NEW YORK – Three early runs on the scoreboard, Clarke Schmidt came down the steps into the home dugout, seeking a safe place to regroup. There would be plenty of data and video available to look over, but the Yankees right-hander only needed what he saw with his eyes: the Guardians had jumped him.
Cleveland seemed to be all over everything, including Schmidt’s seventh pitch of the evening, which Angel Martínez blasted into the right-field bleachers. Other offerings had been smoked with authority, too, and Schmidt knew he must make adjustments quickly to avoid an early hook.
"When you’re getting banged around like that in the first, it’s pretty glaring,” Schmidt said after the Yankees’ 4-0 loss on Wednesday. “It’s like walking a tightrope: are you making bad pitches or is it their approach? I felt like I was making good pitches. For me, it was obvious it was approach."
Schmidt said his stuff felt “really crisp,” and though he settled in, the damage was already done. The Yankees’ bats could not cover for the early deficit, going quietly as they lost for just the seventh time in 25 games (since May 6).
It was the second time the Yankees have been shut out this season (also April 8 at Detroit).
New York grounded into three double plays; two with Cleveland starter Luis L. Ortiz on the mound. The 26-year-old righty limited the Yankees to three hits and three walks over 5 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out seven.
"We just didn’t mount much offensively tonight,” manager Aaron Boone said. “We really didn’t sting the ball much off [Ortiz] at all. We had a couple of chances that we weren’t able to cash in, and he kept us in the ballpark. Pretty slow night for us.”
Kyle Manzardo hit an eighth-inning homer off Fernando Cruz, spoiling Cruz’s first appearance since being activated from the injured list. One of the few Yankees to make loud contact was Ben Rice, who had two of the team’s five hits.
In the first inning, Rice scorched a 102.9 mph liner to left field, a ball with an expected batting average of .740. But this one was right at Steven Kwan, who snagged it chest-high on the move.
Rice hit it harder his next time up (108.8 mph), which went for a single. But Rice grounded into a twin killing in the sixth, then was left on base after an infield hit to open the ninth.
"Hitting the ball hard, more often than not, you should be successful,” Rice said. “Even when it doesn’t bounce your way, you’ve just got to tell yourself, ‘Stick with it.’”
Stacking the lineup with eight lefties, Cleveland came out swinging in the first against Schmidt. Kwan worked a six-pitch walk and Martínez pounced on a first-pitch cutter, pummeling a two-run homer into the right-field bleachers.
"I got ambushed,” Schmidt said. “I was trying to throw a strike and getting right back into the counts. He put a good swing on that, hit a homer.”
Schmidt got ahead in the count 1-2 on José Ramírez, who ripped a cutter for a sharp double to right field. After a couple of outs, Schmidt tried a knuckle-curve to Daniel Schneemann, who knocked it down the right-field line for a run-scoring double.
Following the dugout reset, Schmidt resolved to keep the ball away from the lefties, particularly his heater.
"I think it was pretty obvious in the first that they were trying to hunt the cutter in, the sweepers in, the curveballs in,” Schmidt said. “They were putting really good swings on it, so credit to them. I’ve faced them a good bit of times, so a really good approach from those guys, especially at the top of the order.”
Schmidt is correct about facing Cleveland a bunch; this was the ninth time, including postseason games, and they thumped him for a season-high five runs on April 21 at Progressive Field. Before that, Schmidt held the Guardians to two runs in a no-decision during Game 3 of the American League Championship Series last October.
"He's got some good stuff,” said Schneeman, who finished 3-for-4 with two doubles and a stolen base. “After that first inning, he just kept us off-balance a little bit and made some good pitches. He's a good pitcher.”
So who won this battle of familiarity? From then on, it was Schmidt, who kept the Guards at bay by scattering seven hits over 5 2/3 innings. The eight strikeouts matched Schmidt’s career high, which he also did on May 23 at Colorado -- a small victory wrapped within what will otherwise be remembered as a defeat.
"We bounced back well, threw a lot of strikes, getting a lot of swings and misses,” Schmidt said. “So I was happy with that.”