RISPy Business: New York Yankees Waste Scoring Opportunities, Lose ALDS Game 2

The New York Yankees have only themselves to blame for their 5-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers in ALDS Game 2 at a rainy Yankee Stadium on Sunday evening.

They head to Detroit after batting a dismal .000—as in 0-for-7—with runners in scoring position in Game 2. Only Andruw Jones’ ninth-inning sacrifice fly avoided a complete failure by Yankees hitters in such situations.

The Yankees’ RISPy business began in the bottom of the first inning with Detroit already leading 2-0, thanks to Miguel Cabrera’s two-run opposite field homer off Freddy Garcia.

The Tigers’ Max Scherzer, making his postseason debut, issued consecutive walks to Robinson Cano and A-Rod.  

Mark Teixeira let Scherzer off the hook by popping out, and Scherzer then settled down and retired the side in order in the second, third and fourth innings. 

With one out in the fifth inning, Scherzer—who had still not allowed a hit—walked Jorge Posada and hit Russell Martin on the hand.

Neither Posada nor Martin would score, as Brett Gardner lined out and Derek Jeter grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the threat. Jeter, a career .303 hitter with RISP, fell to .259 with RISP in 2011. 

It would get worse. 

Nick Swisher walked to lead off the seventh. Posada singled, ending Scherzer’s night. With two on and none out, the next three Yankees were decidedly RISP-averse, as reliever Joaquin Benoit induced Martin to fly out, struck out pinch hitter Eric Chavez on just three pitches and struck out Jeter looking on four pitches.

New York’s final threat came in the bottom of the ninth inning, against a shaky Jose Valverde. After Nick Swisher led off with homer, Posada tripled and Martin walked. The Yankee faithful roared in approval, sensing yet another Bronx comeback.

Up stepped Andruw Jones, who managed to get Posada home with his sacrifice fly to right—could the Yankees finally be seeing some RISP reward?

Alas, no.

Jeter went down swinging, and Cano grounded out to second to end the game.

Valverde did throw 34 pitches, and Detroit’s starter on Monday is the suddenly-mortal Justin Verlander.

The Tigers’ ace and sure-bet AL Cy Young winner followed up his uncharacteristically vulnerable regular-season finale against the Orioles with a one-inning, 25-pitch ordeal in the rain-suspended ALDS Game 1 last Friday night.

There’s certainly no guarantee that Verlander will be off his game for a third straight start on Monday. And if the Yankees don’t hit better with RISP, they may be guaranteeing themselves an early exit from the postseason.