Yankees bullpen implodes again in second crushing loss to Astros

HOUSTON — After learning they have no idea if they will see staff ace Luis Severino this year, the Yankees did enough things wrong to deservedly get beaten by the Astros on Tuesday night.

Due to a high pitch count starter Jonathan Loaisiga lasted just three innings.

Wrongly believing a bunt was foul, Brett Gardner didn’t run all the way to first base allowing the Astros to turn a double play with two on and no out in the third.

Left fielder Clint Frazier took a bad route to Michael Brantley’s leadoff double in the second when the Astros tied the score. In the sixth, Frazier got in Gardner’s way fielding a base hit that Gardner bobbled and Josh Reddick made second on the error. Frazier failed to make a diving catch on Alex Bregman’s two-out double in the seventh when the Astros tied the score again.

Finally, Chad Green loaded the bases with one out in the eighth and gave up a two-run double to George Springer that ignited a three-run rally and carried the hosts to a 6-3 victory in front of 31,009 at Minute Maid Park.

After sweeping three from the inept Orioles to start a six-game road trip, the Yankees are in danger of getting swept in the final three and need a win Wednesday to avoid that.

Jonathan Holder recorded the final out of the sixth to leave a runner on second and preserve the Yankees’ 3-2 advantage and then moved to the top of the Astros’ lineup in the seventh.

Holder caught George Springer looking, retired Jose Altuve on a chopper to third and watched Frazier have Alex Bregman’s liner glance off his glove as he dived head-first toward the infield. Bregman made second and scored on Michael Brantley’s double to right and tied the score, 3-3.

Gary Sanchez’s one-out double to left in the sixth had moved the Yankees ahead of the Astros, 3-2, and had some help from the wall.

Gardner and Aaron Judge opened the inning against Cole with walks. Luke Voit hit what should have been an easy double play but first baseman Yuli Gurriel bobbled Altuve’s pivot throw from the second and the Yankees had runners at the corners for Sanchez.

He ripped a line drive to left that hit the wall, and rolled toward center, far enough on the warning track to score Gardner from third and the heavy-legged Voit from second to erase a 2-1 Astros lead.

Luis Cessa entered in the fifth inning and found trouble immediately by walking Springer and giving up a single to Altuve to start but retired Bregman on a pop, struck out Brantley and popped up Carlos Correa.

Altuve’s second homer in as many nights came in the third inning and put the Astros ahead, 2-1. Bregman followed with a walk and with the Yankees employing one infielder — third baseman Gio Urshela — on the left side Brantley singled to left with Bregman running. That forced shortstop Gleyber Torres and Urshela, who broke toward second to cover the steal, racing toward third. Frazier’s throw was on line but Torres, who caught the ball, and Urshela collided and Bregman was safe.

Loaisiga did well to keep the Astros from scoring again by striking out Correa and retiring Yuli Gurriel on a fly to deep left. All of that work pushed Loaisiga’s pitch count to 71 after three innings and lefty Stephen Tarpley took over in the fourth.

The Yankees missed a strong chance to score in the third when Gardner bunted into a double play with runners on first and second and no outs.

Urshela started with a walk and Austin Romine singled to right to put runners at first and second for Gardner against Gerrit Cole and the score tied, 1-1. Gardner’s bunt went from the bat to foul territory and into fair territory. Catcher Robinson Chirinos fielded the ball and fired to first. Not far out of the box and thinking it was a foul ball, Gardner stopped running and Correa threw to first for the double play.

Leading, 1-0, thanks to Luke Voit’s two-out homer to center field in the first inning Loaisiga overpowered the first three hitters in the Astros’ lineup in the home half of the frame.

Springer struck out looking at a curveball, Altuve whiffed at a 98 mph fastball and Bregman fanned on a breaking pitch for the final out.

Loaisiga wasn’t as good in the second when the Astros scored a run but didn’t cash in on a chance to take the lead.

Brantley opened with an opposite-field double to left that Frazier made a diving attempt on. Correa walked in front of a wild pitch that moved Brantley to third. With Gurriel at the plate, Correa swiped second and Gurriel’s fly to right scored Brantley to make it 1-1. Josh Reddick beat out an infield single to short before Chirinos struck out and Aaron Judge tracked Tony Kemp’s fly to the warning track in right for the final out.

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