Instead Of Finishing Off a Huge Sweep In Baltimore, The Yankees Botched Two Routine Game-Ending Plays And Achieved a New "Worst Loss Of The Year"

Yeah, I got nothing. Seconds away from the definitive win of the year and a sweep of the Orioles to retake 1st place heading into the All Star Break. Ben Rice plays hero ball with a clutch 3 run bomb off Kimbrel in the 9th to take the late lead. It felt like a moment had happened that you'd remember when the misery all turned around. All erased because 1) Anthony Volpe couldn't make this routine play at short

and Alex Verdugo couldn't track down this fly ball to left. 

In two plays the win of the year quickly became the new version of the "loss of the year." Completely shit down their leg. 

The catch probability on that ball to Verdugo? 99%. If he takes a step back it's in his glove probably without moving much more at all. Instead he for some godforsaken reason came in and it was game over. So done with his play. He inexplicably hits in the middle of the order despite having no chance of being productive. His calling card was his glove, but here he is losing them a game like today. Jasson Dominguez cannot come back sooner. It took a little bit of his shine to wear off, but I see what Boston hated so much about Verdugo and how they had to dump him. The Yankees have just had so many bad LFs since Gardner that we were accepting of it. 

Volpe's ball couldn't have been gift-wrapped more to get the putout. Of course he botches it. Two players who really have only brought value this year from the defensive side can't make routine plays to win you a game. 

Clay Holmes doesn't get out of this without blame either. Every game that guy has traffic on the bases. A single and two walks to load the bases while trying to nail down a save. Yes the game should have ended with either Volpe or Verdugo making their plays, but there's people on the bases because of his mess. How he's an All Star is beyond me. His inability to generate swing and miss coupled with his lack of control will always have me on the verge of walking into traffic. 

So with that, the Yankees mis-out on a golden chance to even up their season series with Baltimore and secure sole first place before the break. This weekend they successfully won back to back games for the first time in a month, as well as a series, but losing like that makes me feel like they just got swept. Good thing we have sunshine and rainbows Boone to spin it all back to positivity. 

God I hate that man. Can't believe he dropped the "turning the corner" line after that loss. I'm very happy this team doesn't play again until next Friday.