BALTIMORE — Ryan Weathers had not pitched in nine days. He had spent part of that time sick, describing his illness without embellishment.
“Throwing my guts up for several hours,” Weathers said.
None of it seemed to matter at Camden Yards on Monday night. Weathers took the mound and proceeded to blank the Orioles for six innings. No hits. Nine strikeouts. A 2-0 lead. The Yankees looked set to end a three-game losing streak with a gem.
Then the seventh inning arrived, and everything unraveled.
Six hitless innings and nine strikeouts from Weathers
Weathers worked through the Orioles lineup with precision. He mixed his pitches. He kept Baltimore hitters off balance for six full innings without a hit.
The Yankees carried a 2-0 lead into the seventh, built on Ben Rice’s two-run homer in the third. Ben Rice was the only run-producer on the night. With Weathers dealing, that lead felt secure.
Weathers did not know he had a no-hitter. He said he found out only after leaving the mound. He finished with nine strikeouts, three walks and 101 pitches across six and one-third innings.
Rutschman single ends no-hit bid, Mayo homer ends the lead
Adley Rutschman opened the seventh with a single to left. The no-hitter was gone. Weathers retired the next batter but then walked a hitter on his 101st pitch. That was manager Aaron Boone’s cue.
Boone turned to Brent Headrick. The decision was deliberate. Fernando Cruz and Tim Hill were both unavailable due to recent workloads. Jake Bird was also warming. But Boone chose Headrick to face right-handed hitter Coby Mayo, knowing that if Bird entered, the Orioles would counter with a left-handed pinch hitter.
Headrick delivered the wrong pitch at the worst moment. He hung a slider, and Mayo drove it over the wall for a three-run homer. The Yankees trailed 3-2. The lead Rice had built in the third was gone in one swing.
The homer was stunning given what Headrick had done all season. Before Monday, he had stranded all 14 inherited runners. He had not allowed a home run in his first 20 appearances. This was his second consecutive outing in which he gave one up.
The Yankees never threatened after that. The final score was 3-2. New York dropped to 26-16 and extended the Yankees losing streak to four games. Eight total runs in four games.
Five hits, zero runs after the third, 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position
The Yankees collected five hits against starter Brandon Young and three Baltimore relievers. They went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. After Rice’s third-inning homer, the Yankees went quiet. They had outscored the Orioles 39-10 in a Bronx sweep earlier this month. None of that carried into Monday.
Boone was direct about what he is watching from the Yankees lineup.
“We’ve got to get some guys unlocked,” Boone said. “We’ve got a handful of guys that are scuffling, and we’ve got to get a little more competitive up and down the lineup as we hit this little rough patch during this week.”
Chisholm goes 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, declines to speak
Jazz Chisholm Jr. was responsible for three of the Yankees’ six at-bats with runners in scoring position. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. He declined to speak with reporters after the game and was expected to address the media Tuesday.
Chisholm entered this season in a contract year with high personal expectations. Through 41 games with the Yankees, he is batting .201 with a .603 OPS. Monday was another difficult night in a prolonged stretch of underperformance.
Boone spoke about the mental weight that accumulates when a player underperforms over a sustained stretch.
“You sense guys feeling it when you’re a month-plus in and you’re not doing what the back of your baseball card is,” Boone said. “So it’s part of it. Probably feeling that a little bit, probably pressing a little too much, trying to do a little too much. He’s going to get it going. I have no doubt about that. But sometimes you’ve got to slow things down first and have some small successes to get you going again.”
Caballero enters hurt, gets thrown out to end the game
Jose Caballero entered as a pinch runner with an injured right middle finger. An MRI was scheduled for Tuesday morning. He was cleared to play. He attempted to steal second and was thrown out. The Yankees were done.
Weathers reacts to the no-hit bid and the loss
After being told about the no-hitter he was unaware of, Weathers reacted simply. He acknowledged the moment but focused on the result. Nine strikeouts, six hitless frames, and a loss is a difficult combination to process.
“It was cool, but I wish we would have been able to pull out a win,” Weathers said. “We got a good ballclub, so we’re going to get some more wins.”
The Yankees did not get a win Monday. They scored two runs on five hits against a Baltimore team that came in at 19-23. The bullpen gave back a lead that Weathers spent six innings building. It was the kind of loss that lingers.
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