Takeaways from New York Yankees’ blowout loss to the Atlanta Braves
By the time Carlos Rodon threw his third pitch of the game, the Yankees were on their way to their second consecutive blowout defeat.
Rodon’s night continued to unravel, the Yankees’ offense failed to produce against Braves starter Chris Sale, and Aaron Boone’s team extended its current slump in an 8-1 loss to Atlanta in front of 45,226 fans at Yankee Stadium on Friday night.
The Yankees, who had only three hits, have now lost six of their last eight games and will look to Marcus Stroman on Saturday to prevent a fourth consecutive loss.
Despite having the best record in the major leagues, their current June slump has jeopardized their position as the American League East leaders.
They never had much of a chance Friday night, one day after enduring a 17-5 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
Carlos Rodon turns in rough outing
The Braves jumped on Rodon immediately.
Literally.
“They got to his fastball right away, right out of the shoot,” said manager Aaron Boone.
Jarred Kelenic hit the first pitch of the game to left for a single.
Ozzie Albies next hit a 95-mph fastball over the left-field fence, giving the Braves a two-run lead before most fans had settled into their seats.
Rodon’s night just got worse. The left-hander allowed another home run in the first, a single blast to Austin Riley with two outs, and the Yankees were down 8-1 when he departed the game with two outs in the fourth inning.
Rodon battled with fastball command, and the Braves capitalized.
“They came out swinging,” Rodon explained. “They caused some damage with fastballs. Two pitches in, we’re down two runs. I got to the fastball and tried to go up there. They attacked me based on my strengths and performed their moves. I must commend them. Obviously not how I had hoped it would go. I have to turn the page on that one; it was difficult.”
Rodon had his poorest effort of the season, allowing 11 hits. He walked two and struck out three in his 93-pitch effort.
Rodon has fully recovered from a terrible 2023, but he has now allowed at least five earned runs in two consecutive games.
His latest subpar start came at a time when the Yankees needed a great performance because their bullpen has been overworked recently.
But Rodon couldn’t provide.
Before the game, the Yankees recalled Yoendrys Gomez from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and Boone explained that one of the reasons was his ability to give length.
That became an obvious requirement when Gomez pitched 4.2 scoreless innings in relief of Rodon, allowing three hits, three walks, and five strikeouts.
Yankees lineup quiet vs. Chris Sale
The 35-year-old Sale, who entered the game with a 2.98 ERA in what’s been a strong season so far, stifled the Yankees through five innings.
“You ever watch his career?” Soto said. “He’s an excellent pitcher. Tonight, he simply made tremendous pitches. He is an amazing pitcher. He understands how excellent his product is and makes it work. He throws pitches where he wants and keeps guys off balance.”
The Yankees’ only damage came in the second inning, when Jahmai Jones tripled with one out and scored on DL LeMahieu’s RBI groundout.
The Yankees’ bats remained silent against Sale for the rest of the night, striking out eight times.
Soto and Aaron Judge combined for four of those strikeouts.
Any cause for concern?
Not from the Yankees’ standpoint.
They have been the top club in baseball throughout the first couple months of the season. Even so, there will be ups and downs.
They’re now dealing with a difficult situation.
“This is part of it,” Boone explained. “We’ve had a terrible week. That is part of it. In many ways, it isn’t the worst thing that might happen. We need to tighten up in a lot of areas. Everything has kind of gone our way. This serves as a reminder of how difficult this task is. “We’ve got to get through this little stretch here, and Carlos will too.”
Soto echoed his manager.
“The season is not going to be easy,” Soto stated. “I believe we’ve been doing the same thing since day one. But it won’t be that easy. The difficulties will arise, and we must simply deal with them as men, keep our heads up, and keep moving forward.”
Yankees DFA Victor Gonzalez
Part of the Yankees’ bullpen moves on Friday included designating lefty Victor Gonzalez for assignment, a disappointing ending for a pitcher the organization hoped would become a valuable reliever when it acquired him from the Dodgers in the offseason.
That expectation was dashed, as Gonzalez posted a 3.86 ERA in 27 appearances. He recorded just 11 strikeouts in 23.1 innings.
“That was tough because I’ve really enjoyed Vic and respect him,” Boone remarked before the game. “He has achieved some success in the league. It was difficult to get him into a productive role here, although he did have some strike throwing issues and struggled to put men away. “I just felt like this was something we’d have to deal with in the long run.”
On Friday, the Yankees promoted right-hander Phil Bickford from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the day after optioning Ron Marinaccio.
