CINCINNATI — The Yankees were in a pickle for starting pitching with Ryan Yarbrough hitting the injured list over the weekend and Marcus Stroman not ready to return, so they called up a righty with big-league experience who’s been killing it this season in Triple-A.
First time through the Reds lineup Monday night, it was ditto for Allan Winans in his Yankees debut.
Throwing sinkers and sliders that don’t touch 90 mph, Winans retired nine of 10 Reds on 24 pitches through three innings and the Yankees, on the strength of a first-inning bomb by Aaron Judge, were up a run.
This was looking promising.
Then it wasn’t.
Winans was lit up three runs in a 29-pitch fourth, then was knocked out in the fifth and the Reds were on their way to a 6-1 series-opening win.
“I feel like we had a really good plan in place before the game and the first three innings were pretty smooth,” Winans said. “I feel like I was getting some early contact and the pitches were working how I wanted to. But a couple hit by pitches and a couple middle-middle fastball ... I would like those back.”
Reds young superstar shortstop Elly De La Cruz killed the Yankees all night.
A 6-foot-5, left-handed-hitting Dominican, De La Cruz laced an RBI triple off Winans, a run-scoring single with Ian Hamilton pitching a and solo homer off lefty Tim Hill.
“He can he can everything,” Judge said of Del La Cruz. “He can hit. He can throw. He’s got the wheels. He’s got the power. We saw tonight.
“He’s a total package. It’s fun to watch a guy like that in the middle of your lineup. Just electric. You don’t want to see him come up with guys on base.”
This was the eighth loss in 11 games for the Yankees, whose AL East lead is two games over the second-place Rays.
In addition to Winans’ middle-innings struggles, this was another underwhelming night for the Yankees offense, which was held to three or fewer runs for the ninth time in their last 12 games.
Judge homered into the left field second deck with nobody on and two down in the first off Reds lefty starter Nick Lodolo, but that was it production wise all night for the Yankees, who were 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
“We had some opportunities,” Judge said. “We just couldn’t capitalize. We’ve got to switch that up tomorrow.”
While still leading 1-0, the Yankees missed chances to add on after putting a runner on third with one out in the second and third innings.
In the second, Austin Wells doubled and DJ LeMahieu reached on a throwing error with one out, putting runners on the corners, but Jasson Dominguez and Paul Goldschmidt struck out.
In the third, Cody Bellinger led off with a double and went to third on Judge’s flyball to the center field warning track, but Giancarlo Stanton struck out and Jazz Chisholm grounded to third.
After falling behind 3-1, the Yankees put two on with one out in the fifth to knock out Lodolo, then righty Scott Barlow came on and Judge was retired on a flyball to shallow center and Stanton struck out looking.
Down 4-1, the Yankees blew another scoring opportunity in the eighth when Bellinger hit a leadoff double and Judge walked facing Tony Santillan, but Stanton struck out for the third time, Chisholm went down swinging for the second time and Anthony Volpe cemented his 0-for-4 night with a groundout to first.
The Yankees were unlucky, too, as Goldschmidt was robbed of extra bases in the fifth when his one-on, out-out drive to right was caught at the top of the wall by a leaping Jake Fraley.
Winans was cruising until one out in the fourth when Matt McLain was hit by a pitch and De La Cruz followed by rocketing a grooved 1-2, 89.1-mph four-seamer over Bellinger’s head in center for an RBI triple that tied the game.
Next up, cleanup hitter Spencer Steer hit a liner to left for a sacrifice fly that made it 2-1 Reds, then Gavin Lux homered to right on an 0-2 sinker to put the Yankees in a 3-1 hole.
Winans was pulled in the fifth leadoff hitter Jake Fraley was hit by a pitch in the leg and TJ Friedl singled with one out. Ian Hamilton came on and walked Matt McLain to load the bases, then De La Cruz singled in a run to make it 4-1.
The Reds were a hit away from breaking it open, but Hamilton got Steer to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play to get out of the inning with the Yankees down three runs.
Winans’ pitching line ended up poor: 4 1/3 innings, six hits, four runs, two hit batters, one strikeout.
“Really sharp there the first time through the order,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I thought his mix was really good. He spun it enough with the fastball, sinker, changeup combination. It was pretty good.
“Then coming back around (the lineup) … They probably had a look at him. They probably got a little more of a beat on him and he missed some pitches in the center of the plate."
NOTABLE
-- Judge’s 28th homer for the season was No. 342 for his career and passed Hall of Famer Ron Santo and Evan Longoria for sole possession of 108th all-time. Next to catch are Jose Bautista and Curtis Granderson, who are tied for 106th with 344 homers.
-- Bellinger was 3-for-4 with three bloop hits, two of them doubles.
-- Traded by the Yankees to the Reds last December, catcher Jose Trevino was 1-for-4 with an eighth-inning single that plated the sixth run.
-- Before the game, Trevino was presented his 2024 American League championship ring before the game. He played for the Yankees from 2022-24, and while struggling to throw out baserunners, he was a standout framer who was an All-Star and Platinum Glove winner in ’23. “It was really great (seeing Trevino),” Boone said. “He was such a good player for us, such a good teammate for us. He really impacted our team and I feel elevated our room and our pitching group.”
-- Two Reds greats showed up to see Judge and the Yankees, Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin and 1977 NL MVP George Foster, the left fielder on the Big Red Machine Reds.
-- Yankees No. 2 prospect Spencer Jones won Eastern League Player of the Week honors after hitting .476 with the Double-A Somerset Patriots last week with a double, three homers and seven walks in six games. The 6-foot-7 center fielder is batting .272 for the season with 15 homers and 30 RBI in 46 games.
LOOKING AHEAD
Tuesday: Yankees at Reds, 7:10 p.m., YES. LHP Carlos Rodon (9-5, 3.10) vs. RHP Chase Burns (MLB debut).
Wednesday: Yankees at Reds, 7:10 p.m., Amazon & MLB Network. LHP Max Fried (9-2, 2.05) vs. RHP Brady Singer (7-5, 4.13).
Thursday: Off day.
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Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com.
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