The Cleveland Guardians had a night to forget on Wednesday.
They lost 8-1 to the New York Yankees in the Bronx and couldn’t contain Aaron Judge (two home runs) and Juan Soto (one homer).
That’s not all, though: the Minnesota Twins also beat the San Diego Padres in California and trimmed the Guardians’ lead in the AL Central to 2.5 games.
The Kansas City Royals also won, and are also 2.5 games behind Cleveland in the division race.
It was, as manager Steven Vogt put it, a rough night.
“It was just a tough night for us all around.” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt breaks down the team’s lopsided loss to the Yankees and offers his thoughts on how to approach throwing to Juan Soto and Aaron Judge,” Bally Sports tweeted.
"It was just a tough night for us all around."
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt breaks down the team's lopsided loss to the Yankees and offers his thoughts on how to approach throwing to Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. pic.twitter.com/dqP9KEbhUP
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) August 22, 2024
Rookie left-hander Joey Cantillo couldn’t contain the Yankees potent offense and conceded seven runs (all earned) in four frames.
He surrendered six hits and walked three, striking out five in the process.
New York scored early and often off Cantillo, crossing the plate twice in the first inning, twice in the second, and three times in the fourth.
On the other hand, southpaw Nestor Cortes had one of his best starts of the season, tossing seven scoreless innings and allowing just three hits without walking anyone.
He fanned four batters but his command was on point all night.
Tim Mayza finished the game for the Yankees with two innings, allowing just a Jhonkensy Noel solo home run in the eighth.
The Guardians will try to win the series on Thursday afternoon, starting at 1:05 pm ET at Yankee Stadium.
They will be sending one of their most talented pitchers, Gavin Williams (2-5, 5.02 ERA), to try and get his season back on track.
It will be a tough test for Cleveland’s offense, though, as they will be facing Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (4-2, 4.15).
Cole has been pitching much better lately after a bit of a mediocre start to his season upon returning from an elbow injury in June.
Cleveland is no longer playing just to win the series, though: it will be taking the field with the goal of keeping the Twins and Royals at bay in the division.
NEXT: Guardians Feel There Is No Need To Panic Despite Inconsistent Month
