Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees looks on before batting against the Baltimore Orioles during the third inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 11, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images” />
Sometimes you have to remind yourself it’s a long, long season. This was one of those days.
After a disappointing sweep by the Milwaukee Brewers over the weekend, the Yankees’ lineup looked ready to bounce back against a pitching staff with far less firepower—one they had dominated in a four-game series at Yankee Stadium the previous week. With a depleted bullpen, they needed both length from Ryan Weathers and some offensive production to give their high-leverage arms a rest.
Everything started according to plan. Weathers tossed six no-hit innings, and Ben Rice launched an early home run. However, the team’s ongoing struggles with runners in scoring position carried over from Milwaukee. The Orioles took advantage of their only real traffic of the night, stealing a 3-2 heartbreaker to hand the Yankees their fourth straight loss.
In the first two innings, the Yankees’ offense made Brandon Young work. Rice ripped a single after a full count, and Cody Bellinger drew a two-out walk, but both were left stranded when Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a weak fly ball. Weathers began his night by working around a leadoff walk to post a quick zero.
Both pitchers cruised through 1-2-3 second innings, but Young wasn’t as fortunate in the third. After walking Trent Grisham with one out, Rice worked another three-ball count before getting a 3-1 sinker up and driving it to left-center field for a home run into the bullpen. His 13th of the season put the Yanks up 2-0.
Weathers continued to shine. He retired 13 straight batters at one point, only facing a bit of trouble when he walked Coby Mayo with one out in the fifth. He got out of the inning after a mental error by Rice on a double-play attempt, stranding the threat.
Aaron Judge led off the sixth with a double, moving to third on a Cody Bellinger groundout that chased Young. Despite being in prime scoring position, former Yankees farmhand Dietrich Enns struck out Chisholm and got a soft ground ball from Ryan McMahon. McMahon had to bail out Pete Alonso at first base from a terrible throw that would have been a run-scoring error.
After another scoreless inning from Weathers, the Yankees again left a runner at third following a one-out double by Max Schuemann, as Grisham and Austin Wells both grounded out. Recent injuries and deep slumps have made the lineup much easier to navigate for a manager with a lefty to deploy.
The Orioles didn’t have a hit through six innings, but just as Michael Kay started talking about potential history, Adley Rutschman fought off a 1-2 changeup out of the zone for a leadoff single to right in the seventh. Tyler O’Neill worked a gritty walk with one out to finally chase Weathers. Brent Headrick came in to face the struggling Mayo. Mayo got revenge after being spiked by Schuemann a few innings earlier, golfing a fly ball into the left field seats for a crushing, go-ahead three-run homer.
It ruined a truly great outing by Weathers, who surrendered just one hit on soft contact and walked O’Neill in a long at-bat after six no-hit innings. Headrick was saddled with the loss, though two runs went on Weathers’ ledger.
After Headrick finished the inning, Rico Garcia tore through the heart of the Yankees’ order in the eighth. Garcia was briefly a Yankee earlier this season.