Yankees bullpen turns in uneven performances with roles still up for grabs

With fireman Fernando Cruz having pitched Friday night and three of four days, it was Jake Bird who got the call in the role Saturday, which began an uneven string of relief work from a Yankees bullpen that is fighting for roles.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.

Bird showed potential and issues before Camilo Doval did the same in what became a 9-4 win over the Orioles in The Bronx.After Ryan Weathers (with the help of a misplay from Ben Rice) loaded the bases without an out in the sixth in a game the Yankees led by five, manager Aaron Boone went to the righty Bird for the righty Pete Alonso.A move that might have looked poor on paper worked, Alonso grounding into a double play that scored a run.But on the verge of escaping, the inconsistent Bird walked Tyler O’Neill and gave up an RBI double to Samuel Basallo before getting out of the inning with the Yankees in front 6-3.“Jake Bird had some really good moments again today,” Boone said.“I thought [he] stabilized through a dangerous part of the game for us.”Bird passed the baton to Doval, one of the quietly more important Yankees considering his potential and his volatility for a team that needs quality setup men ahead of David Bednar.Pitching for a second straight day, Doval walked Dylan Beavers and displayed a career-long issue: a struggle to hold runners on base.Beavers stole second and third and then scored on a groundout.“I thought he threw the ball well, but a little slow in the running game,” Boone said of Doval, who had been excellent Friday and on Saturday recorded two outs before giving the ball to Tim Hill, who once again just needed one pitch (which induced a groundout from Gunnar Henderson) to escape.Paul Blackburn pitched the final two scoreless innings as the Yankees ran away from Baltimore and helped preserve further work from an unorthodox bullpen.

The Yankees are carrying Blackb...