New York Yankees 7-14 St. Louis Cardinals
On Sunday, the Yankees mounted a dramatic comeback from a five-run deficit, tying the St. Louis Cardinals in a thrilling back-and-forth game in the Bronx. However, despite their resilience, the result echoed Saturday’s disappointment, as they fell to the Cardinals, 14-7.
As of June 12th, the Yankees held a strong 49-21 record, but since then, they’ve struggled, going 30-37. This recent defeat marks back-to-back series losses to the Nationals and Cardinals, equaling their series losses from the previous nine series combined.
Yankees fans have taken note of the absence of Jasson Dominguez and the continued faith in Alex Verdugo. This latest loss exacerbates the Yankees’ ongoing struggles, extending their losing streak. Since June 1, the Yankees have posted a 39-39 record over their last 78 games, underscoring their inconsistent performance. August has been particularly challenging for the team, with the Yankees playing six series since August 12, winning four, losing two, and splitting one. Their opponents have ranged from the struggling Chicago White Sox (31-106) to stronger contenders like the Cleveland Guardians (78-59).
Yankees’ resilience fails
The turning point came in the seventh inning when Lars Nootbaar delivered a crucial three-run double, narrowly clearing Juan Soto’s glove to break the 7-7 tie. Nootbaar’s line drive, which came on a 2-2 changeup from Tommy Kahnle with two outs, put the Cardinals ahead 10-7. He later sealed the Yankees’ fate with a two-run homer off Ron Marinaccio in the ninth inning, capping off a stellar performance where he went 3-for-5 with five RBIs.
The Cardinals’ offense was relentless, racking up 21 hits and scoring 11 of their runs with two outs, which took the wind out of the sails of the 42,768 fans at Yankee Stadium. They had watched the home team claw its way back from a 7-2 deficit, only to see the game slip away in the later innings.
The Yankees fell behind early after starter Nestor Cortes was tagged for five runs on nine hits over four innings. Cortes, who had been stellar in his last three outings, was undone by a series of unfortunate events in the fourth inning. A potential double-play ball slipped under Anthony Volpe’s glove, leading to a pair of baserunners. Although Cortes managed to strike out the next two hitters, a bloop double by Masyn Winn, which bounced over Alex Verdugo’s head, drove in two runs to give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead. Luken Baker followed with a two-run homer, extending the Cardinals’ advantage to 5-2.
St. Louis continued to pile on the runs against Yankees reliever Scott Effross, who was making his first MLB appearance since 2022 after undergoing elbow and back surgeries. Jordan Walker’s two-run homer off Effross pushed the Cardinals’ lead to 7-2 in the fifth inning.
The Yankees mounted a response in the bottom of the fifth. In his first game back after an 11-week stint on the injured list, Anthony Rizzo sparked the rally with an RBI double. Verdugo and Gleyber Torres followed with RBI singles, trimming the deficit to 7-5. In the sixth inning, the Yankees tied the game with an RBI single from Volpe and a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Torres. However, Torres’ deep fly was caught on the warning track, and Soto’s 348-foot flyout ended the inning, leaving the Yankees tied but unable to take the lead.
The loss was reminiscent of Saturday’s game, where the Yankees also fell short after trailing by five runs. Giancarlo Stanton nearly tied that game with a drive that just missed being a game-tying grand slam. Instead, the Yankees settled for a three-run double and couldn’t push across any more runs.
Yankees roster
Up next
The Yankees, now 79-58, have lost two straight series and three of their last five games. They started Sunday with a slim 1.5-game lead over Baltimore in the AL East. They’ll look to regroup on Monday as they head to Arlington, Texas, to face the Rangers and kick off a six-game road trip.
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