By Hal McCoy
The wind was blowing 15 miles per hour in Yankee Stadium Friday night, perhaps generated by the swings and misses by the Cincinnati Reds.
The Reds struck out a season-high 17 times during a 5-0 loss to the New York Yankees, the fifth time this season they’ve absorbed a shutout.
Yankees starter Cam Schlittler completely baffled the befuddled Reds for six innings. He retired 18 Reds, 13 via strikeouts, his career best.
Reds starter Rhett Lowder was good for 4 1/3 of the 5 1/3 innings he pitched.
But he gave up four runs in the second inning on a solo home run, two walks and a three-run homer. Over the other 4 1/3 innings he gave up no runs, four hits and a walk.
But giving up four runs when Schlittler is on the mound is certain defeat. He is 8-3 with a 1.71 earned run average. He has given up one or fewer runs in 11 of his 16 starts.
“He was like he is against the rest of the league, he came as advertised,” said Reds manager Tito Francona about Schlittler.
“He throws in the high 90s with a fastball that’s not straight,” he added. “One is cutting, one is sinking and one is at the top of the zone. It was pretty impressive. You don’t see that in today’s game.
“He was firm and consistent and didn’t walk anybody,” he said. “He is so tall and long (6-foot-6) and the hitter thinks he is right on top of them.”
Schlittler, a true force of nature, looks a bit vulnerable with his baseball pants above his knees, but the 25-year-old right-hander is the early favorite to win the American League Cy Young Award.
And to think he was only the Yankees seventh-round draft pick in 2022. There were 219 players picked ahead of him.
The Reds did have some early chances, but every time they did Schlittler came up with a strikeout on his way to giving up four hits.
Schlittler’s first pitch of the game hit Blake Dunn, but he tried to steal second on a 3-and-2 count to JJ Bleday. But Bleday struck out and Dunn was thrown out.
The Reds put two on with one out in the second, but Tyler Stephenson and Edwin Arroyo struck out.
With one out in the third, Dunn was generously awarded a double when right fielder Jason Dominguez misplayed his fly ball and it flicked off his glove.
But Bleday struck out again and Sal Stewart flied to center.
That was it. Schlittler struck out the side in the fourth and struck out two of three in the fifth. He gave up two singles in the sixth, then escaped by retiring Spencer Steer (2 for his last 40) on a ground ball.
Three New York bullpenners retired nine of the last 10 hitters with Bleday drawing a two-out walk in the eighth as the Reds only baserunner the last three innings.
Lowder gave up a leadoff home run in the second to Jazz Chisolm Jr., a big man in a small body, to open the second. It seemed to unnerve him because he walked the next hitters on full counts.
Yankees leadoff hitter Ben Rice then ripped the Rawlings 433 feet for a three-run homer into Monument Park in center field for a 4-0 lead.
The Yankees scored their fifth run in the eighth off Zach Maxwell, with a walk playing a hand. He walked Chisholm who stole second and scored on Anthony Volpe’s single.
Of Lowder’s night, Francona said, “It was a 32-pitch inning (the second) with a couple of walks to guys toward the bottom of the order and the two home runs. The two home runs you can kinda live with, but the walks are what’s hurting us. Same thing with Maxwell.”
Lowder was in step with his manager’s assessment.
“It was mainly those two walks,” he said. “I got to two strikes early on both and didn’t put them away. You don’t want to give up home runs, especially after walks when you get two strikes on a batter.”
It doesn’t get much easier Saturday afternoon when the Reds face Will Warren, 7-1 with a 3.47 earned average. Andrew Abbott (4-4, 3.95) is tasked with stopping the Reds’ two-game losing streak.