About Last Night: Guardians 9, Yankees 4

By Derek McAdam

June 3, 2026

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Quick Stats: W: Colin Holderman (4-1): 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K

                     L: Cam Schlittler (7-3): 4.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R (4 ER), 3 K

HRs: CLE: Kyle Manzardo (6)

         NYY: Paul Goldschmidt (7)

The Big Story: The Yankees got some concerning news regarding captain Aaron Judge before yesterday’s game. It was reported that Judge has a bone bruise that is impacting his shoulder, which could potentially set him up for an IL stint. However, the Yankees and Aaron Boone are hoping that it will not result in that.

Last night’s game was slated to be a solid pitching matchup, with the Yankees’ ace Schlittler taking the mound. Joey Cantillo took the mound for the Guardians, who has a fine ERA but is known for walking many batters. The Yankees were also returning home from their six-game road trip, in which they went 5-1.

In the 3rd, catcher Patrick Bailey hit a triple off the center field wall that ricocheted over Trent Grisham and was misplayed by Jose Caballero in right field. Next, Bryan Rocchio hit a sacrifice fly to score the run and put the Guardians on the board first with a 1-0 lead.

However, in the bottom of the inning, Paul Goldschmidt gave the Yankees the lead with a two-run home run, his 7th of the season, to make it a 2-1 game.

Schlittler definitely didn’t seem to have his greatest stuff last night, as the Guardians seemed to cue up every fastball that came their way. As a result, he began to incorporate more of his off speed pitches. And in the 4th, Manzardo took him deep for a two-run home run to give the Guardians their lead back, with a new score of 3-2.

Similarly to the 3rd, the Yankees would strike right back in the bottom of the inning. With the bases loaded, Goldschmidt came through yet again and delivered a two-run single to give the Yankees the lead back, with a 4-3 lead.

And in the 5th, it seemed as if the wheels came off for Schlittler. After a leadoff single, an error from Amed Rosario, and a hit batter, the bases were loaded for the Guardians and no one out. Travis Bazzana hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game a 4-4, and then Jose Ramirez hit an RBI double to give the Guardians the lead yet again. Schlittler’s night ended after 4.1 IP, to which Brent Headrick came on in relief. After issuing a walk to load the bases, he got the next two batters to strike out, ending the threat.

The Guardians tacked on another run in the 7th, when Rocchio singled, stole second and third, the latter of which Rosario was caught sleeping at third, and scored on a Ramirez RBI double.

In the 8th, the Guardians loaded the bases with no one out with Camilo Doval on the mound, giving them the potential to put the game away. Bailey and Rocchio struck out, bringing up Bazzana, who hit a bases-clearing double to give the Guardians a 9-4 lead.

Player(s) of the Game: The Cleveland bullpen did a phenomenal job against the Yankees, throwing five innings of shutout baseball to keep the Guardians in the game at all times. They also used five relievers in the process, each of whom threw one inning.

Notable Performances: Goldschmidt had a very solid performance for the Yankees, and Ramirez continues to torture the Yankees at the plate. Manzardo also several good at-bats for Cleveland.

Better to Forget: Rosario did not have a good night at the plate or in the field. However, I do send my congratulations out to him and his family for welcoming their child into the world. That is one aspect that he will definitely never forget.

My Take: This was a very odd game for the Yankees. There was a lot of back and forth between the two teams and Schlittler just did not look good on the mound last night, although he did have a couple of tough breaks from his defense.

First for Schlittler, two of those runs that crossed the plate were not his fault. Although it does not go down as an error, the misplayed ball in which Bailey made into a triple should have been a double. And if it was, that run would not have scored. And Rosario’s error in the 5th was also another one that should not have resulted in a run.

But the Guardians were able to scout him out quickly. They managed to adjust to the fastball, forcing Schlittler to throw more off-speed pitches. As a result, the Guardians were able to put several runs up on the board, knocking Schlittler out before he could even finish the 5th inning. I won’t be too harsh on Schlittler, because he’s really only had one bad start of 13 this season, and this was the one.

The offense definitely did not look the same with Judge out of the lineup, with the exception of Goldschmidt. The Yankees had several opportunities to push runs across the board, but failed to do so. It seems that in their recent losses, this has been a common thread.

But even if Judge is not hitting good, his bat remains a threat in the lineup. I was a bit surprised to see Ben Rice leading off, especially since Goldschmidt was hitting second. Typically, it has been the other way around this season. But it worked out well for Goldschmidt.

I definitely don’t want to get too dramatic following one loss to a good team, especially considering the Yankees had a very nice road trip last week, but this was a bad start to the home stand. There were just too many mistakes all around and the best thing to do is move on from the loss and go for the win tonight.

What’s Next?: The Yankees will be back in action tonight against the Guardians in the second game of the series. Gavin Williams is set to start for the Guardians, while Gerrit Cole will take the mound for the Yankees. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. EST from Yankee Stadium and will stream on Amazon Prime Video.