PHOENIX – The math is only becoming more difficult for the Yankees, who had hoped to close their gap in the American League East ahead of this week’s upcoming four-game showdown against the Rays.
Instead, they face the likelihood that Tampa Bay will soon celebrate a division crown in the Bronx, which would send the Yankees into their second consecutive AL Wild Card Series.
Brent Headrick surrendered Nolan Arenado’s fifth-inning grand slam as the Yankees absorbed an 8-4 loss on Sunday afternoon at Chase Field. With seven games remaining, New York trails Tampa Bay by six games in the division race, which manager Aaron Boone described as “a tall order.”
“It’s tough,” José Caballero said. “We fought for the whole season, but at the end of the day, we are already in the postseason. So that’s what we’ll look forward to, and just be better. Learn from little mistakes and play team baseball in the postseason.”
Heliot Ramos, George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones hit third-inning homers to chase Corbin Burnes early, with Lombard and Jones going back to back.
The rookies’ blasts traveled a combined Statcast-projected 872 feet; Lombard’s 424-footer was the longest of his career, which Jones followed with a 448-foot drive.
But the bats went largely silent after Burnes’ exit, with five relievers combining to scatter three hits over 6 1/3 scoreless frames. The Yankees finished their road schedule with a 47-34 record.
“I thought we had some decent at-bats along the way, but just obviously weren’t able to build on the lead or claw our way back in,” Boone said.
Will Warren allowed four runs on six hits and three walks over 4 1/3 innings, striking out four in his penultimate start of the regular season.
“I thought his stuff was good,” Boone said. “I feel like it’s been in a good place for the last three or four weeks now. He just started falling behind a little bit there in the latter part of the game.”
Geraldo Perdomo had a first-inning RBI single off Warren, who left a bases-loaded, one-out mess for Headrick in the fifth.
Boone confirmed that Warren will make one more start against the Orioles before transitioning to a bullpen role. But the division might be decided by then.
“We’ve got to win ballgames,” Warren said. “I feel like we let the last two slip away, which is tough to do right now. It’s coming down to the wire.”
Headrick has been a bullpen stalwart, handling 79 appearances – second in the Majors – without complaint, but that workload might be catching up with the lefty. He fanned Perdomo for the second out of the fifth but issued a bases-loaded walk to Corbin Carroll.
Arenado crushed a drive just foul down the left-field line before pouncing on the next pitch – a 94.2 mph four-seamer that missed its intended location -- for a grand slam that put Arizona ahead.
“I didn’t execute like I wanted to,” Headrick said. “It’s frustrating. With the way Will threw the ball, you want to come out there and do your job. I just didn’t get it done.”
Headrick’s fastball velocity was down 1.3 mph from its season average of 94.2 mph on Sunday, but he chalked the results up more to a lack of execution and falling behind hitters.
“I’m feeling good, honestly,” Headrick said. “I think it’s just important to go out there each day and try to do our job. Today we didn’t have it, weren’t able to come through. But I think you’ve just got to wash it and come out tomorrow stronger and learn from it.”
Caballero said Headrick “has been strong for us the whole year, so we’re not concerned about him. He’s going to be fine.”
Boone said that, if the division is decided, he would navigate the remaining games to prepare his roster. That would include offering a breather to Headrick, who has allowed just five homers to 318 batters faced this season.
In the meantime, though, their objective remains simple.
“We’re going to show up and try to win the games on Tuesday, and then we’ll keep going from there,” Boone said.
“We’ve been through a lot as a team this year already, and we’ve answered the bell at the turns. We’re looking forward to hopefully playing a good week of baseball and building some momentum going into the postseason.”