Cam Schlittler looked slightly more human Tuesday than he had in his first two starts of the season.
And while that meant giving up his first runs of the year, he was still solid enough to keep the Yankees in it before they came back to pull out a 5-3 win over the Athletics on a chilly night in The Bronx.
After starting the season with 13 ²/₃ straight scoreless innings, Schlittler gave up three runs on four hits in the third inning against the A’s.
“I think overall it was pretty good, but just one mistake there in the third and it cost me three runs,” Schlittler said.
The rally began with Max Muncy’s infield single on a dribbler down the third base line with Amed Rosario playing back.
Ex-Met Jeff McNeil then roped a single to right field before Denzel Clarke moved the runners to second and third on a sacrifice bunt with two strikes.
Schlittler then left a fastball over the plate to Nick Kurtz, who smoked it for a double to the gap to drive in both runs for the 2-1 lead. One out later, Tyler Soderstrom added on with a double of his own down the right field line to make it 3-1.
“Not quite as dominant as his first two [starts], obviously,” manager Aaron Boone said. “You kind of think he’s just going to roll out there for seven innings and 75 pitches and strike everyone out. You realize it’s not that easy. He had some longer at-bats tonight where he just wasn’t quite as sharp with his command.”
Schlittler, who still has yet to walk a batter this season, struck out seven while throwing 84 pitches as he continued to finish off his buildup after a back issue delayed him briefly in the spring.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. twisted his left ankle when his cleat got caught as he flew out to center field in the eighth inning.
The second baseman was hobbling a bit and a little sore, but remained in the game for the top of the ninth.
Gerrit Cole threw live batting practice Monday, and if everything goes well in his recovery this week, he is scheduled to pitch again Sunday as he continues his rehab from Tommy John surgery.
“We’ll see if that’s a live or a game setting, I’m not sure yet,” Boone said.
Boone did not know whether that “game setting” could potentially mean the start of a rehab assignment.
Throughout his comeback, Cole has stuck to a 14- to 18-month timeline for a return, meaning mid-May is the earliest he would be back on a big league mound.
Pitchers get a 30-day clock on a rehab assignment, though that can also be extended for those coming back from Tommy John.
Through the first 10 games, Rule 5 pick Cade Winquest has yet to appear.
He warmed up in the top of the eighth Tuesday, when the Yankees trailed 3-1 but never got in after they rallied, still waiting to make his MLB debut.
“There’s been a couple games that he’s almost been in,” Boone said. “With the off-days, for the most part, we’ve been dealing on most days with a fairly full pen, with the exception of a couple days where we’ve been real short. Situation’s got to present itself, though. … He’s ready to go when that opportunity comes.”
— Additional reporting by Dan Martin
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
