SAN DIEGO -- When Spencer Jones first examined the Yankees’ schedule, this was the trip he had circled – a homecoming series in the stadium where the Encinitas, Calif., native had once attended games to cheer on the local team, dreaming of an opportunity to play in the Major Leagues.
For one half-inning, Jones had the storybook moment he’d hoped for, thrilling his family and friends with a go-ahead, 10th-inning hit off Mason Miller. But Luis Campusano called game in the home half, belting a two-run walk-off homer off Paul Blackburn that sent the Yankees to a 3-2 loss on Friday evening.
“I was super excited to get a good swing off a good pitcher and give the guys a lead,” Jones said. “I was ecstatic. And then it’s just a quick turnaround and game over.”
The Yankees are 4-10 in extra-inning games this season. They fell four games behind the Rays in the American League East, while seeing their lead over the Red Sox for the first AL Wild Card trimmed to 3 1/2 games (though they hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over Boston).
“Great swing by Spencer to get us on the board there in the 10th,” manager Aaron Boone said, “but obviously a tough one in the end.”
Campusano’s blast to left field upstaged Jones, who starred at La Costa Canyon High in nearby Carlsbad -- about a half-hour drive from Petco Park, where he was playing for the first time as a big leaguer.
“Honestly, I didn’t even think about it,” Jones said. “I was just trying to go out there and win the game today. But I think as this weekend progresses, I’ll definitely have a moment where I’m able to feel all the emotions.”
Jones was thrown out attempting to steal third base for the second out of the 10th, as Heliot Ramos struck out.
“I thought I had a good beat on it, thought I had a good window,” Jones said. “It was a really good catch and throw from the catcher [Campusano] and a great tag. I want to be aggressive and they’re giving me the opportunities.”
Before Jones and Campusano stole the show late, the Yankees provided a potential playoff future in the middle innings. Max Fried hurled 5 2/3 sharp innings in his second start back from the injured list, handing the ball off to Will Warren, who recorded seven outs without permitting a hit in relief.
Warren joked that he felt “a little gassed” from the jog in from the bullpen, blaming that for a four-pitch walk to Ty France, the first batter he faced. Otherwise, Warren was perfect.
“It was different, but it was fun,” said Warren, who credited catcher Austin Wells for helping him settle in.
Ben Rice hit his team-leading 36th home run, a 444-foot blast to straightaway center field facing Walker Buehler in the third inning. But Trent Grisham may be headed for the injured list after exiting with right hamstring discomfort.
Grisham was removed from the game one inning after he was unable to reach Xander Bogaerts’ second-inning RBI single. Grisham dealt with a right hamstring strain earlier this season, landing on the injured list in mid-June.
“We’re not sure if it’s an IL or not, but it certainly could be,” Boone said.
Bogaerts’ run-scoring hit was the only run San Diego produced against Fried, who scattered four hits with a walk, striking out four in a 72-pitch effort.
“I was able to command the ball to both sides of the plate, and I was getting ahead,” Fried said. “They were really aggressive tonight, putting the ball in play early. It’s a lot easier for me to just be on the attack.”
The Yankees did not deal for a reliever like the Padres’ Adrian Morejon ahead of the Trade Deadline in early August, in part because they did not want to part with top prospect George Lombard Jr., who returned to the lineup on Friday after missing four games with soreness in his right knee.
But their reasoning also centered around internal reinforcements, expecting they would only need to use four starters in the postseason, freeing Warren and Ryan Weathers for relief duty.
The Yankees did not need Warren in the rotation this turn because of off-days on Thursday and this coming Monday.
“Whatever role I’m in, I’ll embrace it,” Warren said. “I think it’s kind of like Blackburn. He’s got five or six elite pitches out there. It’s not typically something you see out of the bullpen. So hopefully it would go along with that.”