Brent Hedrick was solid in getting out of the jam he inherited in the seventh inning, and David Bednar earned his sixth save of the season in a 4-2 win over Kansas City on Friday in the Bronx.
But even on a night when the bullpen was mostly good, Camilo Duval nearly ruined it for the Yankees.
The right-hander gave up a game-tying homer to Kansas City’s Vinny Pasquantino, the latest chapter in another bad stretch from Duval — who also gave up a home run to Mike Trout in a loss to the Angels in his previous outing on Monday.
He has allowed seven runs in six innings over his last seven games.
Aaron Boone said Duvall was “really good and sharp [and] Throw a strike there.
But the manager admitted that he made mistakes with Trout and then with Pasquantino, who knocked out Duval with two goals and no one participated in a single match.
“He missed the slug hole, but the threes around it were really good,” Boone said. “I know he’s been hit by a few long balls. He’s about to get called.”
Boone and the Yankees have no choice but to keep going for Duvall, who was expected to be their setup man.
“He’s going to be in hell,” Boone said. “The good thing is he has all the equipment to get the job done. If he can get that last layer of consistency, the throwing tools and method are there.”
While Anthony Volpe continued his rehab stint with Double-A Somerset on Friday, Jose Caballero was at shortstop again in the Bronx.
Results remain mixed, with Caballero struggling at times in the field and being woeful at the plate until a recent surge.
When the Yankees acquired Caballero last year from Tampa Bay, he was expected to be a versatile player with great speed and defensive prowess — not an everyday shortstop. He appeared at shortstop, second and third base games last year, as well as in left and right field.
Caballero said it’s good to return to that role when Volpe returns to the majors after having offseason surgery to repair the torn labrum in his left shoulder.
“I wish him the best,” Caballero said before Friday’s game. “I hope he will be healthy as soon as possible.”
I try to focus on myself and the team and help as much as I can.”
Boone said he spoke to league officials on Friday and admitted the error called during Thursday’s loss to the Angels was the correct one.
Boone wanted clarity on the play as first base umpire Ryan Addyton called left-hander Ryan Yarbrough to ground out when he attempted to ground out at first with runners on first and second.
On the play, first baseman Ben Rice was away from the bag and the play involved him moving to the base while Yarbrough threw to the bag – which was more of a challenge with Rice being a “moving target.”
Boone said he was told the problem was that Yarbrough’s throw did not go directly to first base.
“The reality is you have to get it to the base when it’s unmanned,” Boone said. “It certainly didn’t reach base. My claim was the intent and the neighborhood should have mattered. We were trying to throw to first base. It was a little late and [Rice] Had to adjust. So I understand the call. I definitely accept that. We have to do better in a game like this.”
He added that despite their issue with the play, the Yankees wouldn’t hesitate to try it again.
The Yankees entered Friday tied for 11th in their success rate on hard pitches at the plate, according to Statcast.
He successfully challenged Cody Bellinger on Friday, but they lost both challenges in Thursday’s loss and Boone was not happy with either attempt, as Trent Gresham and Jazz Chisholm Jr. missed.
“I thought about the two challenges we face [Thursday] “It wasn’t great,” Boone said before Friday’s game.
But he doesn’t want them to stop challenging.
“We’re trying to learn from all of them,” Boone said of ABS.