Schlittler dominates, Yankees cruise past Reds 5-0
- Davis Cornell
- Jun 19
- 3 min read
The Yankees shut out the Reds 5-0 to take the first game of this three-game set. Cam Schlittler got the starting nod and faced off against Rhett Lowder.
In the top half of the first inning, Schlittler picked up a pair of strikeouts and faced the minimum thanks to a strike 'em out throw 'em out double play.
“Really good throw by J.C. To get a big double play there to start things,” Aaron Boone said.
Jasson Dominguez sent a one-out ground rule double into the right field stands in the bottom half of the inning. However, Cody Bellinger sharply grounded out to first base, and Paul Goldschmidt struck out looking to strand Dominguez at third base.
Schlittler naivagtaed around an E4 from Jazz Chisholm Jr. and a base knock as he recorded three punchouts to work a scoreless top of the second inning.
Jazz kicked off the scoring in the bottom half of the second with a solo shot into the second deck in right field. Spencer Jones and Anthony Volpe each worked walks.
“I mean, it's very satisfying, coming out of the game and then we lost the game,” Jazz said. “Just wanting to help our team win, so coming in to help our team today is great.”
Then, with two outs, Ben Rice crushed a three-run home run into Monument Park to extend the Yankees' lead to 4-0.
Dominguez couldn't track down a flyball in right field that had a 95% catch probability, resulting in a one-out double in the top of the third. But Schlittler picked up his seventh strikeout and a flyout to pick up Dominguez.
Schlittler struck out the side in order in the top of the fourth inning to give him a season high 10 strikeouts.
In the top of the fifth inning, Schlittler worked a 1-2-3 inning with two more strikeouts to put his total up to 12 on the night.
Jake Bird replaced Schlittler on the mound in the top of the seventh and retired the Reds in order with a pair of strikeouts thanks to a great ABS challenge from J.C. Escarra.
Final line for Schlittler: Six shutout innings, allowed four hits, didn't walk anybody, and struck out a career high 13 on 96 pitches to lower his ERA to 1.71. He threw his sinker 43% of the time, the fastball 33%, the cutter 21%, and the curveball 3%. He averaged 98.3 mph on his heater, topping out at 100.3, and had 18 whiffs.
“It felt good,” Schlittler said. “I've been working on things for a little bit now, so it was good to finally kinda see that click. And just trust the offense and defense behind me.”
Brent Headrick took over for Bird in the top of the eighth and navigated around a two-out free pass to work a scoreless frame.
With one out in the bottom of the eighth, Jazz worked a four-pitch walk, then stole his 21st base of the season. Then Jones worked a walk of his own. Volpe followed with an RBI base knock to left field, making it a 5-0 ballgame.
The Yankees' closer, David Bednar, got the call for the top half of the ninth in a non-save situation and forced the Reds to go three up, three down to end the ballgame.
“I mean, it takes everybody,” Jazz said. “Everybody in the clubhouse, everybody in the lineup, everybody in a bullpen, and everybody on the bench. And most of all, our fans who are out here, they just energize us so much. We can't help but go out here and do our best.”
The Yankees will look to win the series tomorrow with Will Warren on the mound, facing off against Andrew Abbott. First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET on the YES Network.
My thoughts on the game: Schlittler is just unbelievable, another absolutely dominant start from him to lead the Yankees to a stress-free win. The bullpen backed him up as Bird, Headrick and Bednar combined for three shutout innings with four strikeouts. Jazz, after taking a baseball to the ball yesterday and being forced to leave the game, crushed a ball tonight for home run No. 11 on the season. Rice crushed his 21st home run of the season. He now has 52 RBIs and is hitting .294 with a 1.005 OPS. Dominguez and Volpe each had multi-hit games. Volpe is hitting .500 over the last seven games with a 1.283 OPS, raising his season numbers to a .265 average and a .757 OPS. Just another great night from the Yankees all around. Schlittler continues to look like one of the best pitchers in baseball. He is so much fun to watch. On to tomorrow, as they will look to take care of business and win the series.
“I think he can make the case that he's been the best pitcher in the American League,” Boone said.
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