The New York Yankees fell to the Atlanta Braves 2-1 in extra innings on Sunday, unable to secure a series sweep despite a strong pitching performance. The Yankees' offense struggled throughout the game, managing just four hits and one run over ten innings.
Atlanta broke the scoreless tie in the seventh inning when Matt Olson hit a solo home run off Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler. The Yankees responded in the bottom of the eighth with a solo home run from Trent Grisham, his second hit of the game, to tie the score at 1-1. The game remained tied until the top of the tenth, when Michael Harris II hit a leadoff single that allowed the automatic runner to score. The Yankees went down in order in the bottom of the tenth, unable to bring the tying run home.
Schlittler delivered a dominant outing for the Yankees, striking out 11 batters and issuing no walks through seven innings. He allowed only one hit until Olson's home run in the seventh. Despite his strong performance, Schlittler's offense could not provide enough support against Braves right-hander Grant Holmes, who pitched six shutout innings. Schlittler's home ERA has been a point of concern, but he showed improvement at Yankee Stadium in this outing.
"Nineteen of the Yankees’ last 25 games have been decided by two runs or fewer, and they’re 13-6 in those games," the report noted. The Yankees' inability to score more than one run on Sunday extended a trend of close games decided by small margins.
The Yankees' offensive struggles were evident early. Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled in the second inning, but the team did not record another hit until the sixth. In the sixth, Austin Wells singled and Grisham doubled, but the threat was ended when Ben Rice hit a line drive that was caught in right field and Heliot Ramos struck out.
The loss prevented the Yankees from completing a three-game sweep of the Braves, who are leading the NL East. The Yankees' record now stands at 66-52.