ATLANTA – Of their first recreation out of the All-Star break, the Yankees determined to throw a bullpen recreation on Friday. The plan instantly and repeatedly backfired on the Bombers, leading to a 7-3 loss to the fourth-place Braves.
With Max Fried’s blistered finger nonetheless not prepared for recreation motion, Cam Schlittler experiencing higher arm soreness, Carlos Rodón pitching within the Midsummer Basic, and the Yankees unwilling to change the schedules of Will Warren and Marcus Stroman, the membership requested Ian Hamilton, a reliever, to open on Friday. Aaron Boone and the Yankees thought of calling somebody as much as help the scenario, however they finally felt “this was the best way to go,” the skipper stated.
“We’ll have to piece it together,” Boone added earlier than the Yankees discovered themselves in a fast gap.
Hamilton, largely relegated to low-leverage conditions after some early-season struggles, had the Yankees down, 2-0, earlier than recording an out, as Matt Olson and Ronald Acuña Jr. adopted Jurickson Profar’s leadoff single with RBI doubles. An Ozzie Albies sac fly made it 3-0 earlier than Hamilton may end his solely inning of labor.
“It was hittable and wasn’t getting the ball past people,” Hamilton stated of his stuff. “Should have made some better pitches, and I didn’t give the team the best start.”
Albies struck once more within the third, clobbering a three-run homer off Rico Garcia, who was added to the Yankees’ injury-riddled bullpen after being claimed off waivers from the Mets over the break.
Albies’ jack got here moments after Jorbit Vivas and Acuña left these in attendance bewildered, albeit for various causes, to conclude the highest of the third.
After catching a Cody Bellinger flyball, Acuña gunned Vivas down at third base to finish an inning-ending double play. Acuña made a casual-but-electric throw on a line from the nook of proper subject, however Vivas didn’t slide to keep away from a tag at third and slowed down earlier than reaching the bottom, pondering he could be protected. Third base coach Luis Rojas signaled for a slide, however Vivas – one of many final gamers on the Yankees’ roster – didn’t hear with Aaron Choose within the on-deck circle.
Vivas remained within the recreation following his bone-headed gaffe, although Giancarlo Stanton pinch-hit for him within the seventh inning. Boone stated he didn’t take into account pulling the rookie for his blunder.
“I bench when guys don’t run hard,” the supervisor stated, although that hasn’t all the time been the case.
Whereas Vivas admitted to pumping the brakes, he and Boone attributed the lapse to Nacho Alvarez Jr.’s performing, because the Braves third baseman pretended there was no throw coming from Acuña.
“Can’t happen. Just can’t happen,” Boone stated. “That said, I did that all my career at third base, where you kind of play dumb, like dead. [Vivas] read the body. Obviously, he knew it was a deep flyball, so I think it caught him up, but Luis is telling him to kind of get down, and then at the end, just trying to hold the bag. And Vivas heard him, too. But the body language of Alvarez there just deeked him, but it’s not something that can happen.”
UNBELIEVABLE 🤯
RONALD ACUÑA JR. WITH THE CANNON 💪 pic.twitter.com/ulbyTMzjib
Boone referred to as Vivas a “hard-nosed player” who “plays his tail off.” Nonetheless, the 24-year-old tousled, warranting a dialog with Boone.
“You can never let that happen again,” Boone stated he informed Vivas.
The infielder heard the message loud and clear.
“I started running and I was making good pace,” Vivas stated. “Then I slowed down, and that’s my mistake.
“I like to play the game hard, and correctly. Right there, it wasn’t the best outcome, especially for me, in that situation. For the team in a moment like that. You gotta learn and do better.”
Vivas, conscious of Acuña’s sturdy arm, additionally talked about that he picked Rojas up late and that he was blocked by Alvarez earlier than including, “It’s my fault.”
Friday wasn’t the primary time baserunning damage the Yankees in current reminiscence.
Final 12 months, they have been so dangerous on the paths that former radio play-by-play man John Sterling stated the group ran the bases “like drunks.” This 12 months, Boone has defended a extra athletic group, however the Yankees entered Friday’s contest with a BsR – FanGraphs’ all-encompassing baserunning metric – of -4.3. That ranked twenty fourth within the majors.
The Yankees had a BsR of -17.1 final season, simply the worst mark in baseball.
On Friday, Boone stated the Yankees’ baserunning has been “mixed” this season.
“It’s a point of emphasis for us, and we’re going to continue to lean in it,” Boone stated. “It’s an area we gotta keep getting better at, though.”
Boone went on to say this 12 months’s Yankees are higher at taking further bases and are extra succesful base-stealers. He thinks they’ve a “handful of really good baserunners,” however famous it’s a “struggle” for some.
Boone additionally believes there have been occasions when his gamers have been “tight” on the bases within the midst of the group’s current skid and following miscues, however he doesn’t need that.
“That’s the last thing I want us to be, is fearful running the bases,” Boone stated. “Clearly, we’ve a group that offensively scores, so we are typically extra protected. And, as a lot as we speak about final 12 months and the baserunning, the large downside for us was we performed it too protected on a regular basis. We didn’t go further bases, and a number of that’s our personnel final 12 months. We’re a way more athletic group, able to getting further bases, however we go on a shedding streak, and also you make a mistake on the bases, that’s going to get highlighted.
“We gotta continue to play aggressive, but also play smart and not be afraid once you’re out there. You gotta be instinctive. And sometimes when you’ve lost some games, and maybe you’ve made a mistake that’s lent itself to the game, you get a little reluctant. And I felt like even there were a couple situations tonight where we were a little reluctant on the bases, and you don’t want that either.”
Whereas the Yankees continued to baffle on the bases, their beleaguered bullpen noticed Scott Effross permit an RBI, infield single to Drake Baldwin within the fourth inning.
The Yankees’ lineup, in the meantime, didn’t put up a struggle in opposition to Spencer Strider, who refused to give up a run, walked three and struck out eight over six innings. Stanton’s pinch-hit look resulted in a two-run double, whereas Cody Bellinger added an RBI single within the seventh, however Choose struck out with runners on the corners to finish the inning.
With the second-half now underway, the second-place Yankees will ship an precise starter, Warren, to the mound on Saturday. The rookie right-hander flashed potential but in addition endured rising pains over his first 20 begins of the season, posting a 4.63 ERA.
Joey Wentz, a reliever, will begin for the Braves.
Initially Revealed: July 18, 2025 at 10:08 PM EDT
