DETROIT — With light flurries falling before and during the game and a first pitch temperature of 38 degrees, the Yankees’ series-opener against the Tigers took place under chilly conditions on Monday afternoon.
Carlos Rodón didn’t seem to mind the brisk Detroit air, however, as he was the only starting player on either team to take the field with short sleeves. The display of toughness didn’t bring good results, though, as the lefty allowed six runs (five earned) over six innings in the Yankees’ 6-2 loss.
Rodón’s day took a turn for the worse in the third inning, as he walked Jake Rogers and Ryan Kreidler with one out. The second walk irritated the pitcher, as home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman’s ball four call appeared incorrect.
“That’s bad,” Rodón told Dreckman, his hands on his hips.
Two batters later, Andy Ibáñez pulled a two-out, three-run homer to left.
“that’s bad” pic.twitter.com/IvIDp71jeP
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 7, 2025
The Yankees got on the board with an Aaron Judge RBI single in the fifth, but another rough frame awaited Rodón in the bottom of the inning. Oswaldo Cabrera didn’t help him out, as he booted a ball to start things off. Another walk followed, then a sac bunt.
Justyn-Henry Malloy proceeded with a two-run single.
The Tigers scored again in the seventh on a Trey Sweeney grounder, which saw Jazz Chisholm Jr. make an inaccurate flip to second for a force out. That run was charged to Rodón, who started the inning and ended up with 103 pitches.
While Rodón didn’t have his best stuff – he struck out eight despite his fastball sitting around 93 mph for the second straight start – he did do the Yankees’ bullpen a favor by sticking around as long as he did. Boone said prior to the game that the Yankees were short “a few” relievers after taxing their pen against the Pirates over the weekend.
That series ended with an 11-inning loss on Sunday.
The Yankees’ bats didn’t do much in that finale. Such was the case again in Monday’s opener, as Casey Mize held the Bombers to one run over six innings before turning things over to the bullpen.
Mize also totaled four hits, three walks, six strikeouts and 88 pitches.
The Yankees could have done more damage against the right-hander, as Ben Rice ripped a triple to the gap in the third inning. However, he quickly erased the first three-bagger of his career, as he was picked off by Rogers, the Tigers’ catcher.
The Yankees managed a second run in the eighth when Colt Keith made two errors on one softly-hit Chisholm grounder.
An even tougher pitcher awaits the Yankees on Tuesday, as Tarik Skubal is scheduled to start for the Tigers. The southpaw won the American League Cy Young Award last year, though he’s allowed seven earned runs over his first 10.2 innings this season.
Carlos Carrasco is set to make his second start of the season for the Yankees.
