Carlos Rodon's struggles seal brutal road trip as Yankees swept by Angels
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Yankees can finally kiss their road trip from hell goodbye.
But not before one last brutal showing, including some self-inflicted harm.
The Angels rocked Carlos Rodon and the Yankees were equally helpless against a spot starter just called up from Triple-A, resulting in a 7-3 loss on Wednesday that finished off a sweep at Angel Stadium.
Rodon, in his third start as a Yankee, gave up five walks and a pair of two-run homers across 4 ¹/₃ ineffective innings.
His final line also included a kiss, which he blew to fans behind the Yankees’ dugout who appeared to be jeering at him after he walked off the mound following the second inning, already with a 4-0 deficit.
“A fan was angry, as they should be. I’m angry too,” said Rodon, who insisted he did not pay attention to what the fan was saying. “I was angry at myself and I blew a kiss unfortunately.”
Carlos Rodon struggled in the Yankees’ loss to the Angels on Wednesday night.
USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
Manager Aaron Boone said that he would have preferred Rodon not blow the kiss, but he and the left-hander both said that doing so was better than the situation turning uglier.
“Probably [the kiss] prevented him from doing something he didn’t want to do, which is yell at a fan or yell at somebody,” said Boone, who added that he discussed the situation with Rodon. “Hopefully he’ll learn from that and move on.”
Rodon, who signed a six-year, $162 million contract with the Yankees over the offseason, is now 0-3 with a 7.54 ERA through three starts after he missed the first three months of the season with a forearm muscle strain and back tightness.
A pair of rough Rodon starts served as bookends for the Yankees’ 1-5 road trip against the Rockies and Angels to begin the second half of the season. While getting swept by the Angels (49-48) for the first time since 2009, the Yankees (50-47) lost for the ninth time in their last 11 games and bolstered their position in last place of the AL East.
“We stink right now,” Boone said. “We acknowledge that.”
While Rodon got beat up and Yankees pitchers doled out 11 walks, the offense continued to look lifeless. They struck out 16 times — making it a whopping 42 for the series, one shy of a franchise-record for a three-game set — including 10 in 5 ²/₃ innings against right-hander Chase Silseth, who recorded a career-high in punch-outs after he was recalled from Triple-A for the spot start.
To make matters worse, the Yankees lost Harrison Bader in the sixth inning to a left posterior rib contusion after he was drilled by a 95 mph sinker from reliever Jose Soriano. Bader will undergo testing to determine whether he will have to miss time.
The Yankees did not get on the scoreboard against Silseth until the sixth inning, when Giancarlo Stanton led off with a home run.
Kyle Higashioka added an RBI single later in the inning against Soriano to pull the Yankees within 6-2. They then loaded the bases with two outs, but Oswald Peraza struck out looking on a borderline pitch.
Giancarlo Stanton hit a solo home run for the Yankees on Wednesday. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
Franchy Cordero, who was thrown out at third base on a ground ball to shortstop earlier in the game, drilled a solo shot in the eighth inning.
But it was lipstick on a pig for the Yankees, who have flopped out of the break and were left calling the latest loss a “low point” for the second straight day.
The lasting image was Rodon’s sarcastic gesture, born out of frustration, before the Yankees flew home hoping this trip was not a kiss of death on their season.
The Angels’ Luis Rengifo celebrates after hitting a home run during the second inning against the Yankees on Wednesday. AP
“It sucks,” Rodon said. “I didn’t do my job today and give my team a chance to put runs across the plate early. I gave them up early and we were in a hole. I wanted to come in and shut it down and it totally backfired in my face.”
Source: New York Post
