CINCINNATI (AP) - With one big inning, the Cincinnati Reds gave CC Sabathia yet another game to forget. Make it four and counting.
Joey Votto singled with the bases loaded during Cincinnati’s five-run second inning off Sabathia on Tuesday night. The Reds then held on for a 5-3 victory that ended the New York Yankees’ winning streak at six games.
Sabathia (2-2) struggled for the fourth consecutive start, unable to get his cut fastball in the right spots until Cincinnati was in control. The Reds piled up a walk and six singles - most of them grounders through the infield - while scoring five times during its big inning.
Votto and Billy Hamilton had two-run singles during the 10-batter rally. Manager Joe Girardi had Chad Green warming in the bullpen as the inning compounded.
“My cutter got better as the game went on,” Sabathia said. “In the second inning for whatever reason, it was just sneaking back over the plate. I felt good there with it later in the game.”
Overall, Sabathia gave up seven hits and five runs in six innings. His ERA has risen from 2.25 to 5.77 over his last four starts.
Tim Adleman (2-1), who was born in Staten Island, gave up three runs in five innings against the AL’s top offense, including solo homers by Gary Sanchez and Didi Gregorius. Raisel Iglesias pitched the last two innings for his sixth save in six chances, escaping a two-on threat in the ninth when Sanchez lined into a double play.
“I was giving them too much credit,” Adleman said. “They had the best record in baseball, they were playing well and they just finished smashing the Cubs in Chicago. I needed to attack more. Sometime in the third inning, I found it.”
The Yankees became the last team in the majors to reach double-digits in losses at 21-10. They split the two-game interleague series while catching up from the most grueling game in the majors this season.
The Yankees didn’t arrive in town and get to sleep until the sun was coming up on Monday after playing an 18-inning game the previous night in Chicago, a 5-4 win that completed a sweep of the Cubs. Girardi rested a couple of starters each day of the two-game series, giving them a chance to recover from the marathon game at Wrigley Field. Matt Holliday, Chase Headley and Aaron Hicks were out of the starting lineup on Tuesday.
“With what we went through? A really good trip,” Girardi said.
The Yankees’ concern at the moment is Sabathia. The 36-year-old pitcher is in one of the worst stretches of his career, allowing 22 earned runs in 20 2/3 innings over his last four starts. Sabathia was pitching on an extra day’s rest after his shortest start of the season - six runs in four innings against Toronto.
“He’s got a big heart, that guy,” Girardi said. “Hopefully that cutter will carry over to his next start.”
INTERLEAGUE
The Yankees are 8-3 against the NL this season after going 8-12 last year. The Reds are 2-3 against the AL. The Yankees lead their all-time interleague series with the Reds 9-8. Yankees pitchers have two hits in their last 67 at-bats in interleague play.
STATS
The Yankees had won their last six games on the road. … New York outfielder Brett Gardner extended his hitting streak to a career-high 12 games with a bunt single. … Gregorius had three hits and drove in a pair of runs. … Cincinnati’s Hamilton and Zack Cozart have seven-game hitting streaks.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: Headley was hit on the right leg just below the knee by one of Drew Storen’s pitches on Monday night, but it’s not a significant injury. Headley pinch-hit in the ninth. … Hicks was hit on the right foot by one of Storen’s pitches and has a bruise. He pinch-hit in the seventh and stayed in the game in left field.
Reds: LH reliever Tony Cingrani threw 15 pitches in the bullpen without problem. He’ll throw again on Friday. Cingrani has been sidelined since April 21 by a sore oblique.
UP NEXT
Yankees: After a day off, the Yankees open their shortest homestand of the season, playing four games against Houston. The Yankees are 22-12 all-time against the Astros, including 14-11 since they joined the AL in 2013.
Reds: After a day off, they open a three-game series in San Francisco. The Reds swept the Giants at Great American Ball Park last weekend, outscoring them 31-5. One of the Giants’ buses broke down on the way to the airport after the final game.
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