Free passes were a problem for Cam Schlittler and the pinstripers on Monday, as the Yankees lost their series-opener against the Rays, 4-2, in the Bronx.
Schlittler, making his third major league start after two strong outings, flashed a 100-mph fastball in the first inning, but a two-out walk to Jonathan Aranda set Junior Caminero up for a two-run homer. Prior to the dinger, Schlittler didn’t get the call on two consecutive pitches on the outside corner. Plate umpire Edwin Moscoso correctly determined both were balls, but Schlittler’s gaze toward home lingered after the rulings.
“I missed some really close ones there, and then I can’t hang a pitch to Caminero,” Schlittler said, adding that he was “sporadic” with his control.
Schlittler got himself in trouble again in the fifth, issuing a leadoff walk to Yandy Díaz. The Rays then took the lead after Aranda and Josh Lowe singled. The latter ended Schlittler’s night after 4.1 innings before Brent Headrick entered and fanned Jake Mangum and José Caballero, escaping the jam.
Monday marked the shortest start of Schlittler’s young career. The 24-year-old totaled four walks on the night, as well as seven hits, three earned runs, five strikeouts and 86 pitches.
Afterward, Aaron Boone said Schlittler’s next developmental step will include fine-tuning his secondary stuff.
“That’s what has been a work in progress for him,” Boone said. “I feel like in these first few games, he’s done a decent job with it actually, and even being able to land some things behind in the count. But that’s that next layer, because the fastball is big and real. He’s gone through some different iterations with the secondary, even changing some shapes a little bit coming out of spring training that have worked effectively for him.”
It will be interesting to see where and how Schlittler takes those next steps.
The righty’s name has come up in trade rumors, though he recently told the Daily News his “goal” is to “stay a Yankee and hopefully play here for a long time.” There also aren’t many expected trade candidates who would be worth dealing a hard-throwing, controllable starter for.
The potential for overcrowding in the Yankees’ rotation could force Schlittler out in other ways, though, as Luis Gil is expected to make one more rehab start at Triple-A on Tuesday before rejoining the group. Schlittler, as well as fellow rookie Will Warren, have minor league options and can be demoted.
Or they could help a bullpen that has been ravaged by injuries and could multiple upgrades before the deadline.
“At the end of the day, you just try to do whatever you can to stay up here and help the team succeed,” Schlittler told The News when asked about potentially pitching in relief. “If that’s something they think benefits the team, then that’s something I’d be willing to do.”
Marcus Stroman, who has worse stuff than the Yankees’ young guns, could also pitch in the pen, as he’s softened his stance on such a role since declaring himself a starter in spring training. Completely cutting ties with Stroman is another option for the Yankees, but that would eat into their already limited depth.
“We’ll see what happens the next few days,” Boone said when asked how Schlittler fits the puzzle.
While the Yanks still have time to figure out their pitching plans, their Aaron Judge-less offense needed some help from the Rays, who were also hurt by walks, as well as poor defense, in the first on Monday.
After Jasson Domínguez singled, Chandler Simpson completely misread a ball off Cody Bellinger’s bat, resulting in another single. Giancarlo Stanton knocked another to load the bases with one out before Drew Rasmussen walked Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Ryan McMahon.
That tied the game at two, but Rasmussen stopped the bleeding there and didn’t allow any more runs over five frames.
“We just couldn’t come through after that first,” Bellinger said.
Díaz, meanwhile, added an insurance run with a sac fly in the eighth. Caballero scored on the play after reaching on a single that Anthony Volpe booted. The misplay resulted in some boos for the shortstop, who has taken a step back defensively this season.
“He’s not going to get Caballero as soon as it’s a three-hopper to his right,” said Boone, always quick to defend Volpe. “There’s no play, but that’s one we wanna secure.”
Unable to score much, the second-place Yankees are now 58-48. The first-place Blue Jays also lost on Monday, leaving the Bombers 5.5 games back in the American League East with the deadline days away.
The Yankees are also 11-19 against division foes this season, which has contributed to their slide in the standings.
“Ultimately, we would like to be probably in a better spot. But it’s just kind of where we’re at right now,” Bellinger said. “I’ve got confidence in the guys in here. I like showing up every day and going to battle with these boys in this locker room. So I think we got a lot of really good baseball players in here, and we just gotta keep focusing on what we can control and keep playing our game.”