Perplexed: Mark Teixeira gets up after his first-base slide as umpire Jerry Meals walks off the field after the game-ending call.
(Getty Images)
BALTIMORE — If the Yankees lose the AL East by a game, they can hang the blame on Jerry Meals’ two bad eyes.
On a night stuffed with several key issues, the biggest one was Meals blowing a call at first base that resulted in a double play ending the 5-4 Orioles win in front of 46,067 Saturday night at Camden Yards.
The victory moved the Orioles into a first-place tie with the Yankees with 23 games remaining.
[mlbvideo id=”24609573″ width=”525″ height=”300″ /]
With runners on first and third and one out, the Yankees trailing by one run and Mark Teixeira at the plate, Teixeira hit a ground ball to the right side to force Nick Swisher at second. In an attempt to save his bothersome left calf more damage by pounding the base, Teixeira went head first into the bag and clearly beat shortstop J.J. Hardy’s throw.
Nevertheless, Meals didn’t see it that way and called Teixeira out.
”Sometimes you wonder if the umpires want to get out of there to go home,’’ said Teixeira, who was upset about being called out on strikes for the second out in the eighth in front of Alex Rodriguez’s homer. “They were terrible calls.’’
On top of the Yankees’ 12th loss in 18 games, Teixeira said the calf injury that kept him out from Aug. 27 to last night, won’t allow him to play today, and he doesn’t know when he will return.
“We looked at a replay that we had and honestly, it was not a very good angle and inconclusive,’’ said crew chief Mike Winters, who was at second base. “That was just a very, very close play. Until I see a definitive replay, I can’t give you anything more than that.’’
The blown call denied the Yankees tying the score and that was just one of many concerns.
CC Sabathia had a slight drop in velocity, Swisher’s slump stretched to 4-for-47 and 0-for-24, and an emotional manager Joe Girardi got into a heated postgame argument with The Post’s Joel Sherman.
SHERMAN: BLAMING UMPS IS LOSER TALK
As for Sabathia, the Yankees haven’t won in his last three starts. Girardi and the ace admit his velocity is down, though Sabathia said his health is fine.
Scoreboard readings had Sabathia’s fastball between 91 and 93 mph, which is a tick below the normal and a scout said Sabathia’s arm slot was lower than usual. Sometimes that can be an indication of fatigue.
“The last time [against the Rays] it wasn’t [down], today a little,’’ said Sabathia, who gave up back-to-back homers to Mark Reynolds and Lew Ford in the second, an RBI double to Hardy in the third and a solo homer to Hardy and an RBI single to Ford in the sixth. “I have pitched with velocity down before. It’s just a matter of me making my pitches.’’
Sabathia, who missed two starts because of elbow inflammation, fell to 13-5 and almost was saved from an ugly loss in the ninth, but didn’t because of Meals’ blown call.
Annoyed that he was asked about Sabathia’s health three times in the postgame meeting with reporters held in a noisy hallway outside of the clubhouse, Girardi had to be separated from Sherman in the manager’s office after Girardi asked Sherman to visit the small room and got into Sherman’s face.
Coaches and security guards entered the room and players raced out of the showers to hear the exchange of loud voices.