{"id":46750,"date":"2017-10-10T07:34:32","date_gmt":"2017-10-10T07:34:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=46750"},"modified":"2017-10-10T07:34:32","modified_gmt":"2017-10-10T07:34:32","slug":"yankees-pounce-indians-errors-send-series-game-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/sports\/yankees-pounce-indians-errors-send-series-game-5.html","title":{"rendered":"Yankees Pounce on Indians\u2019 Errors and Send Series to Game 5"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yankees Pounce on Indians\u2019 Errors and Send Series to Game 5<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Yankees Pounce on Indians\u2019 Errors and Send Series to Game 5:-October baseball carries a distinct, rarefied atmosphere. Managerial decisions that are easily forgotten in June become enduring. Roles that are well defined in July are scrapped in service of the here and now. And crowds that might have one eye on the action in August are hanging on every pitch.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tossed into that crucible, players sometimes react differently than they would under the languid rhythms of the summer.<\/span><\/p>\n

So it was on Monday night, but not for the young Yankees. Rather it was the hardened Cleveland Indians, who showed their mettle last year in reaching Game 7 of the World Series, who played with jangled nerves.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole night we made it hard on ourselves to win,\u201d Manager Terry Francona said. \u201cWe kept trying, but we kept shooting ourselves in the foot.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Indians committed four errors \u2014 including two by the slick-fielding third baseman Giovanny Urshela \u2014 that the Yankees parlayed into a 7-3 victory over the Indians in Game 4 at Yankee Stadium, sending the teams back to Cleveland to settle the best-of-five series on Wednesday night.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Yankees will start C. C. Sabathia against Corey Kluber, the Indians\u2019 ace, for the opportunity to face Houston in the American League Championship Series.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Yankees \u2014 with an assist from Urshela \u2014 pounced early on Trevor Bauer, who had shut them out for seven innings in the series opener. They rode the electric right arm of starter Luis Severino, who delivered a redemptive performance after being knocked out early in a wild-card victory over the Minnesota Twins.<\/span><\/p>\n

Severino, with his team facing elimination and its bullpen running on fumes, relied heavily on his 100-mile-per-hour fastball over seven strong innings. He allowed four hits \u2014 including a two-run homer to Carlos Santana and a solo shot to Roberto Perez \u2014 while striking out nine.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Michael Brantley singled with one out in the seventh and the Yankees already staked to a 7-3 lead, Manager Joe Girardi appeared headed to the mound. But the pitching coach Larry Rothschild got his attention, and Girardi returned to his perch on the top railing of the dugout.<\/span><\/p>\n

Severino proceeded to strike out Lonnie Chisenhall for a third time and then, with another full-throated crowd chanting his name, he retired Perez on a grounder to shortstop.<\/span><\/p>\n

His final pitch, No. 113 \u2014 the most he had thrown since July \u2014 ended the threat, but it did not stop the crowd, which sang \u201cSev-er-in-o\u201d throughout the break between half-innings.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI hear the stadium calling my name, so I know I\u2019ve got to go over there and finish the inning,\u201d Severino said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Immediately after his departure, the tenuous state of the Yankees\u2019 bullpen was exposed. Dellin Betances, who had seemed to straighten out his control problems, walked the first two hitters \u2014 including two pitches that sailed to the backstop. But Tommy Kahnle entered after the two walks and retired the heart of the Indians order \u2014 striking out Jason Kipnis, getting out Jose Ramirez on a fly ball and fanning Jay Bruce before letting out a roar.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kahnle closed out the ninth by striking out the side.<\/span><\/p>\n

If the Yankees seemed to ride the momentum of Sunday night\u2019s 1-0 victory, also an elimination game, the Indians appeared to be playing with a degree of anxiety on Monday \u2014 even if Francona insisted beforehand that they would not.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf one games changes our confidence level, we weren\u2019t as good as I thought we were, so I would say no,\u201d Francona said before the game. \u201cOur guys will be fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

They did not appear to be. Urshela, who committed just five errors during the season, could not handle Starlin Castro\u2019s one-out line drive in the second inning. After Bauer struck out Chase Headley in the second inning, he gave up four consecutive hits \u2014 one more than the total he allowed in the series opener.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bauer had carved up the Yankees in the series opener, no-hitting them for five and two-thirds innings. Before that game, and earlier on Monday, Girardi said the Yankees would look for an opportunity to get inside the head of Bauer, whose unconventional training regimen and quirky personality have not always endeared him to coaches and teammates. This drew a laugh from Indians center fielder Jason Kipnis.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s got enough of his own self in there,\u201d Kipnis said. \u201cThere\u2019s no room for other people\u2019s thoughts in there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Kipnis warned that Bauer\u2019s unshakable belief in himself \u2014 and in his methods \u2014 were a big reason he won a career-high 17 games this season and dominated Game 1, the third time he had beaten the Yankees this season.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t underestimate or don\u2019t take his quirkiness or mannerisms for vulnerability,\u201d Kipnis said. \u201cHe\u2019s set in his ways and he\u2019s gaining confidence this year with the way he\u2019s been pitching.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

If the Yankees did not take up residence inside Bauer\u2019s head, they put on a master class in reading his mind. Frazier, in reaching over the plate and hooking a 3-1 curveball into the left-field corner that hit the foul line to score Castro for a 1-0 lead, took the type of swing a batter takes when he knows which pitch is coming.<\/span><\/p>\n

And why wouldn\u2019t he? It was the fourth curveball Bauer had thrown him in the five-pitch at-bat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf he throws a fastball, maybe I\u2019m late and hit it to right, maybe I miss it,\u201d said Frazier, who noted that Bauer tends to throw more breaking pitches with runners in scoring position. \u201cIt\u2019s one of those things where I wasn\u2019t guessing, but I was slowing my body down to where I was ready for it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Later that inning, Judge delivered a two-out, two-run double on a 3-2 pitch \u2014 a tailing, letter-high 99-mile-per-hour fastball \u2014 to stake the Yankees to a 4-0 lead. It is a pitch Judge has rarely handled this season, but it was also the same one Bauer threw past him in a full count on his first trip to the plate.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBefore I step in the box, I try to have a solid plan,\u201d Judge said. \u201cMy plan was to stay on the heater, especially a guy like Bauer who has good stuff and has confidence. He\u2019s going to come after you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That was Judge\u2019s only hit of the series and his only contact of the night. He struck out four times and is now 1 for 15 with 12 strikeouts.<\/span><\/p>\n

But as bad as Judge has been at the plate this series, the Indians were worse in the field on Monday. Urshela\u2019s high throw with two out and the bases loaded in the third pulled Santana off first base, allowing Castro to score and push the Yankees lead to 5-0.<\/span><\/p>\n

After the homers by Santana in the fourth and by Perez in the fifth brought the Indians to within 5-3, the Indians were betrayed by their defense again. Reliever Danny Salazar fielded Frazier\u2019s tapper but bounced his throw badly past Santana for a two-base error. Frazier would score when Kipnis \u2014 recently moved from second base to center field \u2014 couldn\u2019t throw him out on Brett Gardner\u2019s shallow fly ball.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe hasn\u2019t played there a lot so why not take the chance?\u201d Frazier said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gary Sanchez pushed the lead to 7-3 in the sixth with a home run to right field off reliever Bryan Shaw. It was the only earned run the Yankees pushed across all night, but by then the Yankees had all the help they would need.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/10\/09\/sports\/baseball\/mlb-playoffs-yankees-indians-alds.html<\/span><\/p>\n

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