BALTIMORE — Carlos Rodon went from his best two games of the season to his worst start.
The Yankees left-hander hit three solo home runs on Thursday, but that was before he was unable to overcome a four-run hit in the fifth inning of a 7-2 loss to the Orioles at Camden Yards. .
“Our hitting team is good, but we have to try to get better at where we throw the ball and limit our long balls and get them out faster,” Rodon said. “It’s the worst.”
Entering Thursday, Rodon had allowed just three hits and one run in 13 innings over his past two starts, lowering his season ERA to 2.48.
However, he wasn’t as sharp against the Orioles, allowing seven runs (six earned) on eight hits, but this was a lot of high-volume contact, giving up two hits to batters over four innings and striking out six. did.
Rodon regretted the placement of his three home runs, which he gave to Ryan Mountcastle (a slider down the zone), Jorge Mateo (a first-pitch fastball to the middle), and Ryan McKenna (a cutter near the center of the plate). .
The Orioles then took the lead in the fifth inning, helped by an error by Gleyber Torres.
“They’re strong from top to bottom,” Rodon said. “They had a good approach and were persistent with it. I think they could have changed a few things to induce a little more swing and miss. It just wasn’t good enough.”
Alex Verdugo was removed from the paternity list Thursday morning after taking a red-eye from Arizona on Wednesday night and arriving here around 7 a.m.
He went 1-for-3 from six holes, including one walk, but manager Aaron Boone indicated Verdugo would likely return to the cleanup spot Friday.
John Barty (left groin strain) resumed rehab at Double-A Somerset on Thursday after missing Wednesday with a back strain.
He could rejoin the Yankees by Friday.
… Nick Vardy (right hip inflammation) pitched his second bullpen session Thursday at Somerset.
He is then expected to pitch in a rehab game against Somerset on Sunday before returning to the Yankees.
…Gerrit Cole (elbow neuritis) pitched lightly Thursday.
Boone had not spoken to Carlos Mendoza as of Thursday morning, but he expressed some sympathy for his former bench coach after the Mets’ loss at the plate on Wednesday night. Even though he did not necessarily agree with Mr. Mendoza’s assessment of the referee’s decision, he did not make the interference call and made the wrong call.
“We’re briefed on that every winter, all year round,” Boone said. “It’s always nuanced and gray and it’s not perfect. We’re all talking about it today and everyone has a different view. It’s not a perfect rule or a perfect setting.
“My thinking is, I know that if you put your foot up to the plate, you’re risking the possibility of getting an illegal call, but it’s not something that happens automatically and it’s never black and white. It certainly looked like there was at least one lane to the plate, and he was probably out, but I can certainly understand having doubts on that side.
