Schmidt digs too deep a hole for Chisholm-Dominguez Yankees’ comeback

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The Yankees’ valiant comeback efforts, led by Chisholm and Dominguez, fell short of overcoming Schmidt’s early deficit in their loss to the Guardians.

A spirited late-game surge featuring powerful home runs from Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jasson Domínguez wasn’t enough to salvage a victory for the New York Yankees on Monday night. The Bronx Bombers dropped a 6-4 decision to the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field, ending their modest two-game winning streak. Clarke Schmidt’s early struggles created a deficit that proved too steep to overcome despite the Yankees’ valiant comeback attempt.

With the defeat, the Yankees slipped to 14-9 for the season, unable to build on Sunday’s impressive 4-0 shutout of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Schmidt falters as Guardians strike early

Making just his second appearance of the 2025 campaign after battling shoulder soreness throughout spring training, Clarke Schmidt couldn’t replicate the promise of his season debut. The right-hander labored through four innings, surrendering five runs on seven hits while issuing three walks. His seven strikeouts provided the lone bright spot in an otherwise difficult outing.

The decisive blow came in the third inning when the Guardians orchestrated a quick-strike assault. After consecutive singles from Brayan Rocchio and Steven Kwan set the table, Jose Ramirez crushed a three-run homer on a sweeper that Schmidt claimed hit his intended target.

“I felt healthy. Thought the stuff was really good, velocity was good. Got a lot of swings and misses, and a lot of strikeouts. That’s obviously a positive, but the walks are frustrating,” Schmidt said postgame. “Obviously it’s game situations and we’re out there trying to win ballgames, but I’m also trying to refine myself and sharpen up and just get better each time I go out there.”

Before the Yankees could recover, Kyle Manzardo followed with a solo shot on the very next pitch, sending a 366-foot drive barely clearing the right-field wall to extend Cleveland’s advantage to 4-0. The Guardians tacked on another run in the fourth when Rocchio’s single eluded Chisholm, who had to evade flying debris from a splintered bat.

Chisholm dodges danger, delivers power

The fourth-inning play involving Rocchio’s bat introduced an element of danger. Chisholm, positioned at second base, appeared poised to field the grounder but hesitated when confronted by a sharp fragment spinning toward him.

“I want to make every play out there for my guy, but at the same time, you don’t want to die,” Chisholm explained. “You got a sharp object coming your way. I’ve seen guys get stabbed with broken bats in person, so I know how bad the injury can be.”

This wasn’t merely cautious speculation—Chisholm carries the memory of being struck in the calf by a broken bat during his High-A minor league days.

The athletic infielder found redemption in the eighth inning, launching a towering two-run blast off reliever Paul Sewald that narrowed the gap to 6-4. The homer pulled him even with Aaron Judge for the team lead with seven round-trippers this season.

“It was very validating,” Chisholm said. “Finally [hit] the ball hard and [got] it to fall somewhere.”

Dominguez adjusts, connects for mammoth shot

The Yankees’ comeback bid received its initial spark from Jasson Dominguez, whose mammoth 445-foot, two-run homer in the seventh inning breathed life into New York’s offense.

Domínguez had struggled in his first two plate appearances against Cleveland starter Gavin Williams, whose fastball consistently registered around 97 mph. But the young outfielder demonstrated impressive adaptability in the seventh, recognizing a breaking ball and sending it soaring into the right-center field seats.

“[Williams] chewed him up pretty good in the first couple at-bats, but that’s a really good swing on a breaking ball,” manager Aaron Boone said. “That gave us a little bit of life and obviously Jazz hits one and we give ourselves a chance there in the end.”

Ninth-inning rally falls short

Entering the final frame trailing by two, the Yankees positioned themselves for a potential comeback. With runners aboard, Austin Wells and Aaron Judge represented the tying run. However, Cade Smith, filling in for the overworked Emmanuel Clase, extinguished the threat by striking out both batters to secure Cleveland’s victory.

“Like the way the guys hung in there and hung with it,” Boone said. “Just couldn’t finish it off tonight.”

Schmidt’s outing highlight uncertainity

Schmidt’s performance raised continued concerns despite flashes of brilliance evidenced by his 13 swinging strikes and seven punchouts. His inability to avoid the big inning and occasional command issues remain problematic.

“He’s still working on that precision control—putting pitches exactly where he wants them,” Boone acknowledged.

With a 1-1 record and 5.87 ERA, Schmidt faces mounting pressure to stabilize his performance, especially as the Yankees navigate Gerrit Cole’s absence in their rotation.

Next challenge awaits

The Yankees look to even the series in Tuesday’s middle game, with rookie right-hander Will Warren (1-0, 5.17 ERA) taking the hill against Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee (1-2, 5.85 ERA).

While Chisholm and Domínguez have injected power into the lineup, the Yankees desperately need consistent starting pitching beyond Max Fried to remain competitive in the challenging AL East race.

As their road trip continues, all eyes will focus on Warren to deliver the quality start that eluded Schmidt, while the offense aims to build upon Monday’s late-inning power display.

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