuesday to mask their fights, the Yankees offense continued to escape in a 4-1 loss to Atlanta on Wednesday night, on a frozen Yankee stadium.
It was another lifeless loss for the Yankees (6-11), who scored just five hits (all singles). They drew six walks, but blocked nine base runners and did not score until Clint Frazier’s RBI failed to play alone with two outs in the nine. This came one night after five hits were just enough to pull off a victory over the Braves (8-10), but on Wednesday there was no lifeline from the Atlanta bullpen.
Corey Kluber gave the Yankees a solid start. He controlled four innings without a score until he lost control in the fifth and handed over a pair of runs. But not even a perfect outing would have been enough to save the Yankees tonight.
Braves starter Ian Anderson, originally from New York, watched right at home, throwing in cold conditions. The Yankees didn’t make him sweat most of the night as he crossed six innings on just 78 pitches.
Finally, they plotted the biggest threat of the game in the seventh half, when a single Mike Mike and two walks to Gary Sanchez and Frazier loaded the bases. But AJ Minter relieved Anderson and put out the fire, causing DJ LeMahieu to be eliminated.
Manager Aaron Boone juggled the team before Tuesday’s 3-1 victory and changed it again on Wednesday, trying to find some kind of spark. He hit Giancarlo Stanton in three holes for the first time this season and occupied Gio Urshela, one of his most productive hitters recently. Fighting outfielders Aaron Hicks and Frazier also re-entered the lineup after not starting Tuesday
It hardly made a difference. Urshela, after passing 1-for-3, left the game in the eighth half, with a tight back. Stanton took a 0-for-4 with a shot while Hicks and Frazier combined to go 1-for-5 with three walks.
Kluber was sharpened in four innings, inducing poor contact while giving up only one and one walk and blocking both runners. He got help in the third half, when Frazier ran a lot to make a diving catch in the left field with a ball from Ehire Adrianza.
But Kluber started to wear out in the fifth half. Pablo Sandoval made the most difficult contact on him all night to start the fifth with a single field line on the right. One later, Kluber determined Austin Riley to 0 and 2, just to make it work. He then marched on the 9th battle of Guillermo Heredia to load the bases.
Adrianza brought the Braves 1-0 lead with a sacrifice in the center of the field, Sandoval coming home from the third for the first round of the game.
Kluber then walked Freddie Freeman on four pitches – his third walk of the half – to recharge his bases and mark the end of the night at 91 pitches.
Nick Nelson relieved Kluber and walked Marcell Ozuna on four pitches to force a run and make the Braves 2-0. Nelson finally found his command, hitting Travis d’Arnaud to leave the bases loaded.