NEW YORK – Luke Weaver promised to be “raw and honest” in remarks following the Yankees’ most recent defeat, saying that it has been “devastating” to absorb his performances since returning from the injured list.
The reliever insists the ball feels good coming out of his hand, but hitters are telling a different story, squaring him up with regularity. Weaver surrendered a home run for a third consecutive outing on Friday, and it was a costly one.
“I said that I’ve been feeling good, but that just might be a lie now,” said Weaver, who served up Jeff McNeil’s go-ahead two-run blast in the Yankees’ 6-5 loss to the Mets in the opener of the Citi Field portion of the Subway Series. “It’s hard to make sense of what’s been going on.”
That’s true in the larger picture, too, as the Yankees have lost five consecutive games and 15 of their past 21. After falling out of first place in the American League East on Thursday at Toronto, they hinted at a rebound on Friday but couldn’t finish the job.
“I feel like we’re playing well at times, and then we’re just not finding ways to win games,” said shortstop Anthony Volpe. “That’s just about it.”
Saying that he is “not winning big moments,” Weaver has struggled mightily since returning from a strained left hamstring. Including McNeil’s seventh-inning homer, the right-hander has allowed nine runs (eight earned) in 5 1/3 innings over seven appearances dating to June 20 (a 13.51 ERA).
“I think at this point, I’ve got two options,” Weaver said. “I can sulk and feel bad for myself, or I can foundationally grind and find a way to be flat-out better – for myself, for my teammates, for this team in general. And for the fans. I don’t want to be too hard on myself, but at the end of the day, what else is there?”
Weaver had a 1.05 ERA across his first 25 2/3 innings, a period during which he had supplanted Devin Williams in the closer’s role.
“I think people lose sight of how good Luke’s been last year, and even the beginning of this year,” said starter Marcus Stroman. “So to have a few rough outings, it’s really nothing in the grand scheme of things. There’s nobody we want with the ball in their hands and the game on the line more than Luke Weaver or Devin Williams.”
Manager Aaron Boone said he trusts Weaver will make it through to the other side.
“He’s got the makeup to handle this,” Boone said. “He’s been through a lot in his career as far as dealing with successes and failures. Because the stuff is where it needs to be, I think he’ll get through that.”
But Weaver’s issues are indicative of a larger issue, contributing to the club’s downturn.
Ian Hamilton surrendered a sixth-inning homer to Brett Baty. The bullpen has been taxed heavily by a lack of off-days and too many short outings from starting pitchers – like Clarke Schmidt, who exited after three innings with an injury on Thursday.
Losing Fernando Cruz to a left oblique strain in late June hasn’t helped, either.
“We’re kind of going through it, but we have the people to get through it,” Boone said.
The defeat spoiled an electric afternoon for Jasson Domínguez, who shined from the leadoff spot with a two-homer performance, driving in three runs and stealing a base.
“I would say I’m trying to swing at better pitches,” Domínguez said. “I do like [hitting leadoff]. I’ll hit wherever my manager wants.”
Aaron Judge also launched his 32nd home run, coming as Domínguez and Judge clubbed back-to-back first-inning blasts off rookie Justin Hagenman.
Boone said he could see Domínguez remaining in the leadoff spot, which has had a rotating cast this season.
“I love his at-bats right now,” Boone said. “Obviously he’s getting massive results, hitting the ball incredibly hard the last several days, especially the last two days here. So that’s really good to see.”
Cody Bellinger hit a fourth-inning homer off Hagenman, who allowed four runs and five hits over 4 1/3 innings in his first Major League start (third appearance).
After being largely silenced in the Yankee Stadium round of the Subway Series, Juan Soto showed his former club why he is the National League’s reigning Player of the Month.
Soto belted a two-run homer and doubled in a three-hit showing against Stroman, who called Soto “one of the best ever.”
“He’s extremely locked in right now,” said Stroman, who permitted three runs and seven hits over five innings. “He’s kind of all over everything. He’s an incredibly hard AB. You’ve got to kind of play a game, and he was ahead of me today.”