Carlos Rodón sputtered after an electrifying first inning Monday night and the Yankees offense – stop us if you’ve heard this before – fizzled in a postseason game. That combination doomed the Yanks to a 4-2 loss to the Royals in Game 2 of the ALDS at Yankee Stadium.
The best-of-five series, which is even at one game apiece, now shifts to Kansas City for two games beginning Wednesday.
The Yankees had just seven hits against five Royals pitchers and were 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Jazz Chisholm Jr. had the loudest Yankee hit of the night, a solo home run off Royals closer Lucas Erceg leading off the ninth, but it wasn’t enough.
The Yankees got the tying run on base with two out in the ninth inning when Jon Berti singled, but Gleyber Torres grounded out to end the game.
The Yankees are 3-for-19 (.158) with runners in scoring position in the series so far.
Here are the takeaways...
-Rodón, who was making his third career appearance in the postseason and his first for the Yankees, came out blazing, striking out the side in the first inning. He threw only 12 pitches. First, he caught Maikel Garcia looking at heat. Then he blew a 98-mile-per-hour fastball past KC superstar Bobby Witt Jr. Finally, he got a half-hearted swing-and-miss on a slider by Vinnie Pasquantino for strike three. Rodón hopped off the mound roaring. He was clearly jazzed up – the average miles-per-hour on both his fastball and slider were up from their season averages.
-Alas, that did not last. Rodón threw a scoreless second inning, but the Royals seemed to be getting more comfortable against him. In the fourth, that manifested itself in a big inning that Rodón did not see to its end. First, he gave up a 403-foot home run to left to Salvador Perez, who came into the game with three lifetime homers and a 1.328 OPS against the lefty in 26 at-bats. Perez admired his arcing shot – it was kinda pretty – and Rodón did not appear to like that. He stared at Perez as he headed toward first and then Rodón shook his head. The homer came on the third of three consecutive sliders that Rodón threw to the hulking Royals catcher. It was Perez’s sixth career postseason homer.
-The inning devolved from there for Rodón. He gave up a single to Yuli Gurriel and threw a wild pitch. One out later, Tommy Pham whacked a flat slider to right-center for an RBI single and a 2-1 Royals lead. Pham stole second and Garrett Hampson smacked a two-out RBI singled that knocked out Rodón.
Reliever Ian Hamilton allowed an inherited runner to score on an RBI single by Garcia, but he was caught trying to go to second on the throw home, ending the inning. Still, the Royals had built a 4-1 lead.
-Rodón got the start in Game 2 in part because he’s been excellent at Yankee Stadium all season, pitching to a 3.11 ERA and racking up a 9-2 record. But he only lasted 3.2 innings Monday, allowing four runs and seven hits. He struck out seven and walked none. In 6.1 career innings in the postseason, Rodón has allowed eight runs, an ERA of 10.80.
-In the third inning, Rodón appeared to be hit by a hard-liner toward the middle by Garcia – it was hit 96.8 mph, according to Statcast – but he may have simply knocked it down with his glove. Garcia got an infield single out of it. Aaron Boone and an athletic trainer came out of the dugout to check on Rodón, but he waved them back. They went and Rodón resumed pitching. There were runners on first and second and only one out, but Rodón retired Witt Jr. on a grounder and Pasquantino on a liner to right that went right to Juan Soto.
-The Yankees took an early lead in the third inning against Royals starter Cole Ragans, a dangerous lefty. Torres walked leading off the inning and went to third on a two-out single by Austin Wells. Giancarlo Stanton followed with a single past Witt Jr. and Torres scampered in from second to make it Yankees 1, Royals 0.
-Ragans only walked 3.2 per nine innings during the regular season, but he struggled with his control, walking four in four innings of work. Overall, Ragans allowed one run on three hits in four frames and also struck out five.
- Berti had appeared at seven positions in his MLB career entering Game 2, including designated hitter. He had never, however, played first base. But he was starting there last night against the left-handed Ragans and he made a sensational play.
With runners on first and third and one out, MJ Melendez of the Royals smashed a liner 105.3 mph to Berti’s right. Berti dove to snare it backhanded and then went to first base to turn a nifty, unassisted double play. Had the ball gone past him, at least one run and perhaps two would have scored. Berti has been working at first since Anthony Rizzo got hurt at the end of the season and, apparently, he was prepared enough.
“He’s looked outstanding over there, I will say that, in his work,” Boone said before the game. “He’s played a little bit in spring training over the years, but just a really natural infielder and just the person that I have a lot of confidence in.”
-Another thing the Yankees have done well this series – limit Witt. The Royals shortstop, one of the best players in baseball and a likely runner-up to Aaron Judge for AL MVP, was 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in Game 2 and is 0-for-10 in the series.
-Judge got his first hit of the series, an infield single in the eighth. He is 1-for-7 with two walks in the series so far.