Yankees end dud of homestand with 11-7 loss to Tigers | Rapid reaction

The Yanks were just 3-4 over the last week playing two bad ballclubs at Yankee Stadium, first the White Sox and then the Tigers.

NEW YORK — Sometimes it’s hard believing the Yankees have the second-best record in the majors watching them play some of baseball’s weaklings.

This playing down to the competition stigma has become a trend, and more than anything else, it’s the No. 1 reason why Boston Red Sox are on their way to winning the AL East title and why the Yankees almost certainly will be in the Wild Card game.

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There was more of the same this past week during a losing homestand against the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers, two ballclubs that hit town playing under .400 baseball.

After rallying for wins on consecutive days, the Yankees were shellacked 11-7 by the Tigers on Sunday and wound up settling for a split in the four-game series after starting the week by dropping two of three to the White Sox.

As bad as the Yankees played a lot of the time this past week, they actually were fortunate to end up with a 3-4 record instead of 2-5 or 1-6.

Just prior to this homestand, the Yanks seemingly took a big step toward ending this disturbing issue by sweeping four from the worst-in-baseball Orioles two weekends ago in Baltimore after splitting 12 previous games with the Birds.

The schedule gets tougher beginning Monday for the Yankees, who will begin a three-city, nine-game roadtrip with a Labor Day matinee against the Oakland Athletics. The Yanks also will visit Seattle and Minnesota before returning home.

On Sunday, Yankees righty Lance Lynn was roughed up for third time in his last four starts, this time to the tune of six runs over 3 2/3 innings.

The game was tied until the Tigers scored five in the fourth to pull ahead 7-2.

Lynn was pulled after JaCoby Jones laced a two-run, two-out double to make it 5-2, then Nicholas Castellanos greeted reliever Tommy Kahnle with a two-run homer to left to make it 7-2.

Down 8-3, the Yankees made a run in the eighth. With two runs in and the bases loaded in a three-run game, Greg Bird just missed a go-ahead grand slam flying out to the right-field wall pinch-hitting for shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria.

Interim manager Josh Bard, who was running the Yankees dugout with Aaron Boone serving a one-game suspension for bumping an umpire on Friday night, opted to hit Bird over Giancarlo Stanton, who didn’t start for the first time in 86 games and third time all season.

From there, the Tigers put the game away in the ninth facing rookie left-hander Stephen Tarpley, who was called up to the majors for the first time on Saturday and allowed three runs on four hits and two walks in his debut

Down 11-5, the Yankees made one final rally by scoring twice in the ninth on a two-out,  two-run single by Gleyber Torres.

Lynn (8-10) and Yankees relievers were hurt by a lot of no-name Tigers.

There was rookie shortstop Ronny Rodriguez entering the day hitting .205, then going 3-for-5 with two rally-starting singles, the second of which ignited the Tigers’ five-run fourth.

There was rookie second baseman Dawel Lugo going 3-for 5 with a run scored to finish his first series as a big leaguer with seven hits in 17 at-bats.

And there was rookie right fielder Victor Reyes going into the game hitting .211 in 81 career games, then smoking the Yankees for a 4-for-5 afternoon that included a single, two doubles, his first career homer and three RBIs.

Those three rookies were the Tigers’ seven, eight and nine hitters.

Meantime, the Yankees didn’t do much hitting until the final two innings when they scored four runs on four hits.

The Yankees scored two first-inning runs on four hits, which doubled the two hits that they had while winning 2-1 on Saturday.

Center fielder Aaron Hicks and first baseman Luke Voit hit solo homers for the Yankees, who went into the day trailing the AL East-leading Red Sox by 7 1/2 games 

The Yankees had both of their Aug. 31 trade acquisitions in the lineup on Sunday.

A day after a hitless debut, Andrew McCutchen was 0-for-4 with a hit by pitch and two fly balls to the warning track leading off and playing right for the second day in a row.

Hechavarria also was hitless playing short and hitting eighth in his first Yankees start, as he was 0-for-3 after getting into his first game with his new club Saturday by playing short in the ninth inning.

LOOKING AHEAD

Monday, Yankees at Oakland Athletics, 4:05 p.m., EST, YES. LHP CC Sabathia (7-5, 3.36) vs. RHP Trevor Cahill (5-3, 3.60).

Tuesday, Yankees at Oakland Athletics, 10:05 p.m., EST, YES. LHP J.A. Happ (15-6, 4.00) vs. TBA.

Wednesday, Yankees at Oakland Athletics, 10:05 p.m., EST, YES. RHP Luis Severino (17-6, 3.32) vs. RHP Mike Fiers (10-6, 3.38).

Randy Miller may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.