Andrew Heaney gives up four homers in Yankee debut in loss to lowly Orioles

So much for first impressions. The Yankees shook up their roster last week at the trade deadline and responded by winning five out of six in Florida. Their first game back in the Bronx for the new-look Yankees, including the first start for newly acquired pitcher Andrew Heaney, looked all too familiar Monday night. The Yankees’ new lefty got hit hard and the Bombers got held off by the lowly Orioles 7-1 at the Stadium.

The only speed and life on the field for the home team in the stadium Monday night came from a frisky feline. A clearly terrified young grey cat ran onto the field, twice evading security and grounds crew to chants of “M-V-P,” in the bottom of the eighth inning, before being corralled off into the left-field stands.

The cat was really all the fans in the Bronx had to cheer for Monday night as the Yankees (56-49) dropped to 6-5 against the 38-67 Orioles.

The cat had more juice than the home team Monday. (Mary Altaffer/AP)

It was the 11th straight game the Yankees have managed to put up four runs or less in a season where they have scored more runs than only the Rangers in the American League. They went into Monday night’s averaging fewer than four runs a game.

It didn’t come easy Monday.

Joey Gallo’s double to lead off the sixth broke up Jorge Lopez’s no-hit bid. The Orioles’ struggling right-hander had already given up a run in the fifth on Anthony Rizzo’s sacrifice fly bringing in Gleyber Torres, who was hitting the lowest in the lineup (8th) since 2018 after going 2-for-26 on the road trip. While still productive, it was Rizzo’s first game out of four with the Yankees without a hit.

DJ LeMahieu, who had been so clutch hitting with runners in scoring position in his first two seasons (.384) with the Bombers, went 0-for-2 in those situations Monday night and is 20-for-81 on this season with RISP.  The Yankees were 0-for-10.

Heaney gave up four home runs in the span of six batters. He allowed four home runs, six hits and struck out four in four innings of work.

Heaney struggled with his fastball and never established the curveball that he is known for. He had to work hard against the Orioles Monday night, beginning when Rougned Odor, starting at third base for the first time in his big league career, could not run down a Cedric Mullins foul pop up with two outs in the third. Mullins used his second chance to hammer the first homer, followed by Austin Hays also homering. 

Trey Mancini just missed a third straight, flying out to deep center for the third out. Ryan Mountcastle led off the fourth with a bomb to left and then with one out, Ramon Urias crushed another. The only other time in his career that Heaney allowed four homers was Aug. 18, 2017 also against the Orioles, when he gave up two to Manny Machado and one each to Mark Trumbo and Caleb Joseph.

Heaney gave up four homers in a two-inning span Monday night. (Mary Altaffer/AP)

The Yankees added Heaney for pitching depth. Coming into this season, after last year’s strange 60-game, COVID-19 season, the concern was about pitchers’ health. The Yankees are already thin, having Corey Kluber on the IL with a strained muscle in his right shoulder since May and Domingo German on the DL since Sunday with shoulder inflammation. Their hopes that youngster Deivi Garcia (struggling in Scranton) and Clarke Schmidt (just getting into games after straining his elbow in the first bullpen of spring training) would be pushing their way into the big leagues fizzled out early and the early return for Luis Severino was ruined by a groin injury.

The Yankees’ starting pitching has been tremendous over the last month. Monday, Jameson Taillon was honored as the best pitcher in the American League for the month of July. Despite Gerrit Cole having a 4.71 ERA in July, the starters put up the third best ERA (3.55) behind the A’s and Rays and the second best record (15-8) behind the Rays in the American League for the month.

Acquiring Heaney was part of the Yankees’ plan to keep the pitching sharp and healthy. He came here with a 5.75 ERA and the Bombers talking about ways to improve him.