Yankees 1, Padres 2: San Diego gets the best of the bullpen

It's difficult to win games when you only score one run, even if you have the best bullpen in baseball. The Yankees found that out, and their star bullpen wasn't on its A-game. The result? A walk-off loss by the Padres. New York has now dropped the series to 35-46 San Diego.

The Yankees got on the scoreboard first in the sixth inning after both Ivan Nova and Drew Pomeranz held their opponents scoreless through five. A Starlin Castro groundout brought home Jacoby Ellsbury from third for the Yankees' one and only run. The lead didn't last very long at all.

San Diego tied the game right back up in the bottom of the sixth by getting to Nova when Dellin Betances was unable to keep the inherited runners from scoring. Nova allowed a single and a walk before being pulled for Betances, who allowed a Matt Kemp double to drive in Wil Myers. The Padres very nearly got another run when Melvin Upton Jr. singled to right field and Kemp tried to score. Rob Refsnyder through a bullet to home plate and Kemp was tagged out. San Diego challenged the call but it was upheld.

Neither team was able to push across another run until Upton Jr. homered off Andrew Miller to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning. Miller had worked a scoreless eighth inning before coming back out for the ninth with the game tied. It was his first loss of the year.

All of this really undersells how strong Nova was over 5.1 innings. He didn't give the team as much length as they probably needed, but he did strike out seven batters and limit the Padres to just four hits. It was at least a one-time sign of life from a pitcher who has been struggling mightily.

What more can be said about the Yankees at this point? They have proven incapable of taking advantage of favorable scheduling by consistently losing to teams that they should theoretically be able to beat. Losing series to the Rockies and Padres is no way to even attempt to climb back in the hunt for a postseason spot.

It's frustrating and annoying. To watch these games and even think that buying should be an option is beyond comprehension at this point. Hopefully the front office realizes that.