{"id":7807,"date":"2026-09-01T05:37:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T05:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=7807"},"modified":"2026-09-01T05:37:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T05:37:00","slug":"elmer-rodriguezs-dud-sends-sloppy-yankees-to-loss-against-lowly-angels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=7807","title":{"rendered":"Elmer Rodriguez’s dud sends sloppy Yankees to loss against lowly Angels"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ANAHEIM, Calif. \u2014 After his first four big league starts were all fairly similar \u2014 meaning not particularly effective \u2014 Elmer Rodr\u00edguez dazzled his last time out, offering hope the young right-hander had figured things out in his time back at Triple-A.<\/p>\n

Read more It\u2019s change-or-die time for America\u2019s overpriced, smugly lefty colleges<\/a><\/p>\n

Then came another dud Monday, with most of his teammates following suit.<\/p>\n

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Rodr\u00edguez walked three batters, hit two more and gave up four runs in 3 \u00b2\/\u2083 innings as the Yankees fell flat all around following their big weekend against the Red Sox, losing 10-1 to the Angels, who came into the night tied for the worst record in baseball.<\/p>\n

Coming off a high-stakes series win over the Red Sox, with four games in three days and then a cross-country flight Sunday night, the Yankees (78-60) were not sharp in any area Monday. <\/p>\n

They wasted a chance to pick up a game on the Rays, remaining 4 \u00b9\/\u2082 games behind them in the division, while the Red Sox moved back within three games of the Yankees for the top AL wild card.<\/p>\n

Any chance the Yankees had of coming back after Rodr\u00edguez spotted the Angels (53-85) a 4-0 lead was sabotaged by some sloppy play late with three errors, two charged to Jos\u00e9 Caballero on one play.<\/p>\n

Rodr\u00edguez had actually flown ahead of the rest of his teammates, landing in Los Angeles around 7:30 p.m. local time Sunday to get a good night\u2019s rest, though it did not make a difference. After tossing six innings of three-run ball against the Astros last week, Rodr\u00edguez needed 91 pitches to record 11 outs Monday, with his velocity falling off late in addition to his poor command.<\/p>\n

In relief, Michael Fulmer, Luis Gil (in his first career relief appearance) and David Bednar (who got hit around in a 28-pitch eighth after pitching just once in the past 10 days) each gave up at least one run, allowing the game to get out of hand.<\/p>\n

The Yankees made plenty of loud contact early against Angels right-hander Walbert Ure\u00f1a with little to show for it before he settled into a groove. They let him off the hook in the first inning, when Trent Grisham \u2014 moved out of the leadoff spot against a righty (in favor of Ben Rice) for only the second time since May \u2014 struck out to end the threat. Their only run in seven innings against him came on Spencer Jones\u2019 moonshot in the fifth inning.<\/p>\n

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In each of the first two innings, Rodr\u00edguez worked around a two-out walk but issued another to Wade Meckler in the third, two outs after No. 9 hitter Tyler Heineman had led off with a double. That finally came back to hurt him as Vaughn Grissom came up next and roped a single to center to score Heineman for the 1-0 lead.<\/p>\n

Rodr\u00edguez then got himself in trouble again with two outs in the fourth after hitting ex-Yankee Oswald Peraza and Heineman back-to-back, both on curveballs \u2014 a pitch that had been much more effective for him last week. <\/p>\n

Zach Neto made him pay, drilling a single through the left side that scored Peraza and put runners on second and third after Cody Bellinger spiked a throw to second base.<\/p>\n

Mike Trout followed with a single of his own, punishing another sinker to score both runners, put the Angels ahead 4-0 and knock Rodr\u00edguez out of the game.<\/p>\n

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Fulmer got the final out of the fourth inning but then gave up a pair of runs in an ugly fifth, which were not entirely his fault. With a runner on second and one out, Christian Moore hit a bloop to right field that Jones tried to make a sliding grab on, only to come up short, with his glove flicking the ball back toward the infield and allowing the run to score and Moore to take second on a double.<\/p>\n

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