Anthony Rizzo‘s error in the eighth inning opened the door for the Angels to take the lead as the Yankees fell 4-3 to Los Angeles on Tuesday night.
Willie Calhoun led off with a single, and Luis Rengifo reached on a fielding error when Rizzo grounded with two outs to extend the inning. Clay Holmes came in to keep the lead Lucas Weaver But Taylor district ambushed the reliever and sent a sinker over the head of Alex Verdugo to drive in two and give the Angels a 4-3 lead.
The Yankees fell in order in the ninth to fall to 37-19 on the year.
Here are the takeaways…
–Juan Soto wasted no time getting the scoring going for the Yankees. In the second inning, the outfielder took a 95 mph fastball from Griffin Canning over the right field wall. The blast was Soto’s 15th of the season and went 450 feet.
Soto would strike again in the fourth with the Yankees trailing 2-1. He blooped a single to left field to make that happen DJ LeMahieu score with two outs. The Angels picked off Gleyber Torres at home trying to score another run.
The Yankees slugger finished 2-for-5 with the home run and two RBI.
–Nestor Cortes continued the Yankees’ impressive streak of starters with solid starts. Although the left-hander didn’t have the best start, he got through 5.1 innings (88 strikes/59 pitches), giving up just two runs on five hits and without issuing a walk. He did strike out four on his way to his fourth win of the season. His only mistake was the two-run shot he gave up Kevin Pillar in the first inning.
Cortes’ performance extended the Yankees’ streak of 15 consecutive games in which a starting pitcher went more than five innings and allowed two runs or fewer. It’s an MLB record, according to Elias.
–Austin Wells gave the Yankees the lead in the fifth inning when he doubled into right-center field. Wells was pitching for the Angels when he narrowly missed a home run in his first at bat. It went 363 feet and would have been a 26-park home run.
The backup catcher finished 1-for-4.
-LeMahieu made his 2024 debut on Tuesday and was busy. He finished 0-for-3, but walked and scored the tying run on Soto’s single.
Anthony Volpe extended his hitting streak to 20 games with a single in his second at bat. He finished 2-for-5.
Game MVP: Taylor Ward
Ward surprised Holmes and launched the first pitch he saw in the eighth into left field for the decisive two-run double.
Highlights
What’s next
The Yankees continue their three-game series with the Angels on Wednesday night. The first pitch is scheduled for 9:38 PM
Luis Gil (6-1, 2.11 ERA) will take place Tyler Anderson (5-4, 2.52 ERA).
