NEW YORK — Gerrit Cole stumbled when the New York Yankees needed an ace-like outing, allowing seven runs over 5 2/3 innings in a costly 11-1 defeat to the Cleveland Indians on Sunday.
New York dropped 1 1/2 games behind Toronto for the second AL wild card and 2 1/2 games back of wild card leader Boston with 12 games left.
Harold Ramirez hit a pair of two-run singles and drove in a career-high four runs before leaving with a right shoulder injury. Ramirez banged into the right-field wall in the third inning on a drive up Gio Urshela that hit the top of the fence and bounced over for a home run.
José Ramírez hit his 35th homer, had four hits and reached five times for Cleveland, which scored double-digit runs for the third time in four games.
The Yankees were outscored 22-4 in the final two games of a series against a team with a losing record and since a 13-game winning streak are 7-15 — tied with woeful Baltimore for the worst record in the AL over that span.
Cole (15-8) matched his 2021 high for earned runs and gae up 10 hits for the first time since June 30, 2017, with Pittsburgh. Cleveland went 5 for 11 against his four-seam fastball, and his ERA rose to 3.03 and the Yankees dropped to 15-13 in his starts this year.
Cole was so frustrated that during a third-inning mound visit with pitching coach Matt Blake, he turned and saw the scoreboard showed Toronto and Boston leading, then was caught by a television micriphone uttering a profanity.
Cole was making his second start since cutting short an appearance because of a tight hamstring. He hit Bradley Zimmer near a knee with an 0-2 pitch leading off and gave up two-run hits to Harold Ramirez on soft contact, an opposite-field single down the first-base line in the first and a bloop that fell between center field Aaron Judge and left fielder Brett Gardner in a three-run third.
Cole is to pitch Friday in Boston and the following Wednesday in Toronto, setting him up to pitch in the regular-season finale against Tampa Bay or a wild card game.
New York grounded into two more double plays and with 143 is second in the major leagues, one behind Washington. The Yankees made two more errors and are fourth in the big leagues with 94.
Roberto Pérez added an RBI single — Cole crouched and hung his head in frustration — and homered.
Yu Cheng contributed an RBI single in the seventh after third baseman DJ LeMahieu allowed Myles Straw’s grounder to go under his glove. Cleveland scored its final run when first baseman Anthony Rizzo fumbled a grounder by Ernie Clement for an error.
Cleveland rookie Eli Morgan (3-7) allowed one run and six hits in six innings.
FAMILY CONNECTION
Morgan’s father David has a connection to the Yankees. His father is the vice president of digital sports of Sinclair Broadcast group, which owns the YES Network.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Indians: RHP Shane Bieber (strained right shoulder) threw 57 pitches in 3 1/3 innings in a minor league rehabilitation appearance for Double-A Akron. Bieber has been on the injured list since June 14.
Yankees: LF Joey Gallo (neck tightness) was held out of the lineup. … RHP Jamison Taillon (right ankle tendon) will throw another bullpen in a few days and that could be followed by a minor league rehab appearance. … RHP Luis Severino (Tommy John surgery on Feb. 27, 2020) could be activated Monday. … IF/OF Miguel Andújar (strained left wrist) started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
UP NEXT:
Indians: RHP Triston McKenzie (5-6, 4.28 ERA) starts the opener of a doubleheader against Kansas City Monday. Cleveland did not name a start for the nightcap.
Yankees: LHP Nestor Cortes (2-2, 2.60) opposes Texas RHP A.J. Alexy (2-0, 3.68) in the opener of a three-game series Monday.
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