WASHINGTON, D.C. — With their technology faulty and the opposition running wild, the Yankees lost a 5-2 game and a series to the fourth-place Nationals on Wednesday.
The opening inning foreshadowed the sweltering evening ahead, as the Yankees’ lineup wasted a two-base error to start the game before Carlos Rodón endured a hectic frame. The lefty’s troubles began when Dylan Crews smoked a leadoff dinger for the first home run of his infantile career, but that was hardly the end of it.
James Wood proceeded to single and steal second base with ease before advancing to third on a wild pitch. Rodón, having issues with his PitchCom device, was then called for a balk when he didn’t step off the mound to address the issue.
As Wood walked home, Rodón, in disbelief over the call, tried to plead his case before Aaron Boone intervened.
PitchCom issues for Carlos Rodón as he balks in a run after not stepping off the pitching rubber pic.twitter.com/sdwstLL8hA
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 28, 2024
That wouldn’t be the last time Rodón had a problem with his PitchCom. Meanwhile, the Nationals weren’t done running on the inattentive pitcher.
The second inning saw them swipe four bases, including two more from Wood. While he didn’t score, he and Nasim Nuñez gave Washington two more runs with singles. Nuñez and Jacob Young scored after stolen bases of their own.
Crews added another run off Rodón when he roped a double in the fourth. The pitcher ultimately hung around, lasting 5.2 innings and 100 pitches. That effort inspired some energized job-well-done pats from the Yankees’ infield as Boone pulled Rodón from the game, but the starter still totaled eight hits and five earned runs while walking two and striking out eight.
He now has a 4.31 ERA.
The Yankees’ offense, on the other hand, couldn’t mount much against a southpaw for the second straight night, as MacKenzie Gore held the team to two earned runs over six innings.
The Yankees’ first run off the 25-year-old came on a Jazz Chisholm Jr. home run in the second inning. The second came on an Aaron Judge single in the fifth.
While the Yankees did some damage off Gore after getting blanked by Patrick Corbin in a sloppy Tuesday loss, Wednesday was another night of missed opportunities. The Bombers left eight men on base, and they ended the game 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
Now 78-56, the Yankees wrapped their disappointing series with a half-game lead over Baltimore. The Orioles had a game against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Wednesday; they didn’t start until 10:10 p.m. ET.
With an off day on Thursday, the Yankees will return to the Bronx for a three-game series against the Cardinals on Friday. Marcus Stroman, Will Warren and Nestor Cortes are scheduled to face Erick Fedde, Kyle Gibson and Miles Mikolas in that series.
