Yankees Highlights: Luis Cessa the lone bright spot in loss to Mariners

After snatching victory from the jaws of the defeat yesterday, the Yankees quickly nuzzled themselves in the jaws of defeat tonight, and comfortably stayed there for the duration of the game. They fell behind in the first inning and trailed all game, eventually getting blown out by the score of 10-1. Following such a dramatic win, it almost feels as if the pendulum over-corrected and swung too far in the opposite direction, with the Yankees’ patchwork roster getting shellacked by the Mariners. No matter; they’ll have every chance to take the four-game set tomorrow with J.A. Happ on the mound.

Winner of the Game

Slim pickings here. Luis Cessa takes the title almost by default, in a game where the Yankees were held without a hit for 5.1 innings by Yusei Kikuchi and finished with just five total knocks. Cessa, for his part, gave up just one run on a solo shot by Edwin Encarnacion, otherwise working three solid innings, striking out five and walking none. That type of outing, where Cessa provides multiple innings after the starter exits early, is where he can prove to be quite valuable.

Loser of the Game

Starter Jonathan Loaisiga didn’t have his sharpest outing, but the worst performance of the night clearly belonged to reliever Jake Barrett. Claimed from the Pirates earlier this season, the right-hander found himself tasked with keeping the deficit at 5-1 tonight. Instead, he was brutalized, to the tune of five hits and five runs in just two innings. What was a plausibly-competitive game turned into a laugher by the end. With his ERA on the season at 14.73 (in just 3.2 innings), Barrett’s spot on the roster looks shaky.

Honorable mention: As mentioned, Loaisiga was uneven. He allowed four runs in just four innings, striking out three against two walks. Hopefully the young righty finds his form after another turn in the rotation.

Chart

FanGraphs