Caballero's breakout can't carry Yanks as offense falls flat again

ST. PETERSBURG – José Caballero unloaded several games’ worth of frustration with emphatic celebrations on the basepaths late on Saturday, having delivered a pair of big hits to jolt the Yankees’ stalled lineup.

It still wasn’t enough.

Caballero drove in three runs, connecting for go-ahead knocks in the eighth and 10th innings, but Jonathan Aranda got the last word in a 5-4, 10-inning loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field. The Yankees have lost four straight.

“We know what we’re capable of,” Caballero said. “We know the kind of players that we have. We know we’re way better than this. We just need to continue working and get better, and look forward to [Sunday’s] game.”

The Yankees (8-6) were sunk by a small-ball rally – three balls put in play that traveled a combined 13 feet.

Facing David Bednar, Chandler Simpson legged out a bunt and stole second, setting up another bunt by Taylor Walls that scored automatic runner Cedric Mullins and tied the game.

After an intentional walk to Yandy Díaz, Bednar recorded a strikeout before Aranda chopped one to second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., part of a five-man infield. Chisholm fumbled the ball, initially scored a hit and later changed to a fielder’s choice. Chisholm expressed some confusion about the play.

"I was really going to go try to tag the runner [Díaz] and just throw it to first,” Chisholm said. “I don't know what the rule is. If I went to first base first and threw it back to second, if it's still an out. Is it still a double play? I don't know. Does it count as not an RBI?"

Dressing at an adjacent locker, Trent Grisham replied: "No, they'll score. They'll get there before the tag occurs at second.”

“Oh,” Chisholm said. “Well, what I was trying to do in my mind probably wouldn't have worked anyway.”

Given Simpson’s speed at third, manager Aaron Boone and Caballero both said it was unlikely Chisholm could have turned a double play to extend the game.

“It just says,” Simpson said, “that small ball can equate to just as many wins as the long ball does.”

Bednar was the third Yanks reliever behind Max Fried, who tossed eight innings of three-run ball.

Fried struck out six without a walk, scattering six hits. But he lamented surrendering a pair of leads – one after Austin Wells’ second-inning homer, and one after Caballero’s double in the eighth.

“There were two times where I needed to go out there and put a shutdown inning,” Fried said. “I let up the momentum, not being able to put up a zero. It’s frustrating, but that’s definitely on me.”

In the eighth, Boone visited the mound and left Fried in with one out and the potential tying run at third base. Díaz chopped an infield hit that first baseman Ben Rice couldn’t do much with.

“That kind of beat us there,” Boone said. “I thought Max was really good tonight; really efficient. He did everything he needed to help us win.”

The Rays’ first walk-off celebration of the season reduced Caballero’s breakout to a silver lining.

Entrusted with starting duties at shortstop while Anthony Volpe recovers from offseason left shoulder surgery, Caballero has battled through a 7-for-45 (.156) start, though he has had plenty of company in that regard – especially at the bottom of the order.

Caballero’s biggest hits of the season came against the club that moved him from one dugout to another at the Trade Deadline last July – the eighth-inning knock off Bryan Baker, then a 10th-inning single up the middle facing Cole Sulser.

“It’s great for my confidence – to any hitter, whenever you’re struggling and the hits come,” Caballero said.

Said Rays manager Kevin Cash: “Cabby came up with two big hits. We’ve seen him do it in our uniform, and now he’s doing it over there. I’m happy we were able to be the home team and have that last opportunity.”

Though Boone said he saw better at-bats on Saturday, the Yanks finished 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position, leaving 12 men on.

They missed a prime opportunity in the fifth, for example, when Giancarlo Stanton struck out to leave the bases loaded facing Kevin Kelly.

“I can’t give you an answer of why it’s not happening,” Chisholm said. “Right now, it’s just not happening. We’re just going to keep grinding through it until we make it happen."