For the Yankees, avoiding infamy might have felt like a minor victory.
But there was no real victory. And for 11 ⅔ innings stretching across two miserable days, there was not even a hit.
Out of nowhere, as if their bats were suddenly dealing with a termite infestation, the Yankees offense disappeared. Following a single from Amed Rosario in Wednesday’s fourth inning and into Thursday’s seventh inning, Yankees batters went 0-for-36 and made Jeffrey Springs — less ace and more crafty lefty — look like Gerrit Cole.
Ben Rice ensured the 40,392 chilly fans in The Bronx would not witness history, but that proved to be the most positive moment of the matinee in what became a 1-0 loss to the A’s, who handed the Yankees their first series defeat of the season.
The Yankees (8-4) had looked like a buzzsaw until pitching from West Sacramento created a malfunction. Against Luis Severino and the A’s bullpen on Wednesday, the Yankees totaled one hit after the first inning — the Rosario knock, which was erased by a double play — and flirted with true disaster a day later.
Springs did not allow a hit until there was one out in the bottom of the seventh, when a walk might have cracked the door open for the Yankees. Giancarlo Stanton worked a strong at-bat and earned the Yankees’ second base on balls of the game, and first baseman Nick Kurtz — aware of Stanton’s sneak-attack steal a few days prior — held him on first base.
Rice took advantage of the hole and grounded a single through the right side, prompting the loudest claps of the day and many exhales in the Yankees’ dugout.
But a hit did not lead to a run. With two on and one out, Randal Grichuk struck out and Austin Wells flied out to strand two. That would conclude the drama, the Yankees unable to find a second hit.
If Wednesday’s defeat were pinned on Ryan McMahon, who heard boos on a rough day during a rough start, Wells might have been the face of Thursday’s frustration. After an 0-for-3, the catcher is 5-for-30 (.167) with four singles and a double this season.
This was not a case of smashed line drives from the Yankees dying in gloves.
Against Springs — who did not miss many bats, struck out six in seven innings and who maxed out at 92.6 mph — the Yankees struck one pitch that left a bat over 100 mph: a second-inning flyout from Rice that was hit 104 mph and died in center field. Otherwise, a lineup intended to mash a lefty — featuring leadoff hitter Rosario and Grichuk, righties who were brought in for these exact scenarios — looked like one that is not looking forward to seeing southpaw Steven Matz in Tampa on Friday.
Wasted was a performance that reminded why the Yankees traded for Ryan Weathers.
Weathers — whose first two starts were uneven, first striking out seven in 4 ⅓, one-run innings in San Francisco before scuffling and allowing three runs in 3 ⅔ innings to the Marlins — looked more like a front-of-the-rotation arm than one who could be seen as depth when the group is healthy.
In eight brilliant innings, the lefty overpowered A’s bats and let up just one run — a seventh-inning crack in which Max Muncy tripled before Tyler Soderstrom singled — on seven hits and zero walks while striking out seven.