Yankees look dazed beneath haze vs. Chicago’s Lucas Giolito
NEW YORK — Smoke filled the air at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, but not because the Yankees’ bats were on fire.
Instead, White Sox starter Lucas Giolito kept the Bombers hitless for six innings as the two teams played beneath an unhealthy haze, the result of smoke from Canadian wildfires drifting south. The smog provided an apocalyptic-looking backdrop as Chicago claimed a 3-2 victory to begin a three-game series.
The Yankees picked up their first hit of the night when Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a catchable flyball that dropped between centerfielder Luis Robert Jr. and Andrew Benintendi. The mishap, which happened with Joe Kelly on the mound, allowed Willie Calhoun to score after he walked earlier in the inning.
The Yanks finished the game with three total hits, including a solo shot from Josh Donaldson off closer Liam Hendriks in the ninth.
Prior to that, Giolito stifled the Yankees’ lineup, which played without Aaron Judge for the second straight game after he injured his toe on a fence-breaking catch Saturday at Dodger Stadium. The right-handed Giolito took advantage, blanking the opposition while striking out seven.
Three walks contributed to a 100-pitch count for Giolito after six frames, so he didn’t get a chance to finish his no-hit bid. But his fastball-slider-changeup combo kept the Yankees at bay long enough.
Seby Zavala’s two home runs off Clarke Schmidt, meanwhile, gave the White Sox all the runs they needed.
Despite the two longballs to Chicago’s No. 9-hitting catcher, Schmidt went six innings as well. He totaled six hits, three earned runs, zero walks and one strikeout over 79 pitches.
Former South Siders Tommy Kahnle and Jimmy Cordero followed Schmidt in relief before Albert Abreu finished the game.
With smoke lingering and Yankees fans awaiting test results for Judge and Nestor Cortes at the final out, the team will look for a win on Wednesday. Ex-Yankee Lance Lynn will start the second game of the series for Chicago, while Randy Vasquez will pitch for the pinstripers.
Vasquez made his major league debut on May 26, allowing two earned runs, three walks and six strikeouts over 4.2 innings against the Padres. The 24-year-old righty has a 5.13 ERA at Triple-A this season.
Mike Clevinger and Luis Severino are the probable pitchers for the series finale on Thursday.
