Yankees’ nagging problem resurfaces in shutout defeat against Orioles

The New York Yankees, who erupted for a whopping 30 runs against the Milwaukee Brewers over the weekend, faced a stark turnaround in fortunes with a frustrating 0-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night. Their offensive juggernaut stalled completely, failing to score a single run and marking their fifth shutout loss in 30 games.

Despite managing to get on base ten times throughout the game, the Yankees squandered every scoring opportunity. Their struggles were most evident with runners in scoring position, where they went a troubling 0-for-8. 

Manager Aaron Boone acknowledged the team’s recent offensive woes, highlighting their inability to convert promising at-bats into runs despite solid offensive approaches. He credited the Orioles’ defense for their effectiveness but emphasized the importance of maintaining focus on generating chances and unwavering confidence in their ability to break out of the slump.

“We’ve had some of those nights where we’ve gotten shut down when we’ve had a lot of traffic and we just didn’t come up with the big hit,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Obviously, they kept us in the ballpark. Just gotta keep giving ourselves a chance like that and trust we’ll break through. … One of those nights, frustrating because you put together some good at-bats but aren’t able to break through.”

Adding to the Yankees’ difficulties was the sluggish baserunning of Giancarlo Stanton. His well-known lack of speed hampered the team again in the sixth inning. After drawing a walk with one out, Stanton was caught in a rundown after a liner to right field by Austin Wells. Stanton’s hesitation, likely to confirm the fly ball wasn’t caught by right fielder Anthony Santander, resulted in a close play at second base and a crucial out for the Yankees. This negated the potential of a base hit for Wells and extinguished a promising scoring opportunity, especially with the Orioles holding a slim 1-0 lead at that time.

Missed opportunities hurt the Yankees in Baltimore beating

The New York Yankees faced a gut-wrenching defeat against the Baltimore Orioles, failing to capitalize on key opportunities and ultimately suffering a disappointing 0-2 shutout loss.

The Yankees had a golden chance to score in the third inning. With Anthony Volpe drawing a walk and Juan Soto launching a long single that caromed off the right-field wall, runners occupied the corners with only one out. However, Aaron Judge‘s swing at a tempting 3-2 changeup outside the strike zone followed by Anthony Rizzo’s ground to third base squandered the golden opportunity.  

stupid wall https://t.co/uMCEPHIXN9

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 29, 2024

Hope flickered again in the ninth inning. Gleyber Torres sparked a rally with a leadoff single, followed by Oswaldo Cabrera’s deep fly ball to left-center field. The ball soared dangerously close to clearing the outfield wall, potentially changing the game’s outcome. However, the recently shortened wall by 26 ½ feet in 2022 and its jutting back section conspired against the Yankees as the ball fell harmlessly short.

Despite Craig Kimbrel’s absence, his replacement, Baltimore reliever Danny Coulombe, proved impenetrable. He successfully retired the next two batters, extinguishing the Yankees’ final scoring threat and securing the Orioles’ victory.

While Judge managed a single in the first inning, his overall performance was marked by near misses. He struck out with two runners on and two outs in the third, and although he launched two fly balls reaching the warning track, both were caught for outs. A home run on either of those balls could have propelled the Yankees to victory. Judge finished the game 1-for-4.  

Despite the setback, the Yankees remain in solid contention. Their 19-11 record positions them third-best in the league by winning percentage. However, the offensive struggles in nearly half of their losses are a cause for concern.  

Reflecting on the game, Judge acknowledged the frustration of balls traveling just out of reach. He emphasized the team’s solid contact throughout the game but lamented the lack of positive outcomes. Remaining optimistic, Judge expressed confidence in the team’s ability to bounce back and improve in the next game.

Yankees fail to back Schmidt in pitcher’s Duel

Despite out-hitting Baltimore 7-4, the Yankees consistently had runners on base in every inning except the eighth when they faced Yennier Cano. The Orioles capitalized on their home field’s unique dimensions to their advantage.

Starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt delivered an impressive performance, lasting 5 ²/₃ innings and effectively containing one of the league’s most potent offenses. It marked his longest outing of the year and was, in his own words, “probably one of the better ones in my career,” as he limited Baltimore to just one hit after the opening inning.  

The only run against Schmidt occurred in the first inning when Henderson smashed a low-and-inside curveball for his league-leading 10th home run, providing the Orioles with an early 1-0 lead.

Clarke's last batter faced of the night was a good one pic.twitter.com/4b9yz1zfSA

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 30, 2024

Reflecting on his pitching performance, Schmidt admitted that while he executed the pitch, it wasn’t located low enough. He acknowledged that the low and inside area appeared to be the batter’s preferred spot, recognizing the hitter’s skillfulness. Schmidt credited his opponent for their prowess in that regard.

Additionally, Schmidt managed to escape a second-and-third, one-out jam following a wild pitch in the fifth inning and felt he could have continued pitching beyond his 92-pitch outing. However, he expressed his confidence in Boone’s decisions, “I want him to pry the ball out of my hands every time out there.”

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