Yankees fall to Angels as scoreless streak reaches 29 innings
Aaron Judge of the Yankees strikes out during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Thanks for nothing.
Again.
A Yankees’ offense that has led the majors throughout the season in most offensive categories of significance continues to sputter.
The unit was shut out a third consecutive game Tuesday night in a 4-0 loss to the Angels that had a Stadium crowd of 35,278 alternating between booing and snoozing.
The Yankees (42-30), who totaled four hits, have lost a season-high five straight games and have not scored in 29 innings. They’ve scored five runs in their last six games.
“That is who we are – we are one of the best offenses in the league and have had a tough few days,” Aaron Boone said. “Today I felt maybe we were pressing a little bit.”
The Yankees were shut out a third straight game for the first time since 2016 and, according to YES, it is just the seventh time in club history they've been shut out three games in a row.
“I think there’s always a certain point where it’s not necessarily going your way and you feel it and you kind of feel this extra pressure to get the job done,” Cody Bellinger, who went 1-for-4 with a double, said of the offense pressing, the subject of a brief team meeting afterward. “At the end of the day, it’s the same game. We had good conversations, we’re going to have good conversations. We’re going to keep going and playing for each other and we’re going to get out of this thing.”
After going 1-for-18 with runners in scoring position, and 12 stranded, in Monday night’s 1-0 loss, the Yankees gave themselves few chances Tuesday against Kyle Hendricks and three Angels relievers, going 0-for-3 with RISP and six stranded. A lineup that featured Jasson Dominguez hitting leadoff for the first time this season struck out 12 times. Giancarlo Stanton, who returned from the injured list Monday night, and went 2-for-4 with a double, went 2-for-4.
Aaron Judge went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, extending his first slump of the season to 3-for-24 with 15 strikeouts. After striking out to end the eighth, Judge, still hitting .372 with 26 homers and a 1.209 OPS, heard a smattering of boos, though nothing at the level he heard toward the end of the 2022 ALCS when the Yankees were swept by the Astros.
“I think that’s just not scoring in an inning, it’s the last guy (to make an out),” Boone said. “I don’t think it’s anything towards Judge … he’s left the zone a little more than he normally does. No one more capable of getting right back on track than him.”
Hendricks, who came in 4-6 with a 5.20 ERA, allowed four hits and one walk over six innings in which he struck out a season-high nine (his previous high was six). Ryan Zeferjahn and Reid Detmers got the ball to Hunter Strickland, who retired the first two batters of the ninth before walking Jazz Chisholm Jr. With the slumping Paul Goldschmidt up, Chisholm took second on defensive indifference, but the first baseman struck out to end the brisk 2 hour, 27-minute game and drop him into a 9-for-56 (.161) slide.
Will Warren pitched far better than his final line indicated, though even that wasn’t bad as the righthander allowed three runs and six hits over six innings. Warren struck out a career-high 11 and did not walk a batter.
Boone said he felt Warren’s fastballs – his four-seamer and sinker – were the “best” they’ve been this year.
“I think (they’re) in a good spot,” Warren said. “And I think that’s where the success is coming from. Kind of mixing them to both sides of the plate and trying to keep the hitter’s guessing.”
Warren easily dissected the Angels (35-37) in a 16-pitch first, striking out leadoff man Zach Neto swinging at a 96-mph fastball, getting Nolan Schanuel to ground to second and striking out Mike Trout looking at a 95-mph sinker.
But Sayville’s Logan O’Hoppe helped the Angels get on the board in the second, leading off with a double and scoring when second baseman DJ LeMahieu tried to smother, and failed in the attempt, a Luis Rengifo grounder that trickled through him.
Taylor Ward’s ground smash that tipped off Chisholm’s glove in the third made it 3-0 which, with the funk the Yankees’ offense is in, seemed like 30-0.
“Mentally, you try not to panic when you go three games without scoring,” said Austin Wells, who committed a catcher’s interference error in the seventh that contributed to the Angels’ final run. “But it’s 162 games and we’re going to go out there tomorrow and try to do our best.”
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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