The New York Yankees (64-51) squandered scoring opportunities throughout the night, leaving 10 runners on base in a 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals (57-58) on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. Will Warren turned in another solid outing before one rough inning proved costly, while New York finished hitless in 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position to lose the rubber match of the three-game series.
Warren cruised through the first four innings before the Cardinals broke through in the fifth. After a pair of singles, JJ Wetherholt lined a two-run double over Trent Grisham’s head in center field to put St. Louis in front. Ivan Herrera followed with a ground-rule RBI double to extend the lead to 3-0. Warren exited in the sixth after allowing three runs on seven hits over 5.1 innings, striking out five and walking one. Kervin Castro escaped the inning by stranding two inherited runners to keep the deficit at three.
The Yankees’ offense never found an answer. They were held scoreless through five innings before pushing across their only run in the sixth when Jazz Chisholm Jr. drew a bases-loaded walk. Despite putting runners on throughout the game, New York couldn’t deliver the big hit, finishing 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. George Lombard Jr. continued to impress in his second major league game, going 1-for-3 while making several smooth defensive plays, though he struck out with two aboard in the eighth. Heliot Ramos recorded his first hit as a Yankee with a double, while Luis Garcia Jr. reached base with a walk.
The Yankees are off Thursday before opening a three-game home series against the Atlanta Braves on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Max Fried (4-3, 3.12 ERA) is expected to start for New York, while Atlanta has not announced its starting pitcher.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.