It looks like what Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake deemed a “one-off concern” for Luis Gil last week against the Orioles may not be so simple.
The Yankees’ revelation could not hold off the Mets’ hot bats in a 12-2 beatdown at Citi Field as the Bombers got swept in the two-game Subway Series.
Gil allowed three earned runs on four hits and four walks, committing an error along the way, across 4 ¹/₃ innings before he was replaced by Caleb Ferguson just before the 87-minute storm delay in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Gil’s outing included two doubles from Francisco Lindor and a two-run home run from Francisco Alvarez that gave the Mets a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning.
Gil, who was in the rotation to start the season because of the injury to Gerrit Cole, was one of the best pitchers in baseball through June.
He held a 2.03 ERA and allowed just 18 runs in his first 14 starts, but it all fell apart last Thursday against the Orioles in the 17-5 rout that saw Gil allow seven runs and eight hits in just 1 ¹/₃ innings that pushed his ERA to 2.77.
After Wednesday night, his ERA moved to 3.15.
Blake still might not view the outing as something to sweat.
On Tuesday, Blake said that if Gil struggled again, it would be a “two-off concern.”
“It’s one of those things where, all right, it’s a hiccup,” Blake said. “How do we adjust from there? How do you bounce back?”
Gil’s velocity was within his normal range, but his lack of precision may be a sign that his arm is beginning to tire.
Prior to Wednesday, Gil had pitched 81 ¹/₃ innings this season after pitching just four minor league innings while recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2022.