Schadenfreude 307 (A Continuing Series)

Dan Martin, Post:

Jose Altuve got the Yankees again.

The Yankees finished off the first half of the season with a disastrous 8-7 loss at Minute Maid Park, as Domingo German and Chad Green blew a five-run lead in the ninth, with Altuve finishing it with a game-winning three-run homer.

German allowed the first two batters of the ninth to reach and Green gave up a two-run double to Chas McCormick to make it 7-4.

Abraham Toro followed with a shot to right that Aaron Judge couldn't chase down for an RBI double to cut the Yankees' lead to two runs.

After a visit from pitching coach Matt Blake, pinch-hitter Jason Castro singled to center, moving Toro to third.

Green got Martin Maldonado on a soft liner to short for the first out.

Altuve . . . then slammed a homer and his teammates ripped off his jersey after he crossed the plate. . . .

We heard it was cold, so we turned it up a notch.#ForTheH pic.twitter.com/tcC5xcRcRc

— Houston Astros (@astros) July 11, 2021

Ballgame. pic.twitter.com/FKT4NLqCY9

— MLB (@MLB) July 11, 2021

Kristie Ackert, Daily News:

Aaron Judge and the Yankees trolled Jose Altuve Saturday night, but the Astros and their second baseman had the last laugh Sunday. In an all-too familiar scene for Yankee fans, Altuve hit a game-winning walkoff home run, off Chad Green this time, capping the Astros' six-run ninth inning and delivering a 8-7 gut-punch to the Bombers . . .

The weekend played out like the Yankees' first half of the season: inconsistent.

On the heels of perhaps their biggest win of the year — beating the Astros behind a resurgent Gerrit Cole’s complete game shutout — the Yankees suffered a brutal loss. In the first 89 games of the season, the only thing consistent about the Bombers has been their erratic play.

With confidence in closer Aroldis Chapman low, they went with Domingo German to start the ninth. He put two on and Green let them score on Chas McCormick's double. He gave up another on Abraham Toro’s double and then three more on Altuve's homer. . . .

And Sunday, they not only had to suffer the deflating loss, but then had to see the Astros troll them back on the way out.

Sunday, Altuve let his teammates rip off his jersey as they celebrated the win, a clear response to the Yankees having mocked him all weekend. . . .

[T]he Yankees (46-43) ended their first half with . . . an inconsistent offense and a struggling closer, [the same things] that [have] dogged them for the last month. Those issues are still hanging over their heads as they go into the three-day break.

They don't have much time to figure it out.

After this deflating loss, [the Yankees are] still eight games behind the American League East-leading Red Sox, who they will face eight times in their first 10 games out of the hiatus. Then they face the Rays, who are battling Boston for the division lead.

[Jameson Taillon:] "[C]oming out of the break . . . if we don't come out and play well, it's not gonna be good for us."

Kristie Ackert, Daily News (early edition):

Jose Altuve got the last laugh as the Yankees collapsed in the ninth inning. The Astros second baseman hit a game-winning walkoff three-run homer off Chad Green in the bottom of the ninth as Houston rallied to beat the Yankees 8-7 Sunday.

Then the All-Star let his teammates rip off his jersey, trolling the Yankees, who had been mocking him all weekend. . . .

The Yankees (46-43) . . . return from the break Thursday with eight of their first 10 games against the Red Sox [who they have not been able to beat this year (0-6)] . . .

Domingo German was charged with two runs and could not get out of the ninth. Aaron Boone skipped over closer Aroldis Chapman and went to Green, who had thrown 26 pitches on Friday, to close. . . .

Taillon got his ERA under 5.00 in his first 17 starts back with his outing Sunday. . . .

Mike Vaccaro, Post:

[I]t sure seems the Yankees are officially committed to a policy of one-step-up, two-steps-back — and that isn't the best way to negotiate a pennant race, especially one in which you are playing from behind.

But, man, baseball could sure use some more Yankees-Astros. . . .

[T]hat will only be possible if the Yankees can drag themselves out of the quicksand and make a legit second-half run . . .

Yankees fans probably don't want to hear about that right now, because right now Yankees fans want everyone fired, want everyone traded, want to burn the franchise blueprints and start all over following a nasty and nauseating gag job in Houston, a 7-2 laugher heading into the ninth that wound up an 8-7 bone-crusher exiting it with Jose Altuve — of course — serving once more as the Astros' MC from hell.

The Yankees lost, somehow, after being issued 14 walks. The Yankees failed to sweep, again, somehow, despite holding the Astros to all of two runs across the first 20 innings of this series. . . . The Yankees were three outs away from inching closer to the top of the division with three days to savor.

They only got one of those outs. . . .

It was Altuve who won what many Yankees fans believe was Aaron Judge's MVP trophy in '17. It was Altuve who walked off Aroldis Chapman two years later . . .

This weekend, the Yankees took great delight in tweaking Altuve. Aaron Judge clearly mimicked him when he hit the home run that won the Yankees a 1-0 game Saturday. Gary Sanchez did the same thing Sunday. . . .

And then Altuve. It was a slider this time, out of the zone. Altuve took his best 2-iron hack at it, and it was a goner the moment it left the bat. He rounded the bases slowly. Minute Maid Park nearly fell off its moorings. Dazed Yankees stumbled off the field. . . .

"Another gut-punch," Aaron Boone called it. . . .

[T]he Yankees are still officially in critical condition. . . .

Dan Martin and Greg Joyce, Post:

Aroldis Chapman will have to wait a while longer to straighten himself out.

The Yankees' struggling closer spent yet another game stuck in the bullpen Sunday, watching instead as Domingo German and Chad Green blew a five-run lead in the ninth inning of a brutal 8-7 loss to the Astros . . .

Before Sunday's loss, Aaron Boone and pitching coach Matt Blake said they were waiting for the right spot to use Chapman. That did not come in the ninth inning Sunday, which the Yankees started with a 7-2 lead . . .

Prior to his last outing, Chapman had blown leads in three straight appearances. His struggles date back even further, giving up 14 earned runs in 5²/₃ innings before the low-leverage inning against the Mariners.

Greg Joyce, Post:

The Astros didn't let Aaron Judge's troll of Jose Altuve go without a response— getting the last laugh in emphatic fashion.

After hitting a walk-off home run to beat the Yankees 8-7 on Sunday at Minute Maid Park, Altuve was the last one standing — with his shirt off, a scene he didn't allow to happen when he hit another walk-off homer to sink the Yankees in the 2019 ALCS . . .

Aaron Judge had mocked Altuve on Saturday night after hitting a homer, tugging at his jersey like Altuve had in 2019 . . .

But the Astros had an answer early and late Sunday, with catcher Martin Maldonado pulling down his collar to expose his buzzer-less chest after hitting a solo homer in the third inning before Altuve socked the game-winner. . . .

After Judge had chalked his celebration up to reminding his teammates to "button up" inside the "chilly" dome, Maldonado played along when asked about his response.

"It's a little hot," Maldonado said. "I was trying to get some air into my shirt. That was it." . . .

Astros manager Dusty Baker said before the game that he thought Judge's celebration was "wrong," but was glad to see Altuve — who hit a go-ahead homer off Chad Green at Yankee Stadium in May — deliver against Green again Sunday.

Steve Serby, Post:

The patient still has a fever, and hasn't left the infirmary.

Aaron Boone's Yankees have a long recovery to a clean bill of health ahead of them.

They made the bed.

If they are who they still believe they are, if they are who they told us they were in the spring, they will get out of bed, and with a vengeance. . . .

Except these Yankees . . . are not in a place where you can expect them to sustain success, however fleeting it might be.

You hit them early, and they stay hit. Or they don't hit. . . .

[T]hey don't know how to be Comeback Kids.

They know how to make their fan base weep . . .

If the meek shall inherit the Earth, the Yankees' hitters stated their case to inherit the Earth against the fireballing [6-foot-6 rookie right-hander Logan ] Gilbert [on Thursday].

They were one-hit wonders. . . .

Steinbrenner's Underachievers remain easy to identify:

Gleyber Torres: . . . [M]ore often than not he has looked lost at the plate. Remember his 38 home runs in 2019? He has hit six HRs in his last 464 at-bats. There were always going to be questions about his defense . . . 

Gary Sanchez: Streaky as hell (.218), but 0-for-11 versus the Mariners. . . .

Clint Frazier: He's on the injured list (vertigo), the latest tale of woe in a lost season for him. . . . Frazier lost [the left-field job] to the defensively challenged Miguel Andujar. His slash line is .186/.317/.633. Down goes Frazier! . . .

Aroldis Chapman: For now, Chad Green is the closer. . . . After surrendering leads in three consecutive high-leverage appearances, who can [trust him]? The guy is a basket case right now. . . .

At least there are a couple of promising signs. Aaron Judge . . . is feeling quite dangerous . . . Torres is getting the ball out of the infield. Jameson Taillon has . . . lowered his ERA from 5.43 to 5.05. . . .

It ain't over 'til it's over, right? Or something like that.