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Giancarlo Stanton’s return didn’t fix the Yankees offensive ills.
Somehow, the offense looked worse.
Even with the slugger in the lineup for the first time in 2025, the Bronx Bombers bumbled their way to one of their worst losses of the season.
The offense that failed to show up in Boston over the weekend was still missing in action back home, blowing several opportunities in this ugly 1-0, 11-inning loss to the under-.500 Angels in The Bronx.
The Yankees were shutout for the second straight games, have not scored in their past 20 innings and have just five runs in their past 49 innings.
They went 1-for-18 with runners in scoring position, with Anthony Volpe grounding out with the bases loaded to end the maddening evening.
Aaron Boone’s team has lost four straight games and its AL East lead over the second-place Rays is down to 2 ¹/₂ games.
Nolan Schanuel drove in the game’s lone run with a broken bat double to left off Jonathan Loáisiga.
It looked like the Yankees would be able to walk it off in the ninth, when Stanton laced a double down the left field line leading off the inning, his second hit in his 2025 debut.
But Jazz Chisholm Jr. struck out, pinch runner Jasson Domínguez collided into third baseman Luis Rengifo fielding a Volpe grounder for the second out and Austin Wells also fanned, marking the Yankees’ 18th straight inning without scoring a run.
Clarke Schmidt was brilliant despite getting a no-decision, extending his scoreless streak to 18 ¹/₃ innings with 7 ²/₃ shutout frames.
It equaled the longest outing by a Yankees starting pitcher this season — Max Fried also went 7 ²/₃ innings back on April 20 against the Rays.
Working ahead all evening, he allowed just four hits and struck out three while throwing 101 pitches, 67 for strikes.
Schmidt’s night began with two of the first three hitters he faced, Zach Neto and Mike Trout, singling up the middle. He set down the next 16 hitters, before Schanuel’s two-out single in the sixth.
There was very little hard contact, aside from a Jorge Soler drive leading off the fifth inning that Aaron Judge tracked down at the right field fence.
Most impressively, Schmidt didn’t walk anyone, the first time that has happened in a start this season for the right-hander. He needed only 60 pitches to get through the first five innings and worked around Schanuel’s single in the sixth.
With two outs in the eighth, rookie Christian Moore tripled past a diving Judge. It ended Schmidt’s terrific night. Fernando Cruz took over and struck out Neto to keep it scoreless.
Devin Williams pitched a scoreless ninth, putting up a zero for the sixth time in his past seven appearances. He ran into some trouble in the ninth, giving up singles to Trout and Soler, but got Logan O’Hoppe to ground out.
The Yankees had chances early, but couldn’t cash in. Cody Bellinger and Stanton failed to come through after consecutive singles by Ben Rice and Judge in the first.
The Yankees wasted a Chisholm leadoff double in the second and Rice fanned with two on to end the fifth. Chisholm started the seventh with a hit, but even against tiring starter José Soriano, Austin Wells struck out and DJ LeMahieu grounded out to continue the offensive no-show.
