NEW YORK – The past several days have served as a showcase for the Yankees’ player development pipeline, with George Lombard Jr., Spencer Jones and Ben Rice all contributing to victories over the Braves.
Sunday was Cam Schlittler’s turn to shine, but the support came too late. Michael Harris II knocked in the deciding run with a 10th-inning single off Paul Blackburn, sending the Yankees to a 2-1 loss on Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.
After Schlittler bounced back from one of his roughest outings of the year, striking out 11 without a walk over seven innings, Trent Grisham hit a game-tying homer in the eighth. The Yanks fell to 2-9 in extra-inning contests this season.
Matt Olson’s seventh-inning homer accounted for the Braves’ only run off Schlittler, coming as the slugger turned around a 100.0 mph four-seamer.
Considered a frontrunner for the American League Cy Young Award alongside Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease, Schlittler came out of the gate hot, striking out five of the first six batters. Schlittler allowed three hits in all, throwing 67 of 96 pitches for strikes.
All of Schlittler’s strikeouts came on fastballs. In his previous outing, Schlittler labored through three innings against the Cardinals, throwing 83 pitches (51 strikes) while issuing a career-high five walks in a 13-7 loss.
“It was arguably his worst one of the season, where it just wasn’t sharp,” manager Aaron Boone said before Sunday’s game. “He was behind a lot, got hit around a little bit. That happens over the course of a long year, even when you’re having the kind of season he is.
“ … If he goes out there and executes the way he’s capable, and the way I expect him to, I expect him to have a bounce-back outing.”
Sure enough, Schlittler was much more efficient against the Braves, needing just 70 pitches to get through the first six innings. It was one of Schlittler’s best starts of the year in the Bronx; overall, he has been sharper on the road, posting a 1.10 ERA across 14 starts.