TORONTO — Luke Weaver recorded his first out of the postseason Sunday, needing just one pitch to secure the final out of the eighth inning in the blowout Yankees loss.
And while that was about as low a leverage spot as you will find in October, manager Aaron Boone insisted the Yankees are not yet ready to give up on the reliever who was out of sorts through his first two playoff appearances.
A year after he was the club’s closer during its run to the World Series, Weaver has found himself in a conundrum: Within the last month, the Yankees noticed he was tipping his pitches, except something happened along the way in trying to avoid doing so that has disrupted his flow on the mound.
The result was failing to record an out in his first two appearances, including Saturday, when he entered in the seventh inning of a 2-1 game that became a 10-1 loss to the Blue Jays in Game 1 of the ALDS.
“If it [the game] calls for him, it calls for him,” Boone said before Game 2, a 13-7 loss. “Within what he said, he also understands how close he is too and how physically good he feels. He’s one outing away from turning it around. It’s not like we’re trying to get a guy that’s, ‘Eh, his stuff’s not where it needs to be.’ Clean up some things, one outing, boom.
“But, certainly mindful of where things are.”
Weaver relieved Will Warren with two outs in the eighth inning and got Daulton Varsho to fly out on the only pitch he threw.
Still, the pecking order in the bullpen is by no means set in stone, especially with Camilo Doval looking as good as he has in a Yankees uniform in Game 1 with two perfect innings.
But in order for the Yankees to get where they want to go, they will need everyone pulling their weight.
“And different days and different games, guys are going to have to be [pitching in high-leverage spots], depending on what the game calls for,” Boone said. “And the playoffs is pretty much all high leverage.”
In the meantime, Weaver sounded like he was ready to go back to what was working for him before and stop thinking too much about not tipping.
“It’s just about trying to make adjustments and they’re happening pretty late and it’s become a lot,” Weaver said. “So ultimately, I’m at a point where I’m just full send and none of that’s going to matter anymore. I’m going to be what I think is best for me and I’m going to go out there and attack the way I need to.”
Boone said he considered starting Paul Goldschmidt at first base Sunday, since Blue Jays right-hander Trey Yesavage’s splitter is so tough on lefties.
Instead he favored the threat of Ben Rice, who went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts against Yesavage before going 2-for-2 with an RBI double against the bullpen.
Rice went on to catch the final two innings — his first action behind the plate in the playoffs — after Goldschmidt pinch hit for Austin Wells.
