NEW YORK _ It's a testament to the Yankees' depth and ferocity that two opposing things can simultaneously be true. They are, by far, the best team in the AL East. And, as of Friday, they also have accomplished that despite sending a record-breaking 29 players to the injured list this season.
So, in some ways, Friday was just another painful day in Yankee Land. They started the morning by putting Gio Urshela to the IL with a left groin strain, and by the end of the third inning, CC Sabathia was pawing at his surgically repaired right knee, a sign that he too was about to become a casualty.
Really, the only thing slightly unusual about Friday's game against the A's was that the Yankees were unable to compensate for the carousel of players headed toward MRI machines _ losing to the Athletics, 8-2, in the opener of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.
Sabathia lasted only three innings, courtesy of what the Yankees called right knee discomfort, and Luis Cessa did well enough in two innings of relief. After their five innings, the Yankees led 2-1. But though this team has embodied the notion of "next man up," on Friday, it just wasn't enough.
Tommy Kahnle allowed three runs in the sixth. Cory Gearrin gave up two more in the seventh. After a scoreless eighth, Nestor Cortes Jr. allowed two more in the ninth.
Seth Brown entered the game as a pinch hitter in the sixth and wound up going 3 for 3 with three RBIs. Jurickson Profar, who also had three RBIs, and Marcus Semien hit home runs.
Sabathia didn't give up too much hard contact in his abbreviated outing, but the one he gave up counted. With two outs in the second, Sabathia threw a sinker down the middle to Profar, who smacked it to left for a home run and a 1-0 lead.
The Yankees got the run back in the third on Didi Gregorius' forceout after loading the bases with out against Brett Anderson.
All the while, though, Cessa warmed up in the Yankees' bullpen _ an indication of Sabathia's injury, which cut his appearance to 48 pitches in three innings. Sabathia has pitched only 10 innings in three starts since returning from the IL, though Friday was his strongest, giving up just the one hit with two walks and a strikeout.
The Yankees went ahead in the fourth thanks to two well-timed challenges, both on the same play. With runners on first and second and none out, Austin Romine hit a slow ground ball up the middle that appeared destined to be a double play. Both he and Brett Gardner were called out, but a challenge ruled that Profar never touched the bag at second and that Profar's throw to first was a hair late, courtesy of Gardner's clean takeout slide. That loaded the bases with none out, and Mike Tauchman's double-play grounder gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead.
Kahnle has had an excellent year, but not this time. After he gave up a leadoff single by Matt Olson and hit Mark Canha, pinch hitter Brown doubled to center to tie it at 2-2. One out later, Profar doubled into the right-field corner to make it 4-2.
With two outs in the seventh and Gearrin on the mound, Canha tripled home a run and scored on Brown's single. In the ninth, Semien homered off Cortes and Brown added a two-out RBI single.
A's starter Brett Anderson (11-9) allowed two runs and six hits in six innings.
Before Friday, Sabathia, in his final season, had served three stints on the injured list � all related to his surgically repaired right knee _ and had pitched only twice since his last return. Sabathia retired the side in order in the third, his last inning, but showed some discomfort and even rubbed his leg while walking up the mound.
Before the game, Aaron Boone said he was hopeful that Sabathia could be stretched out enough to provide his usual five or so innings. He also said that because of the Yankees' schedule, he had no intention of giving Sabathia extra rest days, though the team is clearly cautious with the 39-year-old lefty.
"CC is one of those guys who, just because of his knee and his maintenance, everything that we certainly monitor closely, but we do have some off days coming up in the month of September that will allow for some built-in off days," Boone said. "If (Luis) Severino or something comes up and gets into the mix, that could add another starter. All of them, coupled with some extra off days, could have some (extra time)."
