Yankees 2-3 Guardians: Rice homers, Judge shines, but sloppy sixth proves costly
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Follow UsNew York Yankees 2-3 Cleveland Guardians
The Yankees looked poised to bounce back on Tuesday night, with rookie Will Warren dealing and the bats doing just enough. But a disastrous bottom of the sixth turned a promising evening into another frustrating loss, as New York dropped its second straight to the Guardians, 3-2.
Yankees let lead slip away in costly sixth inning against Guardians
Will Warren, who lasted just 1.2 innings in his previous outing, came out sharp. Over five scoreless frames, he gave up just one hit and a walk while striking out five, showing poise and command that hadn’t been there his last time out. The offense gave him a small cushion early — Ben Rice, returning to the lineup, launched the first pitch of the game over the left-field fence for his sixth homer of the season. A sacrifice fly from Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the sixth extended the lead to 2-0.
But the momentum vanished in the home half of that inning. Steven Kwan and Nolan Jones opened with singles, knocking Warren out of the game and forcing manager Aaron Boone to turn to Mark Leiter Jr. What followed was a sequence the Yankees would rather forget. A double steal attempt led to a passed ball from backup catcher J.C. Escarra, allowing Kwan to score from second. Moments later, Kyle Manzardo blooped a go-ahead RBI double to right, just out of Aaron Judge’s diving reach. And with two outs, Angel Martinez dropped a soft liner just past Anthony Volpe’s glove at second, bringing in the third and final run of the inning.
Though the Yankees had chances late, they couldn’t cash in. In the eighth, Anthony Volpe struck out with two runners aboard. And in the ninth, the Guardians slammed the door. Closer Cade Smith struck out Jasson Domínguez, Austin Wells, and Oswaldo Cabrera on just four pitches, sealing the game and the series.
Judge did everything he could to will the Yankees back into the game. He went 4-for-4 with a double, a stolen base, and a diving catch in right field. He’s now hitting .414 with a 1.231 OPS — but even that wasn’t enough to spark the offense, which went just 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.
Roster
| Player | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | |
| B. Rice | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0,286 | 0,375 | 0,5 | |
| A. Judge | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0,359 | 0,468 | 0,641 | |
| C. Bellinger | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0,273 | 0,407 | 0,273 | |
| P. Goldschmidt | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0,371 | 0,436 | 0,461 | |
| C. Chisholm Jr. | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0,18 | 0,285 | 0,42 | |
| A. Volpe | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0,2 | 0,304 | 0,267 | |
| J. Dominguez | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0,229 | 0,308 | 0,314 | |
| J.C. Escarra | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0,143 | 0,28 | 0,286 | |
| P.J. Reyes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0,167 | 0,167 | 0,167 | |
| A. Wells | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0,25 | 0,25 | 0,25 | |
| O. Cabrera | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0,281 | 0,343 | 0,313 |
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | HR | ERA | |
| W. Warren | 5.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4,79 | |
| M. Leiter Jr. | 0,2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3,48 | |
| T. Hill | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2,38 | |
| L. Weaver | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Up next
After a strong showing in Tampa, where they took three of four, the Yankees have stumbled in Cleveland and now face the risk of being swept. They’ll look to salvage the finale on Wednesday afternoon, with Carlos Rodón (2-3, 4.34 ERA) set to face off against Luis L. Ortiz (2-2, 5.48 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET on YES.
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- Categories: Post Game Recaps
- Tags: aaron judge, New York Yankees, will warren, Yankees vs. Guardians
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