CLEVELAND — Help arrived from the Gulf of Mexico earlier in the day, sent by the A’s victory over the Rays. But long after darkness the Yankees dumped the gift into Lake Erie.
When the Yankees took Progressive Field to face the awful Indians, the visitors understood a chance to pad their AL East lead was in the air. The second-place Rays had fallen to the A’s in Florida and here was an opportunity — against a team that had lost nine straight — to widen the gap.
Instead, the Yankees will be looking to avoid losing two of three to the worst team in the American League today after dropping a 3-1 decision in front of 34,374.
A loss today would send the Yankees home with a 1-5 ledger for a trip that started by getting swept in Chicago.
With a chance to extend their advantage over the Rays to 4 1/2 games, the Yankees remained 3 1/2 lengths ahead because they couldn’t deliver the big blow.
“Our guys had pretty good at-bats,’’ manager Joe Girardi said of the lineup that collected just seven hits (six singles) off three Indians pitchers. “But we weren’t able to get the hits.’’
Hiroki Kuroda gave up three runs in the first when Michael Brantley hit a three-run homer, but nothing in the following seven frames. Still, it was enough for Kuroda to absorb the loss and drop to 12-9. In eight innings Kuroda allowed four hits, hit two batters and walked three.
“He made one mistake and it was right down the middle,’’ Girardi said of Kuroda’s home-run pitch that followed Jason Kipnis being hit by a pitch and Shin-Soo Choo walking. “I don’t think he had a good slider all night.’’
He also didn’t get much support from a lineup that has produced eight runs in the last four games.
The Yankees went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and missed a big chance to hurt Justin Masterson in the sixth inning when Derek Jeter singled, Nick Swisher walked and Robinson Cano singled to load the bases without an out.
Mark Teixeira went after the first pitch and sent a deep fly to center that scored Jeter and advanced Swisher to third and Cano to second, respectively.
A walk to Curtis Granderson reloaded the bases with one out, but Eric Chavez’s liner nestled in third baseman Jack Hannahan’s glove and Russell Martin’s fly to deep right was caught by Choo.
“You always want to reward a pitcher for pitching good,’’ said Teixeira, who stranded three runners in the seventh when Vinnie Pestano broke his bat and produced a pop up. “Other than the first inning he was amazing.’’
Kuroda (12-9) had no idea a three-run first would beat him, but one bad pitch was enough to get him beat.
“I tried for the outside corner but it came back over the plate,’’ he said of the fateful pitch to Brantley.
Masterson allowed one run and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings and won for the third time in four outings. He is 10-11.
Chris Perez, who might have gotten help from first-base umpire Gary Cederstrom when Ichiro Suzuki was called out for the second out in the ninth, posted his 33rd save.
Getting CC Sabathia back Friday created a lift. Losing last night negated that. Today brings a chance to salvage a bad trip or lead to legitimate questions about the Yankees’ ability to hold off the Rays.
