The New York Yankees lost to the Houston Astros 5-3 in 10 innings at Yankee Stadium on Friday night. The game was decided by bullpen performance, with Yankees reliever Devin Williams struggling in a key situation for the third time in four games.
The Yankees, now holding a 61-55 record, have experienced a downturn since mid-June, winning only 19 of their last 49 games. They currently sit in third place in the American League East, trailing the Toronto Blue Jays by six and a half games. The team remains just ahead of the Cleveland Guardians for the final AL Wild Card spot.
Devin Williams entered the game in extra innings with Jose Altuve as the automatic runner on second base. Williams threw a wild pitch that allowed Altuve to move to third, and then Carlos Correa singled to bring home the go-ahead run. Later in the inning, Taylor Trammell hit a two-run homer off Williams.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone explained his decision not to use other relievers David Bednar or Mark Leiter Jr., saying both had recently pitched heavily and were available only for emergencies. “Correa does a good job of probably sitting on the changeup, [which was] down and out of the zone. Not a bad pitch where he breaks the bat off the end,” Boone said. “[The pitch] hangs to Trammell, though.”
Boone acknowledged Williams’ recent struggles and indicated he would try to avoid putting him into high-pressure situations until he regains form. “We just try to find softer landing spots,” Boone said. “Hard to do that right now when you have a short outing by the starter and you are piecing it together and you have a guy down – [you] don’t always have the opportunities. We’ll try to find good spots for him and get him back to being a big part of the ‘pen, where he should be.”
Williams himself expressed disappointment with his recent performances: “I’m not making pitches. It’s pretty simple. I stink right now,” Williams said. “You give me the ball, I try to do my best.” When asked about his confidence level, Williams replied: “I’m not going to say it’s [as] high as it’s ever been – obviously not with the way things have been going.”
Despite these challenges, Williams believes he is close to finding consistency again: “It has been tough,” Williams said.
The Yankees will look for improved results from their bullpen as they continue their push for postseason contention.
