Sloppy Yankees can’t get out of their own way again in loss to Phillies

The Yankees pulled off a significant trade they believe will fortify their everyday lineup, but they could not get back on the winning track before new third baseman Ryan McMahon arrives. 

The sloppy Yanks committed two more errors, including one during the go-ahead rally by the Phillies, and the bullpen coughed up 10 runs over the final three innings in a 12-5 loss Friday night at the Stadium to fall 5 ¹/₂ games behind the Blue Jays in the AL East. 

The Yankees led 3-2 entering the seventh following Giancarlo Stanton’s solo homer the previous inning, but first baseman Paul Goldschmidt made a high throw home for an error on an infield single by Nick Castellanos to allow the batter to advance into scoring position after the tying run scored on the play. 

Luke Weaver replaced lefty Tim Hill and was tagged for a three-run homer to left by J.T. Realmuto for a 6-3 Phillies lead. 

The Yankees recouped two runs in the bottom half on a leadoff homer by Anthony Volpe and a sacrifice fly by Aaron Judge for a one-run game. 

But Kyle Schwarber crushed his second two-run blast of the night — this one against reliever Ian Hamilton — to boost the cushion back to three. The Phillies then added four more runs against Scott Effross in the ninth to groans and boos from The Bronx crowd. 

Yankees starter Will Warren had bounced back from a rough outing last weekend in Atlanta with 5 ²/₃ innings of two-run ball, with seven strikeouts on 89 pitches. 

Cody Bellinger and Austin Wells also belted solo home runs, but the Yankees (56-47) fell to 14-22 since June 13. 

Bellinger got the Yankees started with a first-pitch blast into the right-field seats off Phillies starter Taijuan Walker with two down in the first. It was Bellinger’s sixth home run in his past nine games, beginning with a three-homer performance July 11 against the Cubs. 

Wells also took Walker deep for a shot to right on a 1-0 pitch with two outs in the second. It was Wells’ 15th dinger of the season, two more than he managed last year during his rookie campaign. 

Before the game, Boone said he expects the addition of McMahon in a trade with the MLB-worst Rokies will provide a boost both offensively and defensively. 

Boone had stated after a four-error game in Wednesday’s loss in Toronto, that the sloppy Yankees needed to “tighten up” on the defensive side. They began the series tied for the ninth-most errors in MLB with 52 (now 54) — led by Volpe’s 13 at shortstop. 

“I expect, and it needs to be, one of our strengths,” Boone said. “Now bringing in a McMahon, and with Anthony, we need them to play, the way they’re capable of playing and how we expect them to play. 

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“And if they do, that becomes a strength, and we need that to happen.” 

Warren added to the Yankees’ error total with a high throw to Volpe at second on a potential double-play comebacker in the second. But he worked out of the two-runner jam with consecutive strikeouts on four-seam fastballs against Otto Kemp and Bryson Stott. 

The Phillies finally got to Warren and evened the score in the fifth on Schwarber’s first-pitch, two-run blast to right-center. 

Stanton broke the knot against Walker with a rocket over the wall in center on a 2-2 splitter with two outs in the sixth for a 3-2 lead that would not last.