SAN DIEGO — The Yankees spent most of the weekend suffocating the Padres offense.
And what happened to Schmidt in the sixth inning on Sunday isn’t Clark Schmidt’s fault.
Against Schmidt and two relief pitchers, the Padres managed to rally for four runs using an error, a fielder’s choice, two walks and three singles (one bunt and one swinging bunt) to avoid the sweep and hand the Yankees a 5-2 loss at Petco Park.
Schmidt didn’t allow a run until the sixth inning, but the Yankees (37-18) took a 1-0 lead in the inning on a Juan Soto double.
But the momentum faded from there as the Padres (28-28) snapped a four-game winning streak by the Yankees heading into the Memorial Day holiday.
Schmidt allowed the first two batters to reach base in the bottom of the sixth inning, getting Jake Cronenworth to hit a grounder right under Gleyber Torres’ glove for his seventh error of the season, then walking Manny Machado on five pitches.
That was the end of Schmidt’s day, but he still became the 14th consecutive Yankees starter to pitch at least five innings and allow two runs or less, tying the longest MLB record since 1893.
But the Yankees’ relief staff didn’t provide much relief. Lefty Victor Gonzalez came to the mound and walked pinch-hitter Donovan Solano on five pitches to load the bases.
Jackson Merrill then hit a ball to Anthony Rizzo on a bounce, who caught it and threw to second base for a force out, but Cronenworth scored from third base to tie the game.
Kim Ha-seong came up to bat next and executed a perfect bunt between the mound and first base.
Rizzo tried to catch the ball with his bare hands to make a play at home plate, but couldn’t make a clean catch, giving the Padres a 2-1 lead.
Then, with two outs, Luis Arraez singled to center field off Gonzalez for a 3-1 lead, before Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a check-swing ball down the third base line off Dennis Santana to make it 4-1.
Alex Verdugo hit a solo home run in the top of the ninth, but that was all the Yankees could get behind.
Schmidt and Joe Musgrove worked the first five innings in a scoreless back-and-forth while avoiding gridlock, but the Yankees finally got the lead in the top of the sixth.
Anthony Volpe extended his hitting streak to 19 games with a single down the center line and then stole second base, his 11th stolen base of the year.
This allowed Soto to hit a liner just out of reach of Tatis, giving the Yankees a 1-0 lead and allowing them to score.
Schmidt gave up two runs in the bottom of the inning, one of which was earned, ending a Yankees starter’s scoreless streak at 30 1/3 innings.
The Padres then extended their lead in the seventh inning with back-to-back doubles by Cronenworth and Machado off Caleb Ferguson.
