The Losing Streak Reaches 6

by John Nielsen

July 1, 2026

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The Big Story

Tuesday night's matchup was billed as a premier pitching duel: Detroit's Tarik Skubal, the two-time defending Cy Young Award winner, against Yankee ace Cam Schlittler, the first half favorite for the 2026 American League Cy Young Award.

Skubal (4-4) lived up to his billing. Schlittler (8-5) did not.

The Tigers rolled to a convincing 9-3 victory, taking the first two games of the three-game series. The loss dropped the Yankees to 48-37, leaving them 2½ games behind the surging Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.

Schlittler retired the first two hitters he faced with little trouble and appeared headed for a clean, pitch-efficient opening inning.

Instead, the top of the first unraveled. 

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Hitter	Pitch	Count	Pitch (MPH)	Exit Velocity	Result
3.Kerry Carpenter	2	0-1	Cutter (96.4)	102.9 mph	Home Run (#13)
4.Riley Greene	5	2-2	Sinker (97.8)	107.6 mph	Home Run (#10)
5.Colt Keith	6	2-2	Sinker (98.0)	102.9 mph	Single
6.Spencer Torkelson	10	2-2	Cutter (94.6)	105.1 mph	Home Run (#14)

Detroit hitters fouled off 15 pitches in the inning without swinging through a single strike. Schlittler worked repeatedly into favorable counts but couldn't finish hitters. Every ball put into play was scorched, as the exit velocities demonstrate. As his pitch count mounted, his frustration became obvious and the Tigers capitalized on increasingly costly mistakes, as they hunted (and feasted upon) 4-seam and 2-seam fastballs.

Making matters worse, Carpenter's blast should have been the inning's final out. Center fielder Spencer Jones raced back to the wall, timed his leap perfectly, and appeared to secure the ball deep in the pocket of his glove above the fence before it was jarred loose when his body collided with the padding. The ball fell into the Yankees' bullpen for a home run.

Had Jones completed the catch, Schlittler would have escaped the inning on just nine pitches. Instead, Detroit erupted for four runs, and his pitch count ballooned to 36 before the inning mercifully ended.

The Yankees answered with a run in the bottom of the first when Ben Rice crushed a 102.3-mph line drive into the right-center-field seats for his 23rd home run, cutting the deficit to 4-1.

That would be New York's only hit off Skubal.

The Detroit left-hander was brilliant, allowing two runs—only one earned—over six innings while striking out nine without issuing a walk. He attacked the strike zone relentlessly with 97-100 mph fastballs and sinkers early in counts before repeatedly putting Yankees hitters away with darting curveballs and changeups. Less than two months removed from Nanoneedle surgery on his pitching elbow, Skubal looked every bit like the ace who captured the last two Cy Young Awards.

Greene added his second homer of the night—his 11th of the season—in the third inning to extend Detroit's lead to 6-1.

Schlittler lasted just four innings, surrendering six earned runs on seven hits—including four home runs—while walking one and striking out five. His cutter lacked its usual bite, and the Tigers appeared far more prepared for his repertoire than they were in their previous meeting. Now the challenge shifts to Schlittler, who will need to make his own adjustments going forward.

The Yankees appear to be in free fall. Injuries have certainly taken their toll, but the problems extend well beyond a depleted roster. Over the past week, nearly every facet of the game has unraveled—from an anemic offense to shaky defense and, now, uncharacteristically poor pitching. The expected Friday return of centerfielder Trent Grisham and 3b Ryan McMahon can't come soon enough.

Yankees “Break” Hit Futility Streak

For the first time in five games, the Yankees finished with more than three hits. That milestone appeared unlikely through eight innings, as they managed just two hits to that point. But consecutive ninth-inning singles by Jasson Domínguez and Anthony Volpe pushed New York's hit total to four, finally snapping its string of three-hits-or-fewer performances. It’s a start!

Jose Caballero: Four Positions – But at What Cost?

José Caballero has earned broad praise this season for his defensive versatility, logging quality innings at multiple positions. Lately, however, that versatility has been overshadowed by costly mistakes.

After a throwing error at third base led to three unearned Detroit runs on Monday night, Caballero followed it with another throwing error Tuesday, this time from second base, that produced yet another unearned run. Those miscues came on the heels of errors in center field on June 21 against Cincinnati and in left field on June 22 at Detroit. Four errors. Four different positions.

Versatile? Absolutely. But over the past ten days, that versatility has come at a steep defensive price.

Bellinger Sits/Jazz Convalesces

After going just 5-for-his-last-41, Cody Bellinger was finally given the night off by manager Aaron Boone. The veteran outfielder has now gone 13 consecutive games without an RBI, dating back to June 17—the last time the Yankees scored more than five runs. During that two-week stretch, Bellinger managed just one extra-base hit, a double, and scored only one run. Coupled with the costly dropped fly ball in Monday night's loss, the break seemed like a welcome opportunity for Belli to reset both mentally and physically.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. was also out of the lineup Tuesday as he recovers from Monday night's collision with Jasson Domínguez, whose forearm shiver struck Chisholm in the jaw/neck while the two converged on a pop fly. Chisholm remains day-to-day.

Yovanny Cruises

Prior to Tuesday's game, the Yankees recalled right-hander Yovanny Cruz from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, replacing Yerry De los Santos, who was optioned following Monday's defeat. Cruz made his third appearance of the season and continues to impress, extending his scoreless streak to 4⅓ innings while striking out three of the six batters he faced. With each outing, the hard-throwing reliever is making an increasingly compelling case to earn an extended opportunity in the Yankees' bullpen.

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The series concludes Wednesday with an afternoon game, beginning at 1:30 PM.  The Yankees hope to salvage the series finale and avoid the sweep as Will Warren (7-3, ERA 3.75) matches up against Troy Melton (4-1, ERA 2.39).