A few hours after Brian Cashman said he tried to improve the Yankees bullpen at the trade deadline and came up short, one of his offseason additions helped cost them in a crushing loss at the Stadium.
On a night when the flailing Yankee offense roared back from a six-run deficit to take the lead in the bottom of the seventh, thanks to a go-ahead homer from new first baseman Luis García Jr., Angel Chivilli imploded in the eighth in a 13-7 loss to St. Louis.
The right-hander entered with a runner on third and no one out in the top of the eighth, following pinch hitter Blaze Jordan’s leadoff triple off Ryan Yarbrough.
Chivilli, acquired from the Rockies in January and solid since getting back to the majors last month, allowed six straight batters to reach base and score — including Nathan Church, whose three-run homer put the Cardinals up for good.
But St. Louis wasn’t done tormenting Chivilli, as two batters later, Jimmy Crooks crushed a two-run shot out to right to put the Yankees in a four-run hole.
And Alec Burleson then went deep for his third homer of the game — and the third home run allowed by Chivilli in the seven-run inning.
“I feel really good about the pen,” Aaron Boone said. “You’re gonna have an occasional night like this. Part of this is the stretch we’re in.”
The bullpen has been taxed and Boone noted that the lineup hasn’t given them much margin for error for a long period of time.
But Monday was especially rough for Chivilli, who managed to complete the inning, but needed 37 pitches to do so and was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after the loss.
Prior to the game, Cashman acknowledged he entered the deadline looking for relievers.
He was unable to land one and expressed optimism that a return to health for Carlos Rodón from elbow inflammation would push one current starter into the pen, with Clarke Schmidt potentially joining the bullpen after he completes his rehab from Tommy John surgery.
But that plan didn’t help the Yankees on Monday.
The miserable night started with Cam Schlittler delivering a clunker, knocked out of the game after just three innings and 83 pitches.
In his brief outing — Schlittler’s shortest of the season — the right-hander gave up four runs and tied a season high by walking five batters.
“I don’t have an excuse,” Schlittler said. “It wasn’t my night. I’ve got to be better.”
Lefty Tim Hill took over to start the fourth and gave up a two-out, two-run homer to Burleson, his second of the game.
The Yankees got back in it with an Austin Wells two-run shot in the fifth, which was followed by a blast by Trent Grisham.
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The back-to-back homers got the Yankees within three runs.
They added four more in the seventh, with García’s monster shot to right-center capping the inning, the Yankees’ fifth homer of the night.
But Yarbrough faltered to start the eighth and Chivilli, who hadn’t allowed an earned run in 13 straight appearances, tossed gas on the fire.
The right-hander walked the first batter he faced, Masyn Winn, before Church took him deep.
And things only got worse, as Chivilli allowed six runs before being booed off the mound.
It was an ugly way to open the stretch run, as the Yankees hoped to boost an offense that has struggled without Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton — and more recently, Cody Bellinger.
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García’s heroics weren’t enough.
On Tuesday, they’ll welcome Heliot Ramos to The Bronx, acquired in a trade from the Giants, as well as shortstop George Lombard Jr., who is getting his long-awaited call-up from the minors.
Whether this new-look roster has enough to make a run at a division title — or more — will be determined over the next two months.
“We’re a confident group,” Wells said. “We expect to win every day.”
