Carlos Rodon’s few mistakes were heavily criticised.
His club made a lot of mistakes on the offensive side of things.
This version of the Yankees is loaded with stars at the top of their lineup, but they don’t have the length of Muggsy Bogues, and they have little room for error, and if they do, they lose.
Wednesday’s game was incomplete, with the Yankees losing 3-2 to the Reds before 47,646 disappointed fans in the Bronx.
The Yankees’ lineup, which is dominated by right-handed pitchers, was managed by left-handed pitcher Andrew Abbott and four Cincinnati relief pitchers, who each managed five hits.
The team tied the game in the seventh inning with a two-run double by Anthony Volpe, but that was the end of their scoring run.
Facing Alexis Diaz, the younger brother of Mets closer Edwin, the Yankees put the tying run on base in the ninth inning after Austin Wells walked him on 10 pitches.
But Volpe got into a double play and then Juan Soto flied out to end the game with Aaron Judge in the on-deck circle.
Heading into Thursday’s final game against Cincinnati, the Yankees (54-34) were once again locked in a losing series, dropping 12 of 16 games overall and missing out on a sixth straight series win.
No team wins many games by scoring just two runs, and on a night when they left the runners in the ninth they had several legitimate chances to score more.
Yankees loss. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
“I think we just struggled a little bit to get the big hits,” Soto said after watching Trent Grisham get a runner on base and then strike out in the eighth. He watched Judge ground out to end an inning-ending double play in the seventh and J.D. Davis ground out to center field with a broken bat in the third, leaving a runner on second. “That happens. It’s baseball. We hit the ball hard and just couldn’t find an opening.”
The Yankees had a flawed offense and needed a perfect pitcher.
As has been the case recently, they didn’t get it.
A Yankees starter hadn’t pitched more than six innings in a week and a half since Nestor Cortes went seven against the Braves on June 23, but Rodon looked to have a shot at getting through the sixth inning.
The left-hander’s strange night ended with manager Aaron Boone taking to the mound in the bottom of the sixth inning with one out and a runner on first.
Rodon had just walked Jeimer Candelario on his 95th pitch of the night, and right-handed cleanup hitter Spencer Steer was about to come up to bat.
As Boone walked to the mound, Rodon was seen muttering “No way,” handing the ball to the manager and walking disgruntled toward the dugout.
Boone said he was “confident” in the decision because he trusted Michael Tonkin to face right-handed pitchers and wanted Rodon to finish on a high after giving up 21 runs in 13 2/3 innings over three starts.
“I didn’t want to put Tonkin in a bad situation at the end of the game where he could make a mistake and get hurt,” Boone said. His move paid off, and Tonkin escaped unscathed.
Rodon said he understands the decision and isn’t angry, just competitive.
The left-hander left the game after giving up just three hits, two walks and three runs in 5 1/3 innings.
He threw backwards a lot and threw his four-seam fastball just 26 percent of the time, but he fumbled with a few missteps.
The Reds took the lead in the second inning with a single by Tyler Stephenson, after which Noelvi Marte hit a 92.8 mph four-seam fastball that went wide of home plate and into left field for a two-run homer.
Rodon remained calm until the fifth inning, when Stuart Fairchild, with a full count, smashed a slider up the middle over the left field fence for a home run.
“I want to get some pitches back,” said Rodon, whose ERA rose to 4.45.
Tonkin, Kahnle and Clay Holmes combined to pitch 3 ²/3 scoreless, hitless innings, giving the Yankees offense some opportunities, but they couldn’t capitalize.
Bad luck played a role on a night when the Yankees’ most painful hit was a Judge double play in the top of the seventh, but their struggling offense also played a role.
“We have to make it ourselves. [luck]”Abbott pitched great and kept us in check,” Boone said.
