Carlos Rodon, Yankees sleepwalk through loss to Tigers

DETROIT — Carlos Rodon resembled his 2023 self.

That, as no Yankees fan needs reminding, is not a good thing.

The Yankees’ offense?

It too was circa 2023.

The result was a sleepy 4-0 loss to the Tigers on Saturday afternoon in front of 38,110 at Comerica Park.

On a day Rodon struggled with his location in lasting a season-low 3 1/3 innings — in which he allowed four runs and seven hits — the Yankees couldn’t muster a solid hit until the eighth. They had two hits and two walks in five innings-plus against rookie righthander Keider Montero, who was 3-5 with a 5.76 ERA coming into the day, and wound up with four hits and three walks.

“He was mixing it up well,” Giancarlo Stanton said of Montero, who despite his underwhelming numbers has won his last three starts. “You’ve got to expect that out of everybody, and it’s our job to control the zone and counter it no matter what. Credit to .”

“Whoever they’ve had out there, and last night even too, we hit a couple balls out of the ballpark, but into today they’ve held us down flat-out,” said Aaron Boone, whose club earned a 3-0 victory Friday night, highlighted by Aaron Judge’s 44th homer. “We didn’t mount much today at all. We just got flat beat on the pitching side today. And it doesn’t get any easier tomorrow.”

If the weather cooperates, the Yankees will face American League Cy Young Award candidate Tarik Skubal on Sunday night in the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, opposed by righthander Marcus Stroman.

Rodon, 4-0 with a 2.22 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings in his previous four starts, fell to 13-8 with a 4.34 ERA. The Tigers (60-64) got to him for one run in the opening inning and three more in the second, all with two outs. Rodon, without his “A-plus stuff,” in his words, grew frustrated watching Detroit batters foul off pitch after pitch. The Tigers ran up his pitch count to 90 by the time he was taken out with one out in the fourth.

“I just need to be better than that. That was tough,” said Rodon, who fell to 6-6 with a 5.07 ERA on the road this season (compared to 7-2, 3.39 at home). “Put the boys down 4-0 after the second, threw 90 pitches through 3 1/3 . . . They made me work. Obviously, I felt I could have been better than that. Should have been better than that. Just inconsistent with the command of the stuff.”

The Yankees (73-51), who remained one game ahead of the second-place Orioles in the AL East, gave themselves little of “the traffic” Boone often talks about, going 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranding seven. They put a runner in scoring position in the second, as Anthony Volpe’s infield hit put runners on first and third with two outs, and didn’t do so again until Judge’s leadoff double in the ninth against Jason Foley.

Austin Wells struck out swinging and Stanton hit a soft liner to short, but Alex Verdugo walked, giving the Yankees multiple runners on base for the first time since the second. A passed ball put runners on second and third, but Matt Vierling caught Volpe’s drive just in front of the leftfield wall as Foley earned his 17th save in 20 chances.

After Rodon retired the first two Tigers in the first inning, Colt Keith’s RBI single made it 1-0. Spencer Torkelson began the second with a double, but Rodon retired the next two Tigers before No. 9 hitter Zach McKinstry lined a first-pitch fastball for an RBI single. Rodon walked Vierling and Andy Ibanez hammered a slider to left-center for a two-run double that made it 4-0.

“They definitely made him work,” Wells said. “A few guys had over 10-pitch at-bats, so that doesn’t help when you’re trying to get some length.”

Rodon, who rarely holds in his emotions on the mound — whether things are going well or not so well — showed his frustration multiple times as the Tigers spoiled pitches.

“I was a little reactive to the foul balls. I’d like to keep that inward and just go out there and compete and make the next pitch,” he said. “That’s something I can be better at for sure. Wasting energy on guys putting up good at-bats and showing my hand is something I can definitely be better at.”