Betances, Starlin take blame for rough 9th

NEW YORK — Dellin Betances has trained his body to repeat a delivery that pumps triple-digit fastballs and knee-buckling curves into the strike zone, which is why he finds it mystifying that soft lobs continue to be an issue.

Betances missed his target in a key spot on Wednesday, flipping an infield tapper to the backstop as part of a sloppy ninth inning as the Dodgers rallied to defeat the Yankees, 2-0.

“Every loss is a tough one now. Obviously we’re trying to make a push for the playoffs, so it definitely hurts,” Betances said.

Los Angeles took two of three games in the Interleague series from the Yankees, who settled for a 7-3 homestand and are two back in the American League Wild Card race.

Betances’ miscue came after one run was already home in the ninth, with Corey Seager having reached on an error by second baseman Starlin Castro. That was a play that Castro felt he should have made, unable to corral a low liner that scooted into right field.

“I’m really disappointed in myself, because that’s an easy play,” Castro said. “That’s a play that I can make. And now I feel really frustrated. … It started the …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com