The New York Yankees had been playing some of their best baseball of the season heading into Tuesday. The rotation was humming, the offense had been productive, and the Bronx felt like a place where good things were happening. Cleveland put an end to that.
The Cleveland Guardians handed New York a 9-4 defeat. The bullpen absorbed damage late, the offense stalled after a promising start, and a night that felt winnable early slipped away in the fifth inning and never came back.
After the game, manager Aaron Boone was asked about the man at the center of it all.
What Boone Said About His Starter
Cam Schlittler had entered Tuesday as one of the frontrunners for the American League Cy Young. Every outing gets measured against the standard he has set, and the margin for an off night is essentially zero.
Tuesday was an off night, by his standards.
Boone did not deflect when asked about it. He identified the issue directly, pointing to a fastball that had lost some of its usual sharpness over his last couple of outings and mechanics that were not quite where they needed to be.
“His stuff was down just a tick,” Boone said. “The past couple of times it’s been a little bit down. … He lacked some of his normal power and location”
It was a measured assessment, not an alarm. Boone was careful to frame it as a blip rather than a cause for concern.
Schlittler got through four-plus innings before the Guardians finally caught up with him, surrendering two home runs and getting undone by a fifth-inning sequence that started with an error and snowballed quickly.
GettyNew York Yankees SP Cam Schlittler
Schlittler Addresses What Went Wrong
The young right-hander did not look for excuses afterward.
Schlittler pointed to his four-seam fastball as the primary culprit, noting his mechanics felt off from the start. Cleveland’s hitters recognized it early and made him work for everything he got.
“Just didn’t have my stuff today, they made a good approach, made me fight a little bit, I just didn’t have it,” Schlittler said.
It was an honest assessment from a pitcher who has earned the right to have a bad game. The Cy Young conversation around Schlittler this season has been built on consistency and an ability to limit damage even when his best stuff is not there. Tuesday was the exception. The Guardians made him pay for it.
– Cam Schlittler on what went wrong tonight vs. Cleveland
Final Word for the Yankees
One bad start does not define a Cy Young campaign. Schlittler will be fine.
The Guardians are back at Yankee Stadium on for two more games. The Boston Red Sox arrive this weekend.
The Yankees will be looking to respond.
Yankees’ Aaron Boone Addresses Cam Schlittler’s Rough Start