Ryan Yarbrough had known nothing but success in the Yankees’ rotation, but that changed in a 10-7 loss to the Red Sox on Saturday night.
The junk-balling lefty, lacking his best stuff, surrendered eight earned runs over just four innings in the Bronx. Yarbrough, a longtime swingman making his sixth start for the Yankees, had allowed just eight earned runs over his previous nine outings and 36 innings.
He had also not allowed more than two earned runs in a start this season.
The Red Sox started scoring off Yarbrough in the second when Kristian Campbell picked up an RBI single, but Austin Wells responded with a three-run homer in the bottom of the inning. A five-run third awaited the Sox, however, as the frame began with Yarbrough hitting Rafael Devers before Rob Refsnyder doubled.
A Carlos Narváez grounder to Paul Goldschmidt resulted in an out at the plate, but Romy Gonzalez loaded the bases with a single. Gonzalez’s knock was scooped up by Oswald Peraza in the third base-shortstop hole, but Pablo Reyes ranged for the same ball, which he had no shot at, and couldn’t make it back to third for a force play.
Peraza started at short in place of the banged-up Anthony Volpe, while Reyes received a rare start at third with the recently activated and sizzling Jazz Chisholm Jr. getting a planned day off.
Abraham Toro then looped an RBI single to center before Trevor Story cleared the bases with a double to left. Story’s double, smoked at 106.4 mph, deflected off Reyes’ glove before bouncing all the way to the corner of Yankee Stadium’s left field wall.
Campbell then capped the inning with another RBI single before Gonzalez launched a two-run homer in the fourth.
Yarbrough, a contact-oriented pitcher with a suboptimal defense behind him — Reyes has struggled in the field all season — permitted nine hits without his best cutter and command. He also walked two and struck out three over 67 pitches as his ERA jumped to 4.17.
Yarbrough wasn’t the only starter to endure an off night, as Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet totaled five earned runs over six innings. He also walked one and struck out nine over 97 pitches.
Wells, having already gone deep for the 10th time this year, added an RBI single in the fourth. Reyes, meanwhile, made it an 8-5 game with a groundout.
The bottom of the fourth also saw Yankees hitting coach James Rowson get ejected for arguing balls and strikes.
The Yankees did take a crack at a comeback, as DJ LeMahieu plated two runs with a two-out single up the middle in the eighth. That put the Bombers down one, but Ian Hamilton gave up two runs in the ninth on a Story single.
With the Yankees and Red Sox knotted up, the rivals will look to settle their first series of the season on Sunday Night Baseball.
Carlos Rodón will take the ball for New York. He’s pitched like an All-Star lately, recording a 1.27 ERA over his last nine starts.
Hunter Dobbins will start for Boston. The rookie has a 4.06 ERA over 44.1 innings this season.
