MILWAUKEE — Yankees Sweep by Brewers
The Yankees aren’t known for losing series, but when they do, it’s often in decisive fashion. This past weekend was no exception, as they were swept by the Brewers, who clinched their wins with dramatic walk-offs.
Coming into this series, the Yankees were riding high, having won 16 of their last 19 games. Yet, they ended up losing to the Brewers, first in a nail-biting 4-3 defeat on Sunday after David Bednar hit a game-winning home run off Bryce Turan.
This followed another loss, also 4-3, in Saturday’s game that went into extra innings. Unfortunately for the Yankees, a solid effort from Cam Schrittler went to waste as both the bullpen and the offense struggled.
This series marked the Yankees’ first loss since early April when they were swept by the Rays. They had managed a record of 6-0-1 in series play since then.
Carlos Rodon made his comeback from elbow surgery by starting for the first time in seven months. However, he displayed rust in his performance on Sunday. Over 4 1/3 innings, he had five walks, hit a batter, and allowed three runs on only two hits.
Rodon underwent surgery for a loose body and a bone spur last October. He’s openly acknowledged that his command is still a work in progress as he becomes accustomed to a new range of motion in his arm. This was evident, as he threw just 42 strikes out of 78 pitches.
Rodon struggled particularly with walks, allowing them to lead off in three of the first four innings. He managed to navigate those in the first two frames, but it caught up to him in the fourth.
He began the inning throwing eight fastballs, but then misfired on a 95 mph fastball that hit Andrew Vaughn in the shoulder, loading the bases. After getting one out on a fielder’s choice, Garrett Mitchell lifted a sacrifice fly to put the Brewers up 2-1.
Then came Blake Perkins, a former Yankees prospect. Rodon threw a slider that went past J.C. Escala, allowing the runners to advance. Perkins then hit a single to center, scoring both runners and giving the Brewers a 3-2 lead.
Still, the Yankees managed to tie the game in the sixth inning. After Aaron Judge was caught stealing second, Cody Bellinger walked and then scored on a double by Jazz Chisholm Jr. off reliever DL Hall.
Initially, the Yankees had gone up 2-0 by the second inning. Judge belted a solo homer in the first, marking his 16th of the season, and in the second, Spencer Jones collected his first career hit with an RBI single to center.
