As the playoffs near, the Yankees will need to win games with narrow leads, relying heavily on closer Clay Holmes to deliver his best performances.
Unfortunately, Holmes blew his league-high 11th save of the season, giving up a walk-off grand slam to Texas Rangers centerfielder Wyatt Langford. Langford, who has only hit 10 homers this season, had no trouble launching a hanging slider to left field, securing a 7-4 victory for Texas.
Holmes' struggles overshadowed a strong outing from Carlos Rodon, who pitched six innings, allowing just one earned run and striking out 11 batters. Rodon threw 99 pitches, with 65 strikes, lowering his ERA to 4.19 on the season. The bullpen largely did its job before Holmes was called upon to close out the game.
Manager Aaron Boone now faces a crucial decision regarding Holmes' role as the team's primary closer. With Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil set to return from injury this week, both are expected to start. However, if the Yankees choose to trust Holmes in the playoffs, they risk losing critical games. Gil, who may not be a part of the three-man rotation in the playoffs, could be an alternative option to help close games and get the team out of tight situations.
On the offensive side, the Yankees tallied 10 hits but also struck out 13 times. Lead-off hitter Gleyber Torres continued his hot streak, collecting two hits and a walk. Jazz Chisholm and Anthony Volpe combined for four hits and two RBIs, while the bottom half of the lineup was solid.
However, both Juan Soto and Aaron Judge struggled in the game. Over the past seven days, Judge is hitting just .182 with a .606 OPS, which is below his usual standards. Meanwhile, Soto is hitting .231 over the last seven days and .232 over the past 30 days.
All will be forgiven if both Soto and Judge can find their form in September and carry their dominance into the playoffs. Currently, the Yankees are half a game behind the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East and cannot afford to lose ground.
The Orioles have dominated the Chicago White Sox over the first two games of their series and have one more contest to wrap up the three-game set. The Yankees have an opportunity to win their series on Wednesday, with Marcus Stroman taking on Nathan Eovaldi, who has a 3.60 ERA this season.