Yankees Fall to Rangers in 6-1 Loss

Will Warren, who had been impressive all season, allowing no more than two earned runs over seven outings, stepped onto the mound as the starter but struggled this time, conceding three runs in just three innings.

Warren, leading the league in walks, matched his season total of three by the end of the fourth inning, which was a stark contrast to his previous performances.

In a surprising turn, the Yankees’ offense, which had exceeded seven runs in every game for the past five outings, was restricted to a mere single run on three hits.

Entering the match with the highest walks in the American League, the Yankees surprisingly went without a single walk in eight innings against Nathan Eovaldi, only making it to three balls during Trent Grisham’s first at-bat.

It was an unusual day for both Warren and the team, given their strong start to the season, marking a rare failure in what had been a promising trajectory.

In front of 40,269 fans in the Bronx, the Yankees lost 6-1 to the Rangers on a nice night that turned wet towards the end, with Warren struggling in the field and the offense making many errors against Eovaldi.

With a record of 25-12, the Yankees had only lost three of their last 18 games, going into Thursday’s afternoon game looking to avoid the first series loss since the sweep by Tampa in early April.

Warren’s performance saw him last four innings, giving up seven hits and six runs, along with three walks—watching his ERA jump from 2.39 to 3.46 in under 90 minutes. Every appearance is crucial for him, especially as he competes for a rotation spot with Ryan Weathers, who got injured, and with Gerrit Cole expected to return soon.

The young right-hander did achieve some success, striking out seven of his twelve outs, but also encountered issues—failing to get Rangers’ batters to chase pitches, suffering four missed strike calls due to Texas challenges, and often falling behind in counts.

During the first inning, after throwing three fastballs to Corey Seager, Warren allowed a 3-0 fastball that Seager turned into a solo home run, handing the Rangers an unassailable lead.

Things didn’t improve from there. After yielding an eight-pitch walk to Brandon Nimmo, Warren couldn’t wrap up his third inning until Ezequiel Duran drove in an RBI double, followed by Evan Carter’s two-run home run, which landed near the front of the second deck in right field.

By the end of the first inning, with three out of the first four batters retired (only Andrew McCutchen and Nimmo walked), Duran’s sacrifice fly alongside Seager’s timely hit sealed Warren’s fate. Having allowed five earned runs in his last four starts, he was taken out after giving up six runs. Yerry de los Santos came in shortly after being called up from Triple-A, delivering 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

All of the Yankees’ scoring came from Aaron Judge’s 15th home run in the sixth inning. Eovaldi, a former Yankee known for his effectiveness against his old team, pitched like a veteran, throwing 72 strikes among his 101 pitches while relying heavily on splitters and curveballs that the Yankees couldn’t seem to handle.