Padres' four-run sixth inning spoils Yankees' sweep bid in 5-2 loss
The Yankees were on the cusp of a sweep at the San Diego Padres but ultimately suffered a 5-2 loss.
Takeaways from Sunday's game
1. Yankees RHP Clarke Schmidt continues to deliver at his spot in the rotation, but a sixth-inning exit after San Diego (28-28) reached first and second base with none out was the turning point for the final result. Schmidt (5-3, 2.52 ERA), who threw 59 strikes on 101 pitches, struck out six and walked three while scattering three hits.
Jake Cronenworth reached on an error by 2B Gleyber Torres, and Manny Machado walked before the Yankees (37-18) pulled Schmidt for LHP Victor Gonzalez. The Padres scored four runs off Gonzalez, with the first two (one earned) charged to Schmidt, who was the tough-luck losing pitcher on the day.
2. SS Anthony Volpe is on a 19-game hitting streak, thanks to his one-out single in the sixth inning through the right side off Joe Musgrove. The Year 2 leap by Volpe, who stole second base and subsequently scored via Juan Soto's double to right-center field past a leaping Fernando Tatis Jr., is fully on display as he ups his .282/.355/.435 slash line.
3. Outside of Volpe and Soto putting the Yankees on top for a moment in the sixth, the Padres and Musgrove (5.66 ERA) kept New York quiet. Musgrove yielded one run on six hits while striking out five and walking none in 5.1 IP.
4. The Yankees struggled, but they refused to completely go away. LF Alex Verdugo's leadoff home run in the ninth inning, his seventh long ball this season, stopped the bleeding and offered a response after the Padres widened the gap to 5-1 with a seventh-inning run on Machado's double off LHP Caleb Ferguson.
The effort by Verdugo, who is slashing .261/.324/.431 with 28 RBI this season, deserves a hat tip. Ultimately, though, the Yankees did not have enough to hold on for the sweep. As a result, New York's win streak stops at four.
Who's the MVP?
Musgrove, who kept the Yankees' big hitters at bay before the Padres were able to create separation.
Highlights
What's next
The Yankees continue their nine-game road trip out west with a three-game series at the Los Angeles Angels.
LHP Nestor Cortes (3-4, 3.29 ERA) and RHP Griffin Canning (2-4, 5.05 ERA) are set to start Tuesday's 9:38 p.m. opener.
