Yankees’ Pitching Struggles in Loss to Phillies

PHILADELPHIA — Lately, the Yankees’ pitching staff has kept them competitive, allowing the struggling batting lineup some chances to score. But on this particular night, the pitchers faltered, even as the lineup—looking almost like a preseason group—managed to put together three runs against one of the league’s toughest pitchers.

Will Warren struggled early, putting the Yankees in a deep hole. However, Ryan Yarbrough stepped in later as the Yankees attempted to claw back during Sunday night’s 11-4 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

“It was pretty bad overall,” Warren said after giving up six runs in just three innings.

With this loss, the Yankees (59-46) are headed to Chicago for a week of games against the White Sox and Cubs before the trade deadline. They’re looking to enhance a roster that’s currently three games behind the Rays in the American League East race.

On Sunday, the Yankees were without Cody Bellinger, as both Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton sat out due to injuries, specifically Judge’s left hamstring strain.

Despite managing three runs in six innings against the Phillies’ ace, Warren’s performance overshadowed any batting improvements. He began the season strong, holding a 3.22 ERA through his first 12 games, but since then, he’s struggled, with an alarming ERA of 6.57 in his last eight starts, allowing 50 hits and 27 earned runs over 37 innings.

Asked about his recent downturn, Warren replied, “Yeah, I don’t know. We’re going to figure it out. It’s pretty frustrating to go out there and do what happened tonight. When I’m on the mound, I feel confident I can get it done. It’s about execution—I have what it takes; I just need to find my groove.”

After falling behind 6-0, the Yankees crept back to a 6-3 game by the fifth inning, thanks in part to Anthony Volpe’s second double of the night. But Yarbrough and the Phillies quickly stifled that momentum, scoring five runs in one inning to seal the deal.

“At the end of the day, we didn’t play well enough to stop them tonight,” manager Aaron Boone reflected.

The defense didn’t do Warren any favors either. The mess began when leadoff hitter Trea Turner hit a ball into the gap. Trent Grisham couldn’t cut it off, allowing the ball to bounce off the wall for a triple.

Kyle Schwarber followed up, driving in the first run with a sacrifice fly.

The second inning saw Warren leave a fastball right in the middle, and Bryson Stott made him pay with a home run, pushing the Phillies ahead 2-0.

As things unraveled in the third inning, Warren initially retired the first two batters but then lost control, walking Schwarber and allowing a double from Bryce Harper. The inning turned worse when he intentionally walked Brandon Marsh, loading the bases. Alec Bohm continued the rally with a pivotal double, making it 5-0. Stott then capped it off with another single, bringing the score to 6-0, as Warren struggled to hit his targets through seven of the 17 batters he faced.

“I have a hard time controlling the zone and getting ahead,” Boone stated. “It seemed he was behind in the count too often, and they capitalized.”