David Bednar was used in a bizarre spot on Monday night for the New York Yankees during a 10-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels.
Turns out, it made some sense, at least according to the New York Post’s Greg Joyce, who used some information from manager Aaron Boone to reach his conclusion.
First, let’s set the scene.
The Yankees trailed the Angels 7-1 heading to the bottom of the eighth inning in Anaheim when Bednar trotted in from the bullpen. He was replacing the recently recalled Luis Gil.
Bednar allowed singles to Mike Trout and Wade Meckler, then a two-run double to Vaughn Grissom.
After getting a groundout, Bednar then allowed an RBI single to Christian Moore.
The Yankees’ closer proceeded to throw a wild pitch but then induce a lineout and a groundout to escape the inning without further damage.
But still, he was pitching in a game that the Yankees were down six runs, and he’s the closer. So what gives?
Why Did David Bednar Pitch Down 7-1?
The Yankees were pretty much out of options at that point, as explained by the aforementioned beat writer, Greg Joyce.
The first key was that Gil, transitioning from starting to relieving, was able to throw between 40 and 45 pitches, per Joyce.
Gil threw 39 pitches in two innings of work, so bringing him out for a third frame wouldn’t have necessarily worked.
The Yankees didn’t really have mop-up guy Ryan Yarbrough, either, according to Joyce. That’s because the southpaw threw 60 pitches on Saturday.
Tim Hill had pitched each of the previous two days, Joyce points out, totaling three innings across Saturday and Sunday.
Bednar, conversely, had only pitched once in the last 10 days.
Sometimes, that’s all it takes. Bednar came out of the bullpen not for a save but simply to get some work and to get the Yankees past a tough night at the ballpark.
David Bednar Stats
This was the first game Bednar allowed three runs since May 17.
Since then, he’d allowed five runs total, four earned, so this goes down as a total outlier.
Closers often struggle when brought in during lower-leverage situations, and that may have been the case for Bednar here. There’s simply no adrenaline pitching with a 7-1 deficit when you’re used to closing out ballgames.
The tough outing raised Bednar’s season ERA to 2.73.
The big right-hander has recorded 31 saves out of his 55 appearances, and opposing batters are hitting .196 against him.
Now in his first full season with the Yanks, the former Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen ace has looked comfortable in pinstripes all season, and Monday was surely an aberration.
The Yankees would surely like to get Bednar a save situation soon to watch him slam the door shut. That’d be a lot more fun for everyone involved than Monday night’s 10-1 loss.
Yankees’ Unusual Pitching Move Explained After 9-Run Loss to Angels