ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Ryan McMahon is one of the best defensive third basemen in baseball. The first ball hit to him in Game 2 shot up and got away, and the New York Yankees spent the rest of the night chasing it.
New York made four errors Monday, three on the first four batters, and lost 5-2 to the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. The Rays lead the best-of-five AL Division Series 2-0.
The Yankees dug this hole with their own gloves and bats.
Three of the Rays' five runs were unearned. Cam Schlittler, the presumptive AL Cy Young winner, got 13 outs, the shortest postseason start of his career, and spent most of his night pitching with runners his defense put on base.
In the quiet Yankees clubhouse after the loss, Schlittler took responsibility.
"Obviously it starts with me," Schlittler said. "I'll be the first one to say that I didn't do my job, but it didn't seem like we really showed up today."
The offense without Aaron Judge on the roster because of a strained calf isn't bailing anybody out. The Yankees have scored two runs in two games and both of them were solo home runs by Ben Rice.
McMahon's error on Yandy Díaz started the unraveling Monday night.
Jonathan Aranda singled. Junior Caminero grounded to shortstop George Lombard Jr., who backhanded a flip to second for the force, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. tried to force the double play and threw it wide of first base. Díaz scored. Then the Rays challenged a missed catcher's interference call on Austin Wells and won.
"I'd probably still throw it, honestly," Chisholm said. "The play that was trying to be made (was the right one). I feel like I could've made an even better throw."
Four batters, three errors, one run.
Aaron Boone said he didn't necessarily have a problem with Chisholm going for two.
"We've got to play catch," Boone said. "It's the big leagues."
The fifth inning broke it open when Aranda singled, Caminero doubled, and Liam Hicks drove one in with a groundout. Chandler Simpson's chopper deflected off Lombard and Caminero scored, a play ruled a fielder's choice.
"It might have been one that I should have just gone to first," Lombard said.
With two outs, Simpson stole second. Lombard threw away Jonny DeLuca's grounder. DeLuca stole second, too. Richie Palacios lined a single to center, and both runners came home.
It was the Yankees' most errors in a postseason game since Game 4 of the 2019 ALCS against Houston. In Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, defense ended their season. Two errors helped the Dodgers erase a 5-0 deficit, and a catcher's interference charged to Wells set up their go-ahead rally.
Boone wouldn't put this one on his starter.
"Cam did his job," he said. "We didn't give him a good enough chance to really do his job."
Yankees offense has one run in two ALDS games against the Rays, both solo home runs by Rice in Game 2.
The Yankees had one hit in Game 1, the fewest in 447 postseason games in franchise history. They basically gave that back with another mistake. Austin Wells doubled with two outs in the eighth, ran through third base coach Luis Rojas’ stop sign and was easily thrown out at third.
On Monday, Freddy Peralta retired the first nine before Rice tied the game with a homer leading off the fourth. The Yankees' best chance came in the fifth. Wells doubled, McMahon walked, and Kevin Cash pulled Peralta after 4⅔ innings. Left-hander Cam Booser walked Rice to load the bases. Cody Bellinger hit a fly ball to center for the third out.
"Yeah, we didn't get it done," Bellinger said. "We had opportunities."
History says the Yankees have likely dug their own grave with their mistakes.
Under the current format, teams that win the first two games at home in a best-of-five series have advanced 33 of 36 times. The Yankees have pulled it off, though. In 2017, they lost the first two games of the ALDS in Cleveland, then won three straight.
Max Fried starts Game 3 on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET in the Bronx, to try and turn this around.
"Frustration. Maybe a little bit of anger in there," McMahon said. "We're in a hole. That's on us."
Boone said this team has answered before.
"You've got to find out what you're made of," Boone said. "It's gut check time.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Four errors bury Yankees as Rays carry 2-0 ALDS lead to the Bronx
