German: 'It was just not my night tonight'

BOSTON -- It has been a charmed season for Domingo Germán, with the great majority of his trips to the mound producing a Yankees victory while the right-hander fills in almost seamlessly during Luis Severino's extended absence. As the Yankees ponder how to align their soon-to-be-crowded rotation, they witnessed a rare stumble from their de facto ace.

German was thumped for five runs in 4 1/3 innings, including a three-run Mitch Moreland homer, and the Yankees' bats were largely silent in a 6-1 loss to the Red Sox on Friday at Fenway Park. Though German acknowledged that his curveball lacked its usual bite, he rejected the suggestion that it was a sign of late-season fatigue.

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"Like I've said before, I feel strong. I feel good," German said through a translator. "Every inning that I go out there and I log, I feel like I'm getting stronger. My body is getting used to it. There's no doubt in my mind that there's no need for me to skip a start or get extra rest or anything like that. I feel good, I feel strong, I feel healthy."

For the time being, the Yankees appear on board with that assessment, even as German's odometer clicks to 136 2/3 innings. German pitched 94 innings between the Majors and Minors last season and has never thrown more than 123 2/3 innings in a professional season (2017), but the Yankees are still 20-5 in his starts.

The lackluster outing came as Severino fired three-plus innings for Double-A Trenton, with the righty telling reporters that he feels ready to be promoted to the Majors. While any of German's potential innings limits are expected to be removed for the postseason, Severino's return could impact German by prompting the club to skip or shorten his remaining regular-season starts.

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"Moving forward in September, if and when we get more guys in the mix, that may happen," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "I am not in a race right now, or us as an organization, to give [German] a break. We think he's strong. We think he's physically sound. We think he's thriving in his routine. We continue to watch it close and may alter some things at some point, but not right now."

With Boston utilizing Jhoulys Chacin as an opener, then deploying six relievers behind the right-hander, the Yanks produced a season-low three hits. One was Brett Gardner's fifth-inning solo homer off Andrew Cashner, as they fell to Boston for just the fifth time in 16 contests this year.

"They just did a good job of getting ahead of our guys and we just had a hard time getting things going," Gardner said. "We didn't have a whole lot of baserunners early in the game and they had a bunch of strikeouts, which eliminated our chances to score. We just couldn't get anything going."

Boone said that he saw good life on German's fastball, including when he struck out the side in the first inning, but German was hurt by running into deeper counts. The Moreland homer came on a hanging backdoor curveball.

"It wasn't as sharp as it has been in previous outings," German said. "I tried to make adjustments out there, but it was a battle with that pitch tonight. I couldn't keep the consistency of that pitch. At the same time, you still have other pitches to battle. That's what pitching is about."

Brock Holt connected for an RBI single as part of a four-run fourth inning off German, and Xander Bogaerts also stroked a two-run double off Nestor Cortes Jr. in the fifth, with one of those runs charged to German.

"It was just not my night tonight," German said.

While Friday's start was largely an aberration, an interesting disparity does exist between German's home and road numbers.

In 61 1/3 innings at Yankee Stadium, German has limited opponents to 10 homers and a 2.35 ERA. Away from the Bronx, German has surrendered 20 homers with a 5.73 ERA in 75 1/3 innings. German shrugged when presented with the numbers, saying that his preparation is the same at home and on the road.

Boone noted that German had two injury-marred starts against the Royals and Indians in late May and early June that inflated those numbers.

"I think his stuff is conducive to having success both places," Boone said. "I think the way he is, his demeanor, allows him to be successful. … I don't think there is anything pitch-wise that wouldn't let him be successful on the road."