NEW YORK — For more than a month, handing the ball to Cam Schlittler felt like a guaranteed win for the Yankees. On Tuesday night, that certainty vanished. The right-hander who had pitched his way into the American League Cy Young conversation could not find his fastball, could not find his mechanics, and could not protect a lead his offense handed him.
The result was a 9-4 loss to the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium, a defeat that exposed how thin the margin becomes when the Yankees ace is even slightly off and their captain is out of the lineup.
A Judge-less night turns sour fast
The evening carried weight before the first pitch. Aaron Judge missed his first game of the season, sidelined by a bone bruise in his upper right rib that has been causing pain in his right shoulder. The three-time MVP underwent testing Monday that revealed the injury and was set to consult a specialist on Wednesday to map out the next steps.
Without Judge anchoring the middle of the order, the Yankees needed their pitching to carry the night. Schlittler had been the man for exactly that kind of job. He entered at 7-2 with a 1.07 ERA over his previous eight starts, a stretch that included a win over the Royals the week before. The Yankees had also won six of their last seven games.
None of that momentum survived contact with a relentless Cleveland lineup.
Goldschmidt’s big night nearly steals the show
Paul Goldschmidt did everything in his power to keep the Yankees in front. The veteran homered and drove in a season-high four runs, collecting hits in each of his first three plate appearances. He did it while playing through back tightness brought on by the team’s cross-country flight home from Sacramento late Sunday.
The discomfort prompted Boone to move Goldschmidt from first base to designated hitter for the night. The adjustment paid off. Goldschmidt explained that the change helped him stay on the field and stay productive.
“The trainers did a great job, and obviously I was able to play,” Goldschmidt said. “I could’ve played first base, but a little extra rest and not being on my feet quite as long was helpful.”
His two-run homer in the third gave the Yankees a 2-1 edge, his seventh of the season. When Cleveland answered, he struck again with a two-run single in the fourth to push New York ahead 4-3. It marked his first four-RBI game since May 26, 2024, when he played for the Cardinals against the Cubs. All of his hits came off Guardians starter Joey Cantillo.
Schlittler’s mechanics betray him in the middle
Here is where the game tilted for good. The four-run cushion should have been enough for a pitcher of Schlittler’s recent caliber. It was not, because Schlittler simply did not have his usual weapons.
Cleveland struck first when light-hitting catcher Patrick Bailey tripled to center with one out in the third and scored on a Brayan Rocchio sacrifice fly. In the fourth, Kyle Manzardo launched a two-run homer into the right-center seats to put the Guardians up 3-2 before Goldschmidt’s single flipped it back.
The fifth inning unraveled completely. Steven Kwan singled, a Bailey grounder turned into a costly error by third baseman Amed Rosario, and Rocchio was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. After a mound visit from pitching coach Matt Blake, Travis Bazzana tied the game with a sacrifice fly. Then Jose Ramirez doubled to right to put Cleveland ahead for good. Schlittler’s night ended there.
His final line was a season-low 4 1/3 innings, five hits, five runs, four earned, three strikeouts and no walks. He threw 50 of 76 pitches for strikes. Rosario’s error, in his first game back from the paternity list, made one of the runs unearned.
Schlittler was candid about what went wrong, pointing directly at his four-seam fastball and the mechanics that drifted with it.
“I’m not afraid to admit that I was probably out there thinking about some stuff with the four-seam,” Schlittler said. “The mechanics just kind of got away from me a little bit there. I wasn’t going out there competing. I was just trying to get guys out.”
Velocity dip backs up the concern
The data supported what the eyes saw. According to Baseball Savant, Schlittler’s fastball averaged 96.8 mph, down a full mile per hour. His cutter, sinker and curveball all lost a touch of their normal zip as well. Boone framed it as a small but meaningful slip.
“His stuff was down just a tick,” Boone said. “The past couple of times it’s been a little bit down. He lacked some of his normal power and location.”
Schlittler admitted the issue had surfaced in his prior outing too, a sign this was not a one-night fluke. Still, he refused to sound any alarm about the rough start.
“It wasn’t great in K.C. as well, and it wasn’t great tonight,” Schlittler said. “I’ve just got to go out there and flush that stuff. I’ll work on it between starts and just go out there and pitch.”
Bullpen lets it slip further away
Once Schlittler exited, the Yankees needed length and shutdown relief. Brent Headrick escaped the fifth, but the bullpen could not stop the bleeding. Ramirez kept punishing New York, doubling in three straight at-bats and scoring Rocchio in the seventh off a struggling Tim Hill to make it 6-4.
The Guardians sealed it in the eighth. Camilo Doval surrendered a three-run double to Bazzana that blew the game open. Cleveland finished with 12 hits and scored its most runs since May 17.
Boone pointed to the failure to contain Cleveland after the offense did its part. The manager knows a four-run lead should usually hold up.
“We didn’t hold them down enough,” Boone said. “Especially with Cam, you put four on the board, you’re usually gonna be in position to win, but it got away from us late.”
Yankees’ troubling trend against quality teams
The loss fit a worrying pattern. The Yankees have now dropped nine of their 12 games against teams with .500 or better records this season. That is a concerning split for a club with championship ambitions, and the schedule is about to test them further.
Cleveland leads the AL Central despite carrying the second-lowest payroll in the majors at $88 million, and the two teams are set to meet six times over the next nine days. There is some comfort in history, as the Yankees are 23-12 against the Guardians since 2022, including the postseason. For one night, though, the formula failed. Ramirez’s three doubles, his fifth career game with three two-baggers and his first since Aug. 26, 2024, told the story of a Yankees staff that had no answers.
Gerrit Cole, working back into form at 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA, was scheduled to take the mound Wednesday against Cleveland right-hander Gavin Williams as the Yankees looked to avoid stacking another loss against a contender.
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