Yankees create chances, but bats go down quietly in 3-1 loss to A's

The Yankees had plenty of chances to score but mustered just a single run while leaving 11 runners on base and going 1-for-7 with RISP in a 3-1 loss to the Oakland A’s on Thursday night at Yankee Stadium.

With the loss, New York fell to 17-9 on the season after splitting the four-game set with Oakland. The visitors improved to 10-16.

Here are a few key takeaways...

- The Yanks got something cooking right away in the bottom of the first on Oakland starter Alex Wood as Anthony Volpe smacked the second pitch of the game to right for a single, Juan Soto smoked the third pitch (104.5 mph off the bat) down the line in right for a double and Aaron Judge walked on four pitches.

However, Giancarlo Stanton went down swinging on a back-foot slider and Anthony Rizzo hit into a room service 4-6-3 twin killing.

And that was a theme for the Yanks on the night: Getting chances and wasting them. In the fourth, after Stanton reached on an error to short, Rizzo followed with a rocket (107.4 mph) single to right and once again the Yanks had something cooking with nobody out. Alex Verdugo lofted a liner off the end of his bat for a one-out single to load the bases once again, which would be the only hit the Yanks managed with a runner in scoring position and it didn't result in a run with Stanton on second.

A 2-1 changeup to Jose Trevino induced a 6-4-3 double play to end another potential rally.

- Chances came again for New York, but again the timely hits weren’t there. After a leadoff single in the fifth by Oswaldo Cabrera, the Yanks had two on and two out when Judge worked a walk, but Stanton bounced out to short to end that threat.

A two-out Verdugo single chased Wood in the sixth and Trevino followed with a single past a diving Abraham Toro at first to put runners on the corners, but Cabrera bounced out to end it.

- The A’s turned the game over to the hard-throwing bullpen, first Lucas Erceg worked around a one-out walk to get Judge and Stanton down swinging, throwing nine pitches at 99 mph or faster in the process. After a brief interlude from soft-throwing lefty TJ McFarland to sandwich a single with two outs in the eighth, flame-throwing A's closer Mason Miller entered looking for a four-out save.

Trevino went down swinging on a 101.3 mph fastball before he pitched around a one-out Volpe infield single in the ninth, getting Cabrera looking, Soto swinging and Judge to fly out to right.

- Nestor Cortes needed just eight pitches to retire the side in the first and eight more in the second to set down the A's in order.

Nick Allen struck back with one out in the third driving a 92 mph fastball into the first row of seats in left for a solo dinger. And the A's weren't done: Darrell Hernaiz followed with a single and after getting Esteury Ruiz on strikes, Tyler Nevin took a 3-2 fastball 348 feet to right for a two-run shot to put Oakland up 3-1.

Cortes worked around a two-out double to JJ Bleday -- the first hit the lefty batter had off a left-handed pitcher on the season -- but the 21-pitch inning saw his pitch count hit 61 through four innings. But the early efficiency returned and Cortes would retire nine of the next 10 A's batters.

His final line: 7.0 IP, five hits, three runs (all earned), no walks and four strikeouts on 94 pitches (66 strikes).

-  Gleyber Torres, who is roughing it through a 3-for-23 stint, muscled a leadoff single into right to start the second inning, but he got picked off by the lefty Wood retired after a brief pickle 1-3-1-4.

Now batting with two down in the inning, Trevino put the Yankees on the board with a solo home run off the fair pole in right. The 325-foot shot would have only been a homer in The Bronx and Fenway Park.

Who was the MVP?

The Oakland bullpen closed the door grabbing the game's final 10 outs and recording six strikeouts in the process.

Highlights

What's next

The Yankees hit the road for a seven-game road trip to Milwaukee and Baltimore.

New York opens the three-game set Friday against the Brewers with right-hander Luis Gil facing off against righty Colin Rea for the 8:10 p.m. first pitch.