BRONX, NY – It was all New York until a nightmare eighth inning saw the Yankees give up a three-run lead and fall to the San Diego Padres, 4-3, on Monday night at Yankee Stadium.
The struggles of reliever Devin Williams persisted; the right-hander entered the eighth with a 3-0 lead, but was pulled after issuing a two-out walk that loaded the bases. The Yankees called upon Luke Weaver, who, for the first time all season, looked human.
The righty entered Monday having not allowed a run all season long. He quickly surrendered a two-run double to Manny Machado, and another two runs came around to score off a single from Xander Bogaerts. By the time he could stop the damage, it was 4-3 San Diego.
“Tough situation there with two good hitters,” said Yankee manager Aaron Boone, reflecting on Weaver’s performance. “I thought he threw the ball well; I thought there was carry and life to his fastball, and they just put two really good swings on him.”
The Yankees (19-16) have now lost five games when leading in the eighth inning or later — the highest mark in the majors (h/t Katie Sharp).
The bullpen debacle spoiled a masterful start from Carlos Rodon. Wielding a 0.95 ERA with 24 strikeouts over his previous three starts, the southpaw was untouchable through 6.2 shutout frames, surrendering just three hits and a walk with five strikeouts.
“[He was] terrific,” Boone remarked. “I thought his command was really good tonight. Mixed his changeup with the really good slider and didn’t make any mistakes, it didn’t seem like, because this might have been one of those games where it felt like his command was probably the best. Last time I thought that his stuff was overwhelming, this time I thought the command was excellent.”
Rodon settled in early, retiring the first three Padres in order with a pair of strikeouts and some help from Cody Bellinger. The left fielder treated the soggy outfield grass like a slip-and-slide, making a slick, sliding grab to rob Luis Arraez of a base hit.
No. 55 skirted potential damage from a leadoff single in the top of the third inning, punctuating the frame with his fifth strikeout of the evening. The lefty hurler pumped a four-seamer by Fernando Tatis Jr. to fan the star outfielder for the second time in as many at-bats.
The Yanks’ offense returned the favor in the bottom half of the inning, providing their pitcher with some run support. Second baseman Jorbit Vivas worked a seven-pitch walk to lead off the frame, setting the stage for Trent Grisham, who belted Nick Pivetta’s 1-1 sweeper to the second deck in right field for his ninth homer of the year and a 2-0 lead.
Weather conditions worsened on a rainy night in the Bronx, and crew chief Adrian Johnson issued a game delay in the bottom of the fourth inning with two away and Yankee runners on first and second base. Gameplay resumed roughly half an hour later, where Vivas struck out for the third out.
The delay didn’t faze Rodon, who continued to steamroll the Padres with back-to-back perfect frames in the fifth and sixth.
New York tacked on another run when first baseman Paul Goldschmidt led off the bottom of the sixth with a single. The 37-year-old then turned on the jets to swipe second base, advancing to third on an overthrow from catcher Elias Diaz. Following a Bellinger popout, Anthony Volpe lofted a sacrifice fly to deep left field that plated Goldschmidt and stretched the lead to three.
The Yankees look to avoid another series loss with a win over the Padres on Tuesday night. Right-hander Clarke Schmidt will toe the slab for New York, going against former Yankee Michael King.
