Rodríguez takes 'L' in cameo but will carry positives back to Minors

NEW YORK – The Reds were on Gerrit Cole’s mind, having circled this as his date to pitch. That shifted sometime this weekend, when the right-hander learned the Yankees would adjust their rotation – a nod to their current string of 16 consecutive games without an off-day.

“I think it’s a real process-oriented decision,” Cole said at his clubhouse locker on Sunday, turning his attention to the Tigers on Monday while leaving little question that he would’ve been ready to face Cincinnati.

That handed Sunday’s start to rookie Elmer Rodríguez, the organization’s top pitching prospect according to MLB Pipeline, who took the loss in a 4-1 defeat at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees dropped consecutive games for the first time since June 2-3.

Tyler Stephenson hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning off Rodríguez, whose fourth Major League start looked a lot like his first three – he has recorded 12 to 14 outs in all of them while permitting one to three runs.

This time, Rodríguez wriggled out of first-inning trouble, then pitched mostly clean into the fourth, when Stephenson hammered a 96.3 mph four-seamer into the visitors’ bullpen.

“Overall, I threw one pitch where it wasn’t supposed to go, and they made the damage there,” said Rodríguez, who was optioned back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after the game.

Said Stephenson: “I just told myself I wasn’t going to be late on a heater and put the head out. It was a good swing.”

MLB Pipeline rates Rodríguez as the Yankees’ No. 2 prospect (and MLB’s 59th overall). He’s 0-2 with a 4.76 ERA in the Majors this season, but he says he has gained confidence with each assignment.

“I feel like I’m attacking more guys, being better in the zone and using my pitches better,” Rodríguez said. “I feel like the more, the better.”

Ben Rice homered for the Yankees, his team-leading 22nd. It was a solo shot, coming on a 97.8 mph heater from Chase Burns. That impressed Reds manager Terry Francona, who referred to Rice as “that leadoff kid.”

“I don’t know how many guys in the league I’ve seen hit that ball off Chase,” Francona said. “That’s probably up above the strike zone at 98. That kid’s pretty special.”

It could have been more, had Anthony Volpe not been picked off first base by Burns just before Rice’s blast. That was a sore spot for Volpe, who said first baseman Sal Stewart impeded his path back to the bag.

“I just had nowhere to go,” Volpe said. “In Spring Training, for me as a shortstop, receiving throws – we’re trying to be spot on with that rule. That’s not coming from us, that’s coming from the league. They tell us that’s a rule.”

Said manager Aaron Boone: “To the letter of the law, that’s blocking the base. Are you really going to get that call very often? Probably not.”

From that point forward, the Yankees were handcuffed by Burns and three relievers. Burns struck out seven over five innings, improving to 6-0 with a 1.57 ERA over his past nine starts.

Burns is, as Boone said, “One of the game’s really good pitchers.” But the Yanks have also struggled to convert scoring opportunities of late.

When pinch-hitter Paul Goldschmidt flied out to leave two men on in the sixth, they were hitless in their past 24 at-bats with runners in scoring position dating to Friday’s ninth inning.

“Oof,” Boone said, when those statistics were relayed.

“I’ll take the opportunities. We’ll cash in. Even these last two days where they’ve held us down, I feel like we’ve had good at-bats and given ourselves opportunities. We just haven’t had that hit.”

Austin Wells, who returned to the lineup after a bout with cervical headaches that sent him to the injured list, said the Yankees’ approach isn’t to blame.

“The ball just didn’t really roll the way we needed it to in those certain situations,” Wells said. “Up and down, I felt like we had good at-bats. They got through it today.”

The Yankees’ defense wasn’t particularly crisp, especially late. In the ninth, Spencer Steer smacked a ground ball past second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. into center field. José Caballero was slow to react, then air-mailed a throw when Steer slid into second base.

Later in the inning, neophyte right fielder Jasson Domínguez couldn’t corral Noelvi Marte’s drive down the line, which bounced into the seats for a run-scoring double. With the loss, the Yanks settled for a split of their six-game homestand.

“Give some credit to the opposition,” Boone said, “but we’ve got to get it done as well.”