Shaky Yanks defense saddles Warren with 1st loss since early May

NEW YORK – Every fifth day, the Yankees have developed an enjoyable habit: hand the ball to Will Warren, then shake hands to celebrate a victory.

As veteran Paul Goldschmidt put it: “I have no idea what his stats are, but it feels like we’ve got a chance to win every time he’s out there.”

He’s right – the Yankees entered Saturday with 12 wins in the right-hander’s 14 outings, the best winning percentage (.857) for a team in a pitcher’s games (min. 10 starts). But that formula didn’t translate in their 10-2 loss to the Reds at Yankee Stadium.

Instead, in the Yanks’ most lopsided defeat of the season thus far, rookie third baseman Sal Stewart tied a career high with six RBIs as Warren was saddled with his second loss of the year (and first since May 6 vs. Texas).

“It could have been better,” Warren said. “We’ve got to find a way to minimize the damage there. Especially with our offense and the amount of runs we put up, if I can get out of there in a 4-1 game, I have full confidence we’ll come back and win.”

Spencer Steer’s three-run homer was the biggest blow off Warren, who wasn’t helped by his defense, surrendering four unearned runs.

Right fielder Jasson Domínguez threw to the wrong base after snaring a JJ Bleday fly ball with a third-inning shoestring grab, missing an opportunity to double Edwin Arroyo off at second base. Stewart followed with a two-run double.

“I just rushed to throw the ball,” said Domínguez, who confirmed he was aiming for second base. “It was a bad throw, but I definitely think I had a chance.”

While manager Aaron Boone has described Domínguez’s play in right field as “a work in progress,” Domínguez said he has felt “more natural” playing there than he did taking on duties in left field during the 2024 season.

“The first day that I was playing right field, I just felt more comfortable,” Domínguez said. “Maybe the experience moving from center field to left field helped, but I definitely feel better.”

Ben Rice couldn’t cleanly pick a throw in the fifth inning that opened the floodgates, setting up a Stewart sac fly and – eventually – Steer’s Statcast-projected 407-foot blast to left-center field.

Warren allowed eight hits over 5 2/3 innings, walking two and striking out eight.

“Overall, the stuff felt great today,” Warren said. “They just put the big swing there in the fifth to put the big crooked number up.”

Reds starter Andrew Abbott held the Yankees to one run over five innings, with Paul Goldschmidt connecting for a first-inning blast. It was Goldschmidt’s 12th homer of the season, and his sixth facing left-handed pitching.

Goldschmidt has hit four homers in his last seven games, but the Yanks managed little else.

“We had some guys on base, but we weren’t really able to get that hit,” Goldschmidt said. “That was the story today.”

Goldschmidt had an opportunity to trim the deficit in the fifth, batting with the bases loaded. Rung up on a third strike, he initiated an ABS challenge, hoping for a reversal.

“I think if it wasn’t that situation, I’m probably not challenging,” Goldschmidt said. “It wasn’t like I thought for sure it was a ball. I thought it was a situation that was worth a chance. Unfortunately for us, it was on the corner.”

Stewart added a bases-clearing double in the eighth facing Ryan Yarbrough. That tipped the scales enough for Boone to assign the ninth to Max Schuemann, marking the first time this season the Yankees have sent a position player to the mound.

Delivering lobs that topped out at 49.8 mph, Schuemann navigated around a walk and a single in a scoreless frame – making him now the proud owner of a 0.00 career ERA, one of the day’s few bright spots for the home team.

“Let’s move on and be ready to go tomorrow,” Goldschmidt said. “They played better than us. They beat us today. We’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”