CHICAGO — Clay Holmes pitched his best game yet in a new inning.
Taking the mound for the first time since losing his sole closer position on Tuesday, Holmes breezed through eight innings, striking out two in a 1-2 loss to the Cubs on Sunday at Wrigley Field.
Holmes retired the Cubs' top of the order in just 12 pitches, looking much sharper than the shaky, control-challenged performance he showed on Tuesday that ended in his 11th failed save of the season.
“Clay looked good,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He had a good feel for his sinker and his slider and was using them both. They were both sharp. He was sharp. He was leading most of the time. … I thought he was in really good form.”
Holmes took the mound in the bottom of the eighth inning on Saturday with the Yankees leading 2-0, but did not pitch as Nestor Cortes pitched the final 4 1/3 innings.
Boone left room for Holmes to become more of a closer depending on the opponent while also getting more save opportunities, but he gave him a solid landing spot Sunday.
“We just want to get him in a position where we think he can thrive,” Boone said. “When all of our high-leverage players are available, that goes for all of them.”
Aaron Judge struck out two pitches on Sunday, only one of which resulted in a hit, and finished with one hit and one walk for three at-bats.
Since hitting his 50th and 51st home runs on Aug. 25, Judge has had a bit of a downturn in what is still a strong season.
That includes a season-high 12 consecutive games without an extra base hit, during which he went just 8 for 43 at-bats (.186 batting average), with 10 walks and an OPS of .595.
“It's not that different,” Boone said. “When he's on a roll, he's probably going to swing and miss a couple of pitches. When he's on a roll, he's going to hit the ball into the stands. But it's just a matter of at-bats, and when he gets on a roll, he's going to hit the ball in a row. It's really not that different.”
The Yankees demoted outfielder Duke Ellis to Triple-A on Sunday night to make room on the active roster, so Jon Berti is expected to return from the disabled list this week, possibly as soon as Monday. The utility man has been on the disabled list since late May with a strained calf muscle.
For the third straight day, Anthony Rizzo received a standing ovation before his first at-bat Sunday, again putting his helmet on and saluting the crowd of 39,364 for a few seconds.
It was also a weekend full of love for Rizzo, who returned to Wrigley Field for the first time since the Cubs traded him to the Yankees in 2021.
The veteran first baseman had one hit and one walk in three at-bats on Sunday and is two hits and two walks in 10 at-bats in the series.
Richard Fitts was one of the promising pitchers the Yankees sent to the Red Sox in 2000. Alex Verdugo The right-hander, acquired via trade, made his MLB debut on Sunday, pitching five innings and allowing two earned runs against the White Sox.
