Lynn falters in 6th inning of Miami finale

Righty allows 5 runs in pivotal frame; Yanks split 2-game set

August 23rd, 2018

MIAMI -- has been viewed as a welcome addition to a pitching staff in need of reinforcements, but the veteran ran out of gas in a five-run sixth inning on Wednesday night. ' three-run homer served as the big blow, helping the Marlins snap the Yankees' four-game winning streak with a 9-3 victory at Marlins Park.
Lynn stymied Miami through five innings, then dealt with traffic on the basepaths as three of the first four hitters reached in the sixth, producing a run on 's infield single. Yanks manager Aaron Boone opted to stick with Lynn, who caught too much of the plate with a 1-2 fastball that Rojas hammered into the left-field bullpen.
"A couple of infield hits and a homer, really," Lynn said. "I made one bad pitch and it cost me three runs, and I wasn't able to get out of it. Just give me one pitch back and it might be a different ballgame."

Miami's attack continued as greeted reliever Tommy Kahnle with a booming double to right field, with running through a stop sign to score the fifth run of the inning.
Promoted from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre earlier in the day, allowed four runs, including JT Riddle's pinch-hit, two-run homer in the eighth. Boone said he used Adams in what had been a two-run game at the time because the Yanks' bullpen was taxed from Tuesday's 12-inning, 2-1 victory.
Aroldis placed on DL with knee tendinitis
The effort marked Lynn's second straight clunker, having permitted 10 runs in his last 9 1/3 innings (9.64 ERA). Over his first three games (two starts) following his July 30 acquisition from the Twins, Lynn allowed just one run in 16 2/3 innings.
"When you have a two-run lead going into the sixth inning, you've got to get through the sixth," Lynn said. "You want to have a quick one there so maybe you can go back out for the seventh, with the bullpen being taxed from the night before."
Despite a climbing pitch count, Boone said the Yankees liked Lynn's sixth-inning matchups against and Rojas, a pair of right-handed batters. Rojas' homer came on Lynn's 104th pitch.

"That has been something that Lance has done throughout his career, a guy that has routinely been able to carry his stuff deep into games," Boone said. "You don't worry as much about the pitch count, as long as you feel like the stuff is still there."
built an early lead by driving in both of the Yankees' runs against starter , drilling an RBI double in the fourth and lifting a sacrifice fly in the sixth. Richards allowed three hits in 5 1/3 innings, walking three and striking out nine. New York added a run in the seventh as legged out an infield single.
"We didn't do a lot great down here," Boone said. "We got some big performances last night to bail us out and pick up a big win, but I thought overall we didn't play very good today. We've got to get after it, starting Friday. These are important and we've got to play better than we did tonight."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Yankees mounted a two-out rally in the seventh inning, as roped a pinch-hit single and walked. Hard-throwing entered and uncorked a wild pitch, setting up Stanton's run-scoring infield single to shortstop. That drew New York within two runs, but Guerrero pumped six straight fastballs in to , the last of which caught the bottom of the strike zone at 101 mph.

SOUND SMART
Stanton's brief homecoming did not produce a milestone blast, as he left town still sitting on 299 home runs. It was a productive visit to Miami for Stanton, who went 3-for-9 with an RBI in the two-game split. He is riding an eight-game hitting streak, batting .325 (27-for-83) in August.

HE SAID IT
"It's frustrating. ... Just got to keep going. That's the biggest thing. I say it all the time, but keep going, keep playing. Keep your head up and keep being part of the team, and picking guys up when you can." -- Greg Bird, who went 0-for-10 with four strikeouts during the Miami series, lowering his average to .202.
UP NEXT
Following an off-day on Thursday, the Yankees will open a four-game series against the Orioles at Camden Yards on Friday, welcoming left-hander (7-4, 3.32 ERA) back from a brief stint on the disabled list. Sabathia, who will be known as "DUB" for Players' Weekend, will square off with right-hander Alex Cobb (4-15, 5.09), with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. ET.