The Yankees lost in 11 innings for their second consecutive extra inning loss

The Yankees lost 2–1 to the Chicago White Sox in 11 innings for their second consecutive extra inning loss to the White Sox. They are now 1–8 in extra inning games this season, which is the worst record in extra innings in Major League Baseball.

The Yankees have five losses when leading in extra innings this season. That’s the most in MLB. No other team has more than three losses when leading in extra innings. The Yankees also have six extra-inning walk-off losses this season. That’s the most in MLB. No other team has more than four. This game went into extra innings with neither team having scored a run.

The Yankees offense went 1–15 with runners in scoring position after going 3–16 with runners in scoring position in the 6–5 loss in 12 innings in the previous game. The Yankees wasted great pitching performances in each of the two extra inning losses. Cam Schlittler allowed just one run in 6.1 innings in the 6–5 loss and then Ryan Weathers threw seven scoreless innings in his second consecutive dominant start. In this start, Weathers threw 62 of his 106 pitches for strikes, he allowed just three hits, he threw a first pitch strike to 16 of the 26 batters he faced and he repeatedly kept the White Sox hitters off balance.

The Yankees had runners on first and second with no outs in the first inning against Sean Burke after Trent Grisham reached first due to catcher’s interference and then Ben Rice walked. Burke then struck out Jasson Dominguez and Paul Goldschmidt in consecutive at-bats and then Spencer Jones flied out to shortstop to end the inning. They had a good scoring opportunity in the first inning but they could not get a hit with a runner in scoring position.

Burke, who has been Chicago’s best starting pitcher this season with a 3.04 ERA in 22 games (18 starts), threw six scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and striking out 10 batters. Burke threw a first pitch strike to 17 of the 23 batters he faced. He threw 58 of his 91 pitches for strikes. He has now allowed two runs or less in each of his last seven starts. When he pitched against the Yankees on June 18 as the bulk pitcher, he allowed just one run on a solo homer in 7.1 innings. Burke is 4–1 with a 1.43 ERA, 67 strikeouts and nine walks during his last eight games.

Burke retired the side in order on three strikeouts in the second inning and retired the side in order as well in the third inning after striking out Austin Wells and Grisham to begin the inning. In the fourth inning, after a Jones single and a Jazz Chisholm walk, Anthony Volpe struck out looking to end the inning.

The Yankees had two base running mistakes that they were hurt by in the last four innings of the game. Dominguez would have had a triple to lead off the 6th inning off of Burke but he over slid third and was tagged out. Burke then got the next two batters out of the sixth to finish off his scoreless game. It was recorded as a double by Dominguez and then he was out stretching it to third. Chisholm was picked off by Sean Newcomb and then caught in a run down to end the top of the seventh inning.

Fernando Cruz came into the game to face Chase Meidroth in the 10th and he got him to ground into a double play to end that inning. Cruz was much less effective in the 11th inning as pitching for the third time in the last four days caught up to him.

In the top of the 11th, Volpe grounded out to third with runners on second and third to end the inning. Volpe went 0–5 with two strikeouts in this game and he has gone 2–13 with four strikeouts in his last four games. Goldschmidt went 0–5 with two strikeouts in this game after going 7–24 (.292) with four walks in his previous six games. Rice went 0–3 and has gone 1–12 in his last three games.

Seranthony Dominguez (4–3) pitched a scoreless 11th to get the win as the White Sox took the last two of their four-game series against the Yankees. The resurgent White Sox are now two games ahead of Cleveland in the AL Central. Since the Yankees have lost two games in a row and the Rays have won two games in a row, the Yankees are now 3.5 games behind the Rays in the AL East.

Cruz didn’t have his command in his second inning pitched. Cruz intentionally walked Murakami to start the 11th inning to put runners on first and second with no outs and set up a force at any base. Murakami, who is a rookie, has 23 homers in 73 games this season and homered in the 6–5 extra inning loss the previous day.

After the intentional walk, Cruz struck out Vargas swinging on his splitter, which is one of the best splitters in the league. With one out, left fielder Sam Antonacci, who hit a homer in the Yankees 6–5 loss the previous day, had an infield single to load the bases. Antonacci has a very good .370 OBP in his 88 games as a rookie. After a strike out of former White Sox first round pick Colson Montgomery, Cruz walked Peters on four pitches for a walk-off walk. Cruz threw 17 pitches in the 11th innings and just 10 of his 20 pitches overall were strikes. The White Sox had their ninth walk-off win of the season.

Cruz recorded his fourth loss of his season. In the last three extra inning games Cruz has pitched in, he has allowed two earned runs and four runs overall while allowing four hits and four walks in the 2.2 innings in the three games. Cruz has really struggled in extra inning games this season but has been much better when not pitching in extra innings. Cruz has pitched in extra innings in five games this season. In those extra innings, he has faced 21 batters and they have gone 7–15 (.467) with one sacrifice fly, five walks and they have had seven RBI.

He has allowed one earned run every other game in his last six games. In his last six games going back to July 19, he ERA has gone up from 2.20 to 2.51 in his 5.2 innings pitched. He has been the losing pitcher in four of the team’s eight extra innings losses this season.

“We have to score a freaking point,” manager Aaron Boone said after the game about the offense. “The pitchers again did their job. The bullpen was good, including Cruz. We’ve got to score. That’s the story, the beginning and end of it. We’ve got to find a way.”

Weathers, who allowed just one run in 5.2 innings in his last start and has lowered his ERA from 4.40 to 3.99 in his last two starts including this one, retired the side in order in the seventh inning. In the top of the eighth inning, the Yankees had runners on first and second with one out but then Dominguez struck out and Goldschmidt flied out to end the scoring threat and strand two runners.

In the eighth inning, Brent Hedrick struck out Munetaka Murakami, who has reached base in a career-high 16 consecutive games, and Miguel Vargas in consecutive batters to end his scoreless inning. Headrick has now allowed just one earned run in his last 23 games in a span of 24.1 innings pitched.

The Yankees took the 1–0 lead in the top of the 10th inning when Grisham had an RBI single to center to score Volpe, who was the inherited runner after lining out to right to end the ninth inning. Grisham’s RBI single in the 10th inning was the team’s only hit with runners in scoring position during the entire game. That hit came with White Sox relief pitcher Chris Murphy pitching.

In the bottom of the 10th, the White Sox tied the game with Angel Chivilli pitching in this second inning. Chivilli retired the side in order in the ninth but then former pinch hitter and Yankee Andrew Benintendi, who now has 30 RBI in his last 44 games, had an RBI single to center to score Tristan Peters, That was an unearned run since Benintendi was the inherited runner in extra innings. Chivilli’s wild pitch in the 10th advanced Peters, who was the inherited runner, to third, which meant he scored easily on Benintendi’s single.