Cam Schlittler brought his usual velocity to Tropicana Field on Monday, filled the zone and still spent most of the night pitching through traffic as the Yankees fell, 5-2, to the Rays in Game 2 of the American League Division Series.
The result
Schlittler’s line carried six hits and four runs, though only two were earned, over 4 1/3 innings. He struck out two, his lowest total of the season, in an outing that was less about a loss of command than Tampa Bay’s ability to keep the ball moving and New York’s inability to make routine plays behind him.
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cam Schlittler, Yankees | 4 1/3 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
The Yankees committed four errors, with three arriving in the opening inning. There were also balls ruled as hits that might have become outs on a cleaner defensive evening.
Schlittler faced trouble immediately despite executing early. Yandy Díaz reached when Ryan McMahon made an error, then Jonathan Aranda beat McMahon’s dive with a single. Jazz Chisholm Jr. threw wildly on what could have been a double-play grounder, allowing Tampa Bay’s first run to score.
The inning continued to stretch. Austin Wells was called for catcher’s interference on Liam Hicks after Schlittler appeared to have recorded a strikeout, putting another man aboard. A second possible double-play ball produced only one out before Victor Mesa Jr. ended the inning on a groundout.
Even with all of that, Schlittler threw only 19 pitches in the first and put 17 of them in the strike zone. He had already had to work, however, and was beyond 40 pitches after escaping a double and a walk in the second.
Tampa Bay kept finding contact. Schlittler navigated two singles in the third, including one on a pitch outside the zone and another located on the edge. His only two strikeouts came in a cleaner fourth, but the Rays finally broke through again after a pair of mistakes to start the fifth. More shaky infield work followed, and Schlittler’s night ended with one out in the inning.
“That’s what they do,” Schlittler said of the Rays’ approach. “They put pressure on you, and they find a way to get those runs across.”
Wells saw the same formula from behind the plate. Tampa Bay does not offer many empty swings, he said, instead putting the baseball in play often enough to force defenders into decisions. “For them, it happens a lot,” Wells said. “That’s just their game. It’s a very low-miss team.”
Schlittler did not point fingers at the club’s defense, noting that it had been reliable throughout the season. “Just didn’t go our way there in the first,” he said. “Luckily able to limit it to one. But they continued to put pressure on us.”
Manager Aaron Boone’s view was that his young right-hander held up his end through an unusually demanding night. The Rays eventually got better swings in their final look at Schlittler, Boone said, but too many extra outs and baserunners made the assignment unsustainable.
“Cam did his job,” Boone said. “We didn’t give him a good enough chance to really do his job.”
Game 3 of the ALDS is scheduled for Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, with coverage on TBS, truTV, UniMas and HBO Max.
