A strong bounce-back performance from Will Warren was spoiled by a messy sixth inning as the Yankees fell to the Cleveland Guardians, 3-2, at Progressive Field on Tuesday.
Here are the takeaways…
— It didn’t take long for Ben Rice to prove that his bruised left elbow was healed. The Yankees’ slugger, making his first start since Saturday, took the first pitch thrown by Guardians starter Tanner Bibee deep over the tall left-center field wall for a leadoff home run. The 377-foot blast was Rice’s sixth of the season, which is tied for 14th in the majors.
— Considering that Will Warren recorded only five outs in his previous start, the bar for a bounce-back outing was set relatively low. But the rookie right-hander exceeded expectations against a Cleveland lineup featuring nine — yes, nine — lefties. With an aggressive attack plan, Warren induced grounders and whiffs, holding the Guardians to a single hit through five innings of work while striking out five.
— Jazz Chisholm Jr. endured some new frustrations at the plate, as he fouled a ball off his leg in two separate at-bats and needed some time to collect himself. But the Yankees’ second baseman overcame the pain, lifting a sacrifice fly to center in the sixth inning to increase their lead to 2-0. The two-run cushion wasn’t big enough, however.
— Warren immediately fell into trouble in the sixth, allowing the first two batters to reach on singles. The mistake pitches forced his exit, and with Mark Leiter Jr. called upon to clean up the mess, Cleveland scored three runs on a passed ball, a double, and an infield single to take the lead. The first two runs were ultimately charged to Warren, who threw 82 pitches across five-plus and lowered his ERA to 4.79.
— Guardians reliever Hunter Gaddis entered the eighth with a spotless 0.00 ERA through 11 appearances, and the Yankees nearly rendered him human with a rally sparked by a leadoff single and stolen base from Aaron Judge. But the threat was ultimately neutralized by the right-handed Gaddis, who sandwiched a pitch-violation walk between a flyout and a pair of strikeouts.
— For a second straight night, Cleveland chose set-up man Cade Smith over star closer Emmanuel Clase for the save in the ninth. The bold move paid off yet again, as the Yankees went down in order on just four pitches. New York’s final 16 batters generated only one hit, and they left seven total runners on.
Game MVP: Aaron Judge
The Yankees’ captain remained in a league of his own, extending his on-base streak to 20 games with a perfect 4-for-4 night. It was the ninth multi-hit game of the season for Judge, who now owns a stellar .411 average and 1.231 OPS (best in MLB). He also flaunted his glove work and range in the fifth, robbing Brayan Rocchio of extra bases with a diving catch in right.
Highlights
BEN RICE WITH A LEADOFF HOME RUN 🇩🇴
(via @Yankees) pic.twitter.com/9nAekO5V72
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 22, 2025
Aaron Judge lays out to make the grab!
(via @Yankees) pic.twitter.com/FLPLtZple6
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 22, 2025
Aaron Judge’s batting average is .411 🔥
(via @MLB) pic.twitter.com/C32kGeo0wi
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 23, 2025
What’s next
The Yankees (14-10) will play the third and final game of their series in Cleveland on Wednesday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 1:10 p.m.
Carlos Rodón (2-3, 4.34 ERA) is slated to take the mound, opposite Luis Ortiz (2-2, 5.48 ERA).
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