Yankees rookie Cam Schlittler struggles with command, hit hard by Rays
Cam Schlittler of the Yankees pitches during the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on Monday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Cody Bellinger couldn’t hide his enthusiasm last week in Toronto after watching rookie Cam Schlittler hold his own against the Blue Jays.
“Slow heartbeat, poised,” the outfielder said after the Yankees’ lone victory at Rogers Centre, a game in which Schlittler allowed two runs and seven hits in five innings. “I think the stuff is electric, as everyone can see. But the heartbeat seems to be very good and [he’s] very confident in his ability.”
That confidence, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before Monday night’s game against the Rays, is “born” from a fastball that routinely hits 98 and 99 mph, and at times will touch 100.
The 6-6, 225-pound Schlittler, 24, unleashed those kind of fastballs repeatedly against the Rays over 4 1/3 innings, but the righthander also showed that he continues to be very much a work in progress — hardly a surprise in what was just his third major-league start. Schlittler allowed three runs and seven hits, striking out five and walking four. He departed with the Yankees trailing 3-2 and runners at the corners and one out. But lefthander Brent Headrick came on and struck out two to get out of the jam.
Schlittler's first inning was a good synopsis of the outing.
He delivered a called strike on a 98-mph fastball to Rays leadoff man Chandler Simpson and then a second, this one clocking in at 99-mph. After fouling off a pair of 99-mph fastballs, Simpson bounced a curveball to second for the first out. Schlittler struck out Yandy Diaz swinging at a 100.2-mph fastball then quickly lost his command, walking Jonathan Aranda on nine pitches. Junior Caminero then stepped into a slider and launched it over the wall in left for his 27th homer to give the Rays a 2-0 lead.
Schlittler, who walked Josh Lowe and Jake Mangum back-to-back, was fortunate more damage wasn’t done as Tristan Gray hit a rocket to right but straight at Bellinger.
The Yankees rallied in the first, aided by the Rays’ defense and Tampa Bay starter Drew Rasmussen’s own command issues in a 33-pitch inning. Jasson Dominguez singled with one out and Bellinger lifted a routine fly ball to center that Simpson misjudged off the bat, arriving late with a diving attempt, the ball landing for a single. Giancarlo Stanton improved to 17 for his last 50 (.340) with a sharp single to right, loading the bases for Jazz Chisholm Jr. The second baseman worked the count full before walking to bring in Dominguez to make it 2-1. Paul Goldschmidt struck out but Ryan McMahon — 3-for-6 with two RBIs his first two games as a Yankee — walked to bring in Bellinger, tying it at 2.
After allowing a leadoff infield single to Taylor Walls in the second, Schlittler got out of the inning on 14 pitches. He struck out two of the next three batters — Matt Thaiss and Diaz both on 98-mph fastballs — to strand the runner.
Following an easy third inning, the first two Rays hitters reached in the fourth. But Schlittler struck out Thaiss with another 98-mph fastball and Simpson hit into an inning-ending 6-6-3 double play. Schlittler did not escape the fifth, however, as he walked Diaz to start the inning and Aranda singled. After Caminero lined out to left, Lowe sent an 0-and-2 fastball to center for an RBI single that made it 3-2 and ended Schlittler’s night.
Extra bases
Clarke Schmidt, who underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery on July 11 for a UCL tear in his right elbow, spoke for the first time since that procedure on Monday. Schmidt, who was 4-4 with a 3.32 ERA in 14 starts when his season ended, said he believes that he’ll be back at some point in 2026. “Everything I’ve been informed of, it’s kind of the best case of Tommy John,” Schmidt said. “I think if it was full reconstruction you’re looking at 14-16 months, so I think we dodged a major bullet with that. Obviously, hard to circle a day now, but [maybe] a little bit after the All-Star break. I know I’ll definitely be a factor next year, so very encouraged by that.” …The Yankees traded Carlos Carrasco — twice DFA’d by the club this season — to Atlanta on Monday for cash considerations. The 38-year-old righthander went 2-2 with a 5.91 ERA in eight appearances with the Yankees.
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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