Chris Stewart drove in two runs. Yep.
Ten hits were not enough for the Yankees to complete the sweep of the doubleheader and series against the Pirates, thanks to sloppy defense and what may have been a game-saving catch on the part of Pittsburgh's Josh Harrison. Vidal Nuno gave up three runs, two earned, over six innings. The unearned run came via an RBI by old foe Chris Stewart who would go on to drive in the fifth and final run for the Pirates late in the game with a sac fly. Nuno allowed six hits and one walk while striking out five before being replaced by Alfredo Aceves. His two earned runs came on a home run by Starling Marte.
Aceves lasted 1.2 innings, serving up a go-ahead homer to Harrison after the Yankees tied the score at 3-3 on a Yangervis Solarte solo homer. Preston Claiborne was responsible for the wholly embarrassing second RBI for Stewart in the game. The second inning was full of defensive failure on both sides, featuring four errors and a balk. On the Yankees' offensive side, right fielder Travis Snider failed to get his glove down on a John Ryan Murphy single that drove in Solarte for the Yankees' first run. Murphy advanced to third on the play and scored when Brendan Ryan reached on a bunt single before moving to second on an error by the pitcher Gerrit Cole. Solarte and Brian Roberts were responsible for the errors on the defensive side that inning.
Totals for that second inning: three runs, four errors, one balk and a player thrown out at third base. Hooray baseball!
— Lohud Yankees Blog (@LoHudYankees) May 18, 2014Brett Gardner tripled to start the game before he was picked off by a snap throw by Stewart. He also walked and singled in the game. Solarte snapped another cold streak with an impressive homer into the right field bleachers off Cole. Roberts had two hits and Derek Jeter came off the bench to pick up a single as well. Unfortunately, they were not able to mount a comeback in the eighth or ninth innings, even after using their bench full of regulars that did not start the second game of the doubleheader. With the loss, the Yankees stay in first place in the AL East by half a game over the Baltimore Orioles. The team has tomorrow off before a two-game series at Wrigley Field on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday will be Masahiro Tanaka Time, so get excited.