Yankees' Devin Williams, Luke Weaver ruin Carlos Rodon's gem in eighth
Devin Williams of the New York Yankees hands the ball to manager Aaron Boone as he is removed from a game against the San Diego Padres during the eighth inning. Credit: Jim McIsaac
For the first time this season, Luke Weaver didn’t have it.
For what has been far too many times in the early going, neither did Devin Williams.
The latter, demoted from his closer role, made a shambles of Monday night’s eighth inning, departing with the bases loaded, two outs and the Yankees leading by three runs.
But Weaver, unscathed in his first 13 outings of the year, couldn’t clean up the mess left for him. He allowed a two-run double by Manny Machado and a two-run single by Xander Bogaerts on consecutive pitches as the Padres handed the Yankees a shocking 4-3 loss in front of a rain-soaked crowd of 38,128 at the Stadium.
Weaver entered the game having allowed no runs and three hits with 16 strikeouts in 15 innings for a 0.53 WHIP. But he allowed all three inherited runners to score and wound up with the loss.
“I know this is part of the game, but it’s a real stinger for sure and one I’m not going to take lightly,” he said. “But I know I need to move on and be prepared for the next day.”
Williams’ implosion flushed what had been a fourth straight terrific outing by Carlos Rodon, who allowed three hits and a walk in 6 2⁄3 innings, lowering his season ERA to 2.96.
In those four starts, Rodon has allowed three runs (two earned) and 11 hits with 29 strikeouts in 25 2⁄3 innings for a 0.70 ERA and 0.74 WHIP.
Aaron Boone left himself open to second-guessing by going with Williams and replacing strikeout artist Fernando Cruz, who threw all of two pitches in getting out of a two-on, two-out jam in the seventh.
“Just set up for Devin there,” Boone said. “Cruz had thrown two innings two days ago, so wanting to not overdo it there and keep everyone in play here moving forward, too.”
Williams, who had produced three straight scoreless outings since his demotion from the closer role, struck out Martin Maldonado to open the eighth, but the inning quickly disintegrating from there.
Former Yankee Tyler Wade walked and former Yankees prospect Brandon Lockridge singled. Leadoff man Fernando Tatis Jr. struck out swinging and Padres manager Mike Shildt — still upset over a borderline 1-and-1 strike call during the at-bat — was ejected by plate umpire Adrian Johnson. He went full Billy Martin-Earl Weaver-Bobby Cox in getting his money’s worth (Tatis already had been ejected).
After Williams walked Luis Arraez to load the bases, Boone brought on Weaver. Machado greeted him with a two-run double to left on a 1-and-1, 95-mph fastball that Weaver wanted more “in.” Bogaerts smoked a two-run single to left on a first-pitch cutter that Weaver wanted “more away” to give the Padres (23-11) a 4-3 lead.
Williams, whose ERA is 10.03, was asked if he felt as if he had turned the corner in his previous three outings. “I feel like I still have,” he said.
He did not blame Monday’s wet conditions but said he had trouble with his “landing spot” during his appearance.
“I couldn’t figure it out with the release point on my fastball, and it was getting away from me,” he said.
Williams, who has had a particularly rough go of it at the Stadium this season and again was booed off the mound Monday, said, “I’ll be ready to go tomorrow. I feel good, I feel confident on the mound, I felt like I was in a good spot. It’s one of those nights where you’re not only battling the hitter, I was battling the mound. But we’re all given the same set of circumstances, and I couldn’t pull through tonight.”
Rodon, who heard plenty of boos from Yankees fans during a disastrous first season in pinstripes in 2023, was among the first to offer Williams encouraging words when he got back to the dugout.
“I know what that feels like. It’s not easy,” Rodon said of Williams’ struggles. “But we acquired him for a reason, he’s such a great pitcher. He just needs to build that confidence. He needs to know what kind of pitcher he is. He’s tremendous. Just go out there and pitch with some swagger.”
Trent Grisham hit his ninth homer, a two-run shot in the third, and Anthony Volpe delivered a sacrifice fly in the sixth to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead. They have lost five of their last seven in dropping to 19-16.
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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