NEW YORK – It has not taken Luis García Jr. long to appreciate the benefits of hitting in Yankee Stadium, noticing that he seems to see the ball well in the Bronx. With each set of fresh at-bats, the slugger is growing more and more comfortable in these new surroundings.
The only problem on Tuesday evening was that the Astros seemed to be picking everything up just as well. Damage piled up as the Yankees’ bullpen endured a rare off night, peppered for six late runs to overshadow García’s four-hit performance in a 9-7 loss.
“They beat our guys tonight, so you’ve got to give them some credit there,” manager Aaron Boone said. “They got us slug for slug. We kept answering for the most part, but they just did a little bit more offensively tonight.”
Most of Houston’s damage came against Fernando Cruz and Brent Headrick, paced by Yordan Alvarez, who ripped a go-ahead triple in the eighth inning as part of a 3-for-5 night.
Excellent all year, Headrick surrendered a season-high three runs, including Yainer Diaz’s game-tying homer – Diaz’s second of the game – and a run-scoring Isaac Paredes single.
“I went in feeling good. I thought I made some good pitches at times,” said Headrick, whose ERA inched north to 1.88 from 1.49. “Sometimes, baseball just happens. I think the best thing I can do is flush it.”
Headrick is second in the Majors with 68 appearances, and the Yankees are watching his workload closely. They might have greater concerns with Cruz, who is not generating the same flailing whiffs that had become his trademark.
Cruz said that is by design, noting, “I just have the mentality of getting more outs instead of swing and miss.”
Jeremy Peña cracked a game-tying two-run homer off Cruz in the sixth, coming on a 91.5 mph four-seamer down the middle.
“It’s just that part of the year,” Cruz said. “There’s ups and downs, like every player has. I’ve just got to be better. It’s going to come. My splitter hasn’t been as effective. There’s a little bit of mechanical change, grip. We’re playing with Major League baseball players. They’re really good at it.”
Cruz said he is healthy. Asked to expand on the mechanical issues, he said that he needs to load his back leg more. Since the All-Star break, Cruz has allowed 11 runs (nine earned) in 14 2/3 innings, going 0-3 with a 5.52 ERA. Over that span, Cruz has struck out 17 while walking 10.
“He’s got to be part of the equation,” Boone said. “We still need him to get big outs for us. Tonight, they got him when he fell behind.”
Cruz’s struggles are notable considering the Yankees did not import a reliever at the Trade Deadline, as many industry voices believed they would. They still might be able to bolster from within; Clarke Schmidt is about to begin a Minor League rehab assignment as he aims to rejoin the club in September.
What’s more, it’s possible that Tuesday’s stumbles were just a blip – at least, the Yankees would like to believe so. Their relievers had permitted just four earned runs over their past 29 1/3 innings entering Tuesday’s game, with a Major League-best 2.44 ERA over their past 70 games (since June 3).
“I’m really happy with where we are physically,” Headrick said. “I didn’t know what to expect coming in, but I trust what we’re doing. I like what we’re doing.”
Will Warren started for New York and permitted three runs (two earned) over five innings.
“They bring a lot to the table,” Warren said of the Astros. “I was just trying to get weak contact and try to get ahead.”
After singling in his first two at-bats, García cracked a two-run homer off rookie Ethan Pecko in the fifth – his 27th of the season and fourth with the Yankees.
“I was just looking for a good pitch,” García said through interpreter Marlon Abreu. “I feel like my swing is different from other left-handed hitters. It’s somewhat flat. I’m just looking for something up there where I can connect well. Usually there’s a good connection when I swing up in the zone.”
García added a run-scoring double in the seventh for the Yankees, who also got an early homer from Cody Bellinger -- his first homer since June 17, a 32-game drought that was the second longest of his career.
“I hope our fan base is starting to see what a live bat we got in here,” Boone said of García. “He’s hit some balls really, really hard since he’s been here. He’s capable of nights like this.”