Yankees send down Domingo German after loss to Mets | Rapid reaction

Noah Syndergaard holds Yankees down before Mets defense, bullpen lets them back into it … but Aaron Boone’s team can’t close the gap that Domingo German’s terrible start created.

UPDATED 11:38 p.m.: Domingo German won’t get a chance to work out his problems in the majors.

The Yankees sent German to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following their 7-5 loss to the Mets at Yankee Stadium.

In the defeat, German was terrible, giving up four runs in 3 2/3 innings. It was his second straight bad start. He gave up three runs in the opening frame, shooting his first-inning ERA to an awful 9.00.

“You could tell he was really struggling to find that fastball command,” Manager Aaron Boone said. “If you don’t have that, you’re going to be in trouble.”

Boone said right-hander Luis Cessa will take German’s spot in the rotation.

Cessa gave up no runs in six innings at Triple-A on Friday night.

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NEW YORK — It will end up one of the Yankees‘ most frustrating losses of the second half … which just started.

They had chance after chance to noogie their little cousins from Queens, despite another dud from starting pitcher Domingo German. Instead, the Mets slipped out of several headlocks with a 7-5 win at Yankee Stadium on Friday night.

Playing their first game since the All-Star break, Mets righty Noah Syndergaard mostly shut down the Yankees for six innings before manager Mickey Callaway’s defense and bullpen bumbled their way into letting the Yankees close what was a 6-1 gap.

What it means

The Yankees dropped their second straight game and the fifth of their last nine.

With the Red Sox beating the Tigers, the Yankees fell 5 1/2 games back of Boston in the American League East — their largest deficit since April 22. The Yankees haven’t led the division since July 1.

The Mets started the day in last place in the National League East with no hope for this season.

The Yankees went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position and pounded out 14 hits to the Mets’ 10.

Trade?

Mets reliever Robert Gsellman pitched the eighth and ninth innings, which was odd because the Mets took a save situation into the ninth. Why not go to closer Jeurys Familia?

According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Mets were working on finishing trading Familia, who will be a free agent at season’s end.

Making it a game

In the sixth, the Mets appeared to let the Yankees back in, thanks to Neil Walker’s two-run double.

After Gary Sanchez notched his first hit since June 24 (he came off the disabled list Friday), the Mets had a moment that embodied their chaotic season. Shortstop Amed Rosario and center fielder Matt den Dekker converged on Greg Bird’s lazy shallow fly. 

Rosario fell backpedaling. den Dekker slid into him. The ball fell in for a hit, putting runners on first base and second base. Walker then laced a double to left-center field, plating Sanchez and Bird to make it 6-3 Mets.

They had a chance to bring themselves all the way back in the seventh and the eighth.

In the eighth, Brett Gardner got on first when Amed Rosario booted his grounder with one out. Aaron Judge immediately followed with a single, sending Gardner to third. Didi Gregorius’ subsequent double brought in Gardner and put runners on second and third. But the Yankees couldn’t get it done. Giancarlo Stanton grounded out and Gsellman intentionally walked Aaron Hicks, bringing up Gary Sanchez, who whiffed.

The Yankees loaded the bases against reliever Seth Lugo in the seventh. Didi Gregorius (single) and Giancarlo Stanton (walk) started the inning before Aaron Hicks grounded into a fielders choice to put runners on the corners. After a four-pitch walk to Greg Bird, Miguel Andujar hit a soft fly ball to right field to end it.

The Mets added an insurance run in the ninth with Michael Conforto’s sacrifice fly to center.

Domingo’s downer

German didn’t have a chance against the Mets.

The 25-year-old righty gave up a trio of RBI doubles in the first inning to put the Yankees down, 3-0. 

German started the game with a five-pitch walk to leadoff man Brandon Nimmo. Then Asdrubal Cabrera ripped a liner to right for two bags, bringing in Nimmo. With two outs, Michael Conforto doubled to right field to score Cabrerea and Jose Bautista immediately followed with a double to center to bring home Conforto.

The barrage boosted German’s first-inning ERA to a ludicrous 9.00 on the season and it showed just how urgent it is for general manager Brian Cashman to add another starting rotation arm before the July 31 deadline. The Yankees can’t keep German in their rotation the rest of the second half.

They tagged German for another run in the third when Yoenis Cespedes’ high fly ball clanked off the left-field foul pole for a solo shot.

German was done after 3 2/3 innings and of four earned runs, five hits, two walks and three strikeouts. It was his second straight bad start. He had given up six runs to the Indians in three innings just before the break. He’s given up at least four runs in six of 19 starts.

Warren pieces

Adam Warren gave up another two runs in the fifth. He walked Cespedes on four pitches to start the fifth. He’d walk three batters in the inning. He also gave up RBI singles to Conforto and Mesoraco. Chasen Shreve replaced him with two outs and finished the inning with a whiff.

You should know …

The Yankees’ only run through the first X innings came in the third. Giancarlo Stanton hit a long fly to center for a sacrifice. Brett Gardner scored to make cut the Yankees’ deficit to 4-1. The Yankees had runners on the corners in the first but Aaron Hicks grounded out to first base.

Shreve threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Judge and Gregorius each had three hits. Every Yankees player had a hit. Only three had multiple hits.

Next

Yankees righty Sonny Gray (6-7, 5.46 ERA) vs. Mets lefty Steven Matz (4-7, 3.38 ERA) at 1:05 p.m. Friday at Yankee Stadium.