But the pain roared back while he warmed up before Sunday’s start and after he struck out Yan Gomes with a 91-mph fastball in the third inning Sunday, he couldn’t take anymore. “I think he felt it warming up and didn’t say anything. I think it was just a feel thing and getting in that rhythm”.
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Sabathia had an MRI performed Sunday on his knee and while Sabathia said “it showed nothing different”, the degenerative knee is causing him large amounts of pain that he can’t play through. The lefty had his knee drained of fluid most recently in late June. “Having a setback like that (stinks)”. Everything we’ve seen from him we like.
But the 21-year-old never imagined an eighth-inning walk or single up the middle when he had visions of silencing the Yankee Stadium faithful. “So, as a crew, they got together first, which was good, and they came back to explain it to me and he was trying to make three points, and I thought all three were incorrect”. Switching gears to Cleveland’s pitching staff, they allow just 7.2 hits per road game, good for tops in the AL.
Before that, Carlos Beltran blooped a game-tying double in the seventh off reliever Bryan Shaw (2-2), bouncing the ball just fair down the left field line to score two.
The NL East leaders got a season high-tying 21 hits, including 10 for extra bases. Despite issuing a season-high six walks, Bauer gave up an unearned run and two singles in 6 1/3 innings. The Yankees were able to scratch across a run in the bottom half of the third after a botched throw on a Brett Gardner steal brought Jacoby Ellsbury home from third, but they were otherwise static on the offensive side.
Gardner’s stolen base was the 200th of his career, making him the sixth Yankee to reach the milestone.
Prior to the game, the Yankees retired Pettittes No. 46 and unveiled a plaque in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium one day after doing the same for Jorge Posada and his No. 20.
Sabathia, of course, signed a 7-year deal with the Yankees in December 2008 and was the definition of an ace from 2009-2012, winning 74 games with a 3.23 ERA over that span and annually finishing in the top 5 of the Cy Young voting – not to mention turning in some stellar performances in the postseason. He is day-to-day. Kipnis entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the fifth and drew an intentional walk against the right-handed Rumbelow.
1B Mark Teixeira missed his seventh straight game with a bruised right lower leg. “The stitches come out of my nose tomorrow, and it should be fine”.
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“It’s been a watch for us all along”, Girardi said. He will throw a simulated game in Tampa early this week and could probably slide in the rotation soon after. Alex Rodriguez (rest) was out of the starting lineup for the second consecutive game. He will try to keep it going Monday when the Indians and Cubs meet at Wrigley Field. Corey Kluber (8-13, 3.52 ERA) gets the start and will be opposed by Lester (8-9, 3.58 ERA).
