Yankees lose to Cubs as Gleyber Torres' error proves costly

CHICAGO — The Yankees shut out the Cubs in the first two games of this series, then saw Gerrit Cole throw six innings without an earned run allowed Sunday afternoon.

Note the “earned runs” part.

There were two of the unearned variety, which came after a two-out error by Gleyber Torres in the first inning. Coupled with the Yankees’ bats mostly being shut down by Jameson Taillon and two relievers, it led to a 2-1 loss in front of 39,364 at Wrigley Field.

“That one kind of stunk,” Cole said of the first inning. “I had a couple opportunities to pick us up and get us out, but I just didn’t make enough good pitches.”

Cole, pitching on his 34th birthday, fell to 6-4 but lowered his ERA to 3.36. He made more than enough good pitches to win, allowing three hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in a 99-pitch outing.

Torres’ error not only set the stage for the Cubs’ two runs but forced Cole to throw an extra 17 pitches in the inning.

The righthander, who started the season on the injured list with inflammation in his right elbow, seems to be rounding into form after riding a bit of a roller coaster when his season started in mid-June. “I feel pretty confident,” he said. “We’re getting the ball to good areas and we have good shapes and good spin.”

The AL East-leading Yankees (82-61) outhit the Cubs 6-3 and held Chicago to no earned runs and 8-for-85 hitting in the series. They stayed a half-game ahead of the Orioles, who lost to the Rays.

Taillon, a Yankee from 2021-22, dominated his former team for a second straight season. The righthander allowed one hit in eight innings in a 3-0 Cubs victory on July 7, 2023, at the Stadium.

Taillon (10-8, 3.57), a close friend of Cole’s from their time together with the Pirates, allowed one run, six hits and a walk in six innings in which he struck out six.

“His normal good job of mixing with his four-seam and the cutter was a good pitch for him today,” Aaron Boone said. “We just couldn’t break through on him enough.”

The Yankees went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven against Taillon, Nate Pearson (who retired six straight) and Porter Hodge.

“Thought we had a couple good swings off him where guys just missed, but he was able to stay off the barrel enough to keep us in the ballpark and avoid trouble,” Boone said of Taillon. “Made pitches when he had to.”

Hodge walked Anthony Rizzo with two outs in the ninth and pinch runner Duke Ellis stole second, but Anthony Volpe struck out to end it.

With two outs in the first, Aaron Judge — who hasn’t homered in a season-high 12 games but who walked and hit three bullets Sunday — lined a single to left. Austin Wells stranded him, flying to center.

The Cubs had two hits in the bottom half as they took the lead. They immediately put a runner in scoring position when leadoff man Ian Happ doubled to left-center, but Happ committed a baserunning blunder, taking off for third on Dansby Swanson’s sharp grounder to short, and easily was cut down by Volpe.

Seiya Suzuki flied to center and Cody Bellinger grounded sharply to second. Torres, caught between hops, booted it for his team-high 17th error.

“It was a tough play,” Torres said, though he indicated it was one he should have made.

Former Yankee Mike Tauchman won a 10-pitch plate appearance with a walk to load the bases and Isaac Paredes flared a 1-and-1 cutter to center that dropped in front of Judge for a two-run single.

The Yankees made it 2-1 in the second. Jazz Chisholm Jr. doubled with one out and Rizzo singled to left to put runners at the corners. Volpe then hit a liner to left for a sacrifice fly, as Chisholm alertly tagged up on a ball that had a chance of being a hit. Happ made a diving catch on the sinking drive, which would have been extra bases if it had gotten by him.