NEW YORK -- Carlos Rodón could barely bend his left arm the last time he faced the Blue Jays, requiring assistance just to button the front of his dress shirt. As the Yankees' veteran made his first home start of the season, he could have used a different kind of help.
Having showcased big velocity but spotty command through two starts since returning from offseason elbow surgery, Rodón looked more like himself, striking out seven over five innings. But the Yankees’ bats went cold against a parade of Blue Jays pitchers, leading to a 2-0 loss on Thursday in the Bronx.
Shut out for the fifth time this season, the Yankees settled for a split of the four-game series, a rematch of last year’s American League Division Series.
"We were looking forward to this series, especially after they ended our season last year,” said captain Aaron Judge. “You don’t want to split a series like that, having an opportunity to take a series from them. We don’t like splitting that series, but we’ll take care of business in the next one.”
Presented with the challenge of opener Braydon Fisher to begin Toronto’s bullpen game, the Yankees mustered few answers, managing just three hits. Spencer Miles was especially impressive, striking out six over 4 1/3 innings. New York has lost nine of its last 13 games.
“We didn’t muster much,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Overall, the last couple of weeks, we’ve got to get some guys going -- period. The last two nights, we’ve been quieted quite a bit. We just haven’t created much traffic for ourselves and haven’t put enough pressure on them.”
Judge went hitless in the loss and has now gone 10 consecutive games without an RBI, matching the longest drought of his career (done three times previously).
"They made some pitches when they needed to,” Judge said. “They used quite a few of their bullpen arms. I think it came down to, when we needed that big hit or needed to start a little rally, we just couldn’t get going.”
Another division showdown is on deck, as the Bombers prepare to send Gerrit Cole to the mound for his season debut against the AL East-leading Rays. It will be Cole’s first start against a big league lineup since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series.
“It’s going to be an exciting series,” Rodón said. “I’m looking forward to watching him go about his business. He’s one of the better pitchers of our generation, obviously. It’s always a treat to watch him pitch. You get a guy like that back, your ace, it’s a big deal.”
Toronto pushed across its only run against Rodón in the first inning, when Daulton Varsho slashed an RBI double that ticked off the third-base bag.
"They’ve got grit in their lineup,” Rodón said. “It’s something we expect now. They’re going to force us to play defense, and we’ve got to be ready to make the plays. As pitchers, we just try to fill up the zone and rely on our defense.”
George Springer added a solo homer in the seventh off Camilo Doval.
“At the end of the day, it’s a solo shot,” Boone said. “We didn’t put any points on the board. That’s more the story tonight.”
Rodón was thumped by the Jays in Game 3 of last year’s American League Division Series, an exit that preceded Judge’s memorable game-tying home run off the left-field foul pole.
He later admitted that his reduced velocity during that start and others down the stretch were the result of trying to pitch through elbow issues. This time, Rodón limited the Jays to three hits and three walks, throwing 59 of 94 pitches for strikes.
"I thought he was great,” Boone said. “The secondary was good, but the fastball was terrific. That’s not an easy team to get swing-and-miss, but the fastball really played. Definitely, it was the best of the three [starts]. He stayed within himself and didn’t try to do too much.”
That healthy performance -- and what it could mean moving forward -- represented a silver lining on a night when there otherwise wasn’t much else to cheer.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” Rodón said. “I’d like to get deeper into games. It’s a step forward, but I can still be better.”