Aaron Judge returned to the New York Yankees on Tuesday from a 10-game stint on the injured list.
His presence didn’t shift the fortunes of a faltering Yankees team. Judge struck out in his first two at-bats and went 0 for 3 at the plate against a sensational effort from Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi.
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Texas broke a scoreless tie in the eighth inning to spoil a combined shutout by Yankees pitchers before closer Devin Williams gave up the only runs of the game. Newly acquired reliever Phil Maton held on in the top of the ninth for a 2-0 Texas win.
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The loss for the Yankees is their fifth straight and drops them to 7-11 since the All-Star break. And it put them at further risk of falling out of the AL playoff picture at 60-54.
It added up to a microcosm of the problems that have plagued the Yankees as they’ve posted an 18-29 record since the middle of June.
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Judge, Yankees lineup struggles
New York’s vaunted lineup has taken a step back during the slump. It started before Judge went on the injured list with a flexor strain in his right elbow. But the Yankees hoped the two-time MVP could provide a spark amid a losing streak. But Eovaldi was in charge Tuesday night.
Eovaldi worked Judge to a 1-2 count in the first inning in Judge’s first at-bat since June 25. Then he got Judge swinging with a splitter over the plate that dipped below the zone.
Judge’s second at-bat brought more of the same. Eovaldi worked a 1-2 count with two fastballs and a sweeping curveball that induced a swing-and-miss for strike two. Judge then swung again at a third-strike splitter that dipped below his knees.
Judge grounded out in his third at-bat, his final of the night. His teammates didn’t fare much better as Eovaldi pitched eight shutout innings with six strikeouts to lower his season-long ERA to 1.38.
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Devin Williams falters again
New York was still in the game late despite the struggles at the plate thanks to seven combined shutout innings on the mound, led by five from starter Will Warren. But Williams faltered for a second straight night, this time when he took the mound during a scoreless game in the eighth inning.
Williams induced a first-out groundout from Marcus Semien. But he loaded the bases from there via an Adolis García double and two walks. Then Rowdy Tellez secured the win in a 10-pitch at-bat.
After throwing a ninth-pitch ball for a full count, Williams offer an 83 mph changeup below the strike zone. Tellez dug deep and launched the ball into centerfield for a two-run single that proved to be the difference in the Texas win.
Williams was credited with the loss a night after taking a blown save. On Monday, Williams allowed a game-tying solo home run to Joc Pederson in the bottom of the ninth. The Rangers went on to an 8-5 walk-off win in the 10th inning.
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A two-time All-Star closer for the Milwaukee Brewers, Williams had settled in midseason after a rough start to his first season with the Yankees. But his struggles have ensued, and Tuesday’s effort dropped his season-long ERA to 5.44.
With Tuesday’s loss, the Yankees dropped to six games behind the first-place Blue Jays in the AL East and 2.5 games behind the second-place Red Sox. Their lead over the now 60-55 Rangers for the final AL wild-card spot dropped to a half game.
The Yankees and Rangers will close out their three-game series on Wednesday.
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