NEW YORK - The Yankees walked out of a 9-7 loss to the Astros with more than one bad feeling, and the bullpen may have taken the biggest hit of all.
Fernando Cruz was already being pulled in different directions in the clubhouse after another rough outing. Aaron Boone and a trainer called him over, Cruz talked privately with them, then had a separate exchange with Jason Zillo, the Yankees’ media relations director and VP of Communications. David Bednar eventually came over to give him a pat on the shoulder and some encouragement before Cruz made himself available to the press.
When he did speak, Cruz brushed past the home run he allowed to Jeremy Pena and his 6.75 ERA in August before landing on the real issue.
“This is the part of the year that’s a marathon,” Cruz said, before adding, “all these things come with our long season.”
The numbers back up the sense that Cruz is running on fumes. He’s already at 54.2 innings, past the 48 innings he threw last year and on track to clear his career high of 66.2 innings from 2024. All signs point to him landing on the injured list today, with Triple-A call-up Elmer Rodriguez set to take his roster spot and start against the Astros tonight.
That’s the immediate move. The bigger concern is what Cruz’s decline says about a bullpen the Yankees have leaned on hard since Aaron Judge went down in May. Boone’s trusted group is basically three arms deep - Bednar and setup men Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn - and all three have been asked to carry a heavy load.
That kind of usage can keep a team afloat for a while. It can also wear a staff down piece by piece. The Yankees have spent the summer balancing on that line, and the final 31 games of the regular season will show whether Boone can keep from tipping over it.
Headrick is now part of the conversation, too. He leads all MLB relievers with 68 appearances, and Tuesday night he looked far less like a steady late-inning option and far more like another arm under strain.
He faced six batters in two-thirds of an inning in the eighth and let four of them reach base. The Astros scored three runs off him, turning the game out of reach and handing him his worst outing of the season.
Headrick said he feels fine - “sometimes you don’t make pitches when you want to, that’s baseball” - but Boone didn’t hide his concern. “they beat our guys tonight,” he said, and later added, “I was reluctant to even use (Headrick),” Boone said. “We’ll pick our spots…we’re paying attention to that.”
The Yankees’ bullpen success since Judge’s injury has been real. The staff owns a 3.05 ERA, second-best in the majors. But that production has come with wear and tear attached, and now the schedule is tightening.
The missed opportunity hurts, too. New York had a chance to get within two games of first-place Tampa Bay, but the Rays also lost Tuesday, their eighth defeat in 12 games, in Detroit. Boston, meanwhile, has moved to within two games of the Yankees in the loss column in the wild card race.
That makes this weekend even bigger. The Yankees and Red Sox are set for a four-game series, and Boston figures to get an added jolt with Roman Anthony expected back Friday after missing 60 games with a partially torn tendon in his right ring finger.
There are some positives for the Yankees beyond the standings picture. If Rodriguez starts tonight against Houston, he’ll arrive with some momentum from Triple-A, where he allowed four earned runs over his last 26 innings for a 1.38 ERA. Even more encouraging, the right-hander has issued just one walk in his last 12 innings after having trouble controlling his 100-mph fastball.
Max Fried also appears close to returning. Boone said the left-hander’s rehab from a left elbow bone bruise is likely complete, and he could start one of the two games in Saturday’s doubleheader against Boston.
And of course, Judge is still on the way back, though not yet close enough to help. He needs another two weeks before he’s re-activated. His return would lift the offense and the mood around the club, but for now the Yankees are leaning on another bat that has quickly become a major part of the lineup.
Luis Garcia went 4-for-5 with three RBIs against the Astros, including a two-run homer in the fifth. Since his numbers with the Nationals are included before the trade deadline deal, he now has 27 home runs on the season. Boone has to love the fit: Garcia is left-handed, strong, smart, and disciplined enough to say “I try not to think about it” when asked about the right-field porch.
“If you do, you get too long (in your swing),” Garcia said. “It can change your swing and affect you negatively.”
A healthy Judge, Garcia, and Cody Bellinger is the lineup picture Boone is chasing. But that dream still depends on the bullpen surviving the grind first. The Yankees were confident about that issue before Houston exposed the cracks.
Now the dog days are no longer a theory. They’ve arrived, and they’ve already taken one reliever with them.
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