MLB Highlights: Luis Severino Shines But Yankees Fall To White Sox 4-1 To Snap Eight-Game Win Streak; Phillies Beat Mets 6-2

The New York Yankees saw their eight-game winning streak — the longest in Major League Baseball this season — end with a 4-1 home loss to the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night.

MLB: Yankees Lose to White Sox 4-1, Mets Lose to Phillies 6-2

Luis Severino struck out ten in a career-high eight innings for the Yankees, (9-5) but the right-hander’s dominant outing was not enough to secure a victory. Severino held the White Sox to one run in the first six innings, before a miscue from Pete Kozma led to Avisail Garcia’s three-run homer in the seventh.

Severino struck out 11 in seven innings five days prior to Tuesday to record his first victory as a starter since Sept. 27, 2015. His teammates, as well as Yankees manager Joe Girardi, praised the righty for his performance despite the loss.

“His stuff tonight was as good as we’ve seen it, and I thought he pitched as well tonight as we’ve seen,” Girardi said.

“I thought he was tremendous,” battery-mate Austin Romine added. “He was throwing all three of his pitches with confidence.”

Leury Garcia also homered for the White Sox (7-6), who fell to the Yankees 7-4 on Monday, and Miguel Gonzalez pitched a great 8 1/3 innings. The starting right-hander allowed one walk on four hits while striking out four in 88 pitches.

Gonzalez, who earned his first win in 19 road starts, kept the Yankees hitless until Starlin Castro reached on an infield single in the fifth.

“I never think about it,” said Gonzalez of his road struggles, which include a 0-7 mark with a 4.39 ERA in those 18 away starts, dating back to Aug. 4, 2015. “I just go out there and compete. That’s my goal. Every time I go out there, I try to do six-plus innings. Quality innings are important, quality starts as well.”

Severino caused a double-play ball on Melky Cabrera in the seventh inning, although Kozma booted the grounder for an error. Jose Abreu hit a bunt attempt for the first out, but Avisail Garcia responded with his three-run blast to left-center field to put Chicago ahead 4-0 in the top of the seventh.

“I was right there and I just missed it,” Kozma said. “Hasn’t happened to me in probably five years. I make that play, there’s two outs, nobody on and he doesn’t have to make that pitch.”

Jacoby Ellsbury scored the Yankees’ lone home run in the ninth. Gonzalez left after a four-pitch walk to Brett Gardner in the ninth. Former Yankee David Robertson then got Aaron Judge to ground into a force-out with the bases loaded, thus getting the final two outs to earn the save and seal the White Sox’ victory.

The two teams face off again on Wednesday night at 7:05 pm EST at Yankee Stadium for the three-game series finale. White Sox righty Dylan Covey will make his second Major League start and first one at Yankee Stadium. Covey earned a no-decision Friday in his debut against Minnesota.

Righty Masahiro Tanaka will start for the Yankees.

Meanwhile, New York’s other team, the Mets, lost 6-2 to the Philadelphia Phillies at home on Tuesday in the 10-inning opener of a three-game series.

The Mets (7-7) have now lost four straight.

Jose Reyes committed an error, a dropped popup, in the eighth to allow the Phillies to tie it 2-2 thanks to a ground-rule double from Andre Blanco. Cameron Rupp then put Philadelphia up for good on a sacrifice fly off Rafael Montero in the 10th to give the Phillies their first victory in four games this season.

Five Phillies relievers — including Luis Garcia, who earned the win — combined with Zach Eflin, Philadelphia’s rotation replacement for Clay Buchholz, to keep the Mets scoreless over the game’s last nine innings.

Michael Conforto helped ignite the Mets’ rally in the first inning by walking and scoring on a Jay Bruce RBI single. Shortly afterwards, New York gained a 2-1 lead when Yoenis Cespedes rushed home on a wild Eflin pitch with Neil Walker at bat in the bottom of the opening frame to keep that one-run advantage until the eighth.

The two teams will face off again for the second game of the three-game series at 7:10 pm EST on Wednesday at Citi Field. Robert Gsellman (0-1, 9.28 ERA) will start for the Mets in the hopes of shedding his early-season struggles.

Righty Vince Velasquez (0-2, 9.00 ERA) will make his third start of the season for the Phillies.

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 13: Luis Severino #40 of the New York Yankees tries to pick off Kevin Kiermaier #39 of the Tampa Bay Rays at first base on April 13, 2017 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Article by Pablo Mena