Yankees offense goes quiet in 3-1 loss to Orioles

BRONX — Clarke Schmidt gave the Yankees a good outing in the rubber match against the Baltimore Orioles, but the offense didn’t match and some fielding errors made life harder in a 3-1 loss Thursday night.

The Yankees were held to just one hit until the seventh inning and was the first time in their last seven games that they didn’t score at least four runs in a game. The loss was their second consecutive defeat since they had a five-game winning streak snapped and New York was held to just three runs.

“I think he just did a really good job of mixing parts of the zone with multiple pitches,” Harrison Bader said about Orioles’ starter Kyle Gibson’s command against the Yankees. “When a guy is working outside of where you might be looking in a particular at-bat and whatnot, it’s difficult to square up. A lot of balls just off the barrel, kind of loft it up there, so listen he did a really good job. You gotta tip your cap at some point.

“We just have to continue what we’re doing and (the momentum) is absolutely in there, so you can’t shy away from that tonight. Listen it is what it is.”

While Schmidt threw well, he had to deal with a questionable strike zone at times from home plate umpire Edwin Moscoso. It led to a heated exchange between Yankees manager Aaron Boone and Moscoso that ended with Boone being tossed from the game in the middle of the third.

Boone voiced his grievances about Moscoso’s strike zone and it looked like he mouthed a comment about the home plate ump missing four calls. Boone had to be restrained by crew chief Chris Guccione at one point as he continued to yell at Mosocoso.

NYY Manager Aaron Boone thrown out by Home Plate Umpire Edwin Moscoso for an erratic strikezone #Orioles 0 #Yankees 0 ▼3ʀᴅ pic.twitter.com/CrCHuen4zf

— Sᴘᴏʀᴛs 24/7 (@Sports_24x7_) May 26, 2023

Boone said afterward he didn’t feel that it warranted his being ejected from the game.

“I shouldn’t have been thrown out of that game. I was very calm, didn’t do much at all,” Boone said. “Just the dismissive attitude (of Moscoso) and walking away I took exception to.”

Schmidt went five innings in his 11th start of the season while allowing only a single run, but was credited with his fifth loss of the year. The outing had its close calls, but Schmidt worked himself out of several jams and finished the night with four strikeouts to his name.

“I think when you look up there and the pitch count started to get up there a little bit I could have easily cashed it in after four and not been able to the get to the fifth,” Schmidt said. “So being able to get through five and only get out of there with one run and keep the team with a chance to win the ball game that’s the ultimate goal. Obviously, we didn’t come through with it tonight, but I just feel like I’m making a lot of good strides and getting better each time out. Learning a lot more and just continuing to grow as a starter, so it’s definitely a good feeling.”

The first such instance came when he worked his way out of an early two-out jam in the first. After getting the first two batters of the game, a misplayed ball by Anthony Volpe allowed Anthony Santander to reach base to keep the inning going and then Schmidt walked Ryan Mountcastle and Gunnar Henderson to load the bases.

However, Schmidt got ahead of Austin Hays in the count and got him to pop up to Anthony Rizzo to end the inning unscathed. Schmidt did have to throw 29 pitches in the first inning alone.

Schmidt continued the night by retiring the side in order striking out two batters in the second and getting Jorge Mateo to ground out to short. The righty only allowed three hits through the first four innings of the game.

The Orioles scored their only run off Schmidt when Santandar was able to put the ball in play just out of reach of a diving Anthony Rizzo to drive in Adam Frazier for the game’s first run in the top of the fifth. Schmidt did get out of the inning without another blemish by striking out Mountcastle.

The Yankees bullpen escaped a jam in the sixth after Nick Ramirez replaced Schmidt. Henderson and Ryan O’Hearn reached base with only one out. After Jimmy Cordero came into the game he managed to get Ryan McKenna to ground into a double play to end the inning.

The Orioles padded their lead in the top of the eighth when Hays hit an RBI double off the right field wall that drove in Santandar and Henderson to make it a three-run Baltimore lead.

New York’s offense was quiet all night with only eight batters getting on base all night and a two out double by Willie Calhoun in the bottom of the ninth amounting to the Yankees’ only run of the night.