BALTIMORE — In his first start since, well, throwing just nine days ago, Ryan Weathers found himself reflecting on history.
As soon as the lefty’s no-hitter came to an end in the seventh inning, the Yankees seemed to lose their grip on the game.
Not long after his no-hitter slipped away, the Yankees’ lead vanished, as Brent Headrick, coming in for Weathers, surrendered a three-run homer that propelled the Orioles to a 3-2 win on Monday night at Camden Yards.
After a quiet weekend where they lost to the Brewers, the Yankees (with 26 wins and 16 losses) were again hampered by their offense, marking their fourth consecutive loss.
Earlier this month, the Yankees had a dominant four-game series against the Orioles (19-23), outscoring them 39-10, but they managed only five hits against Brandon Young and a trio of relief pitchers this time around, failing to carry their momentum forward.
Weathers, who left with a 2-0 lead after allowing a leadoff single by Adley Rutschman that ended his no-hitter, still seemed to have things under control initially.
However, just one out later, Weathers walked a batter on his 101st and final pitch of the evening, prompting Aaron Boone to call for Headrick.
Even though Headrick had been one of the Yankees’ most reliable relievers, he allowed a home run against Milwaukee on Saturday, and then two on Monday.
Headrick threw a slider that caught too much of the plate, and Coby Mayo capitalized, sending the ball just inside the left field foul pole for a monumental three-run hit.
This was the first time Headrick had allowed any runs this season, despite starting off with a top-tier performance.
All the ups and downs overshadowed what was otherwise a solid night for Weathers, who racked up nine strikeouts but did issue three walks over 6 1/3 innings.
Six of those strikeouts were due to his changeup, which successfully kept the Orioles baffled throughout the night until Rutschman finally managed a hit in the seventh.
Weathers, at one point, struck out five batters in a row, aiming to solidify his spot in the rotation with Gerrit Cole poised to return from the injured list later this month.
This competition is believed to be between Weathers and Will Warren, who is set to start on Tuesday.
The Yankees’ offense came from Ben Rice, who produced a two-run hit off Miniski in the third inning.
Rice had a tough start to the series, going 0-for-13 in his first three games back from a bruised hand, but found his rhythm on Monday, going 2-for-4 and smashing his 13th home run of the season, putting the Yankees ahead 2-0.
