Yanks 'still processing' messy ending to strong first half

BALTIMORE -- With apparent disgust, Alex Verdugo spiked his hat to the clubhouse floor, then sat motionless in full uniform at his locker. Head bowed, elbows on knees, the outfielder searched for explanations after misplaying a game-winning hit.

“I take a lot of pride out there defensively. This one’s on me,” Verdugo muttered.

Though he scores points for accountability, Sunday’s ninth-inning collapse shouldn’t be pinned on Verdugo alone. Anthony Volpe also committed a costly misplay as two of the club’s most reliable defenders let it down, setting up Clay Holmes’ blown save in the Yankees’ 6-5 loss to the Orioles at Camden Yards.

The Yankees handed a two-run lead to Holmes, built on Ben Rice’s go-ahead three-run homer off Craig Kimbrel. Holmes admitted that he couldn’t command his sinker in a wobbly effort, permitting a leadoff hit to pinch-hitter Kyle Stowers before recording an out on a fielder’s choice.

Holmes walked Ryan O’Hearn and froze Gunnar Henderson looking at a third strike, then pitched around Adley Rutschman to load the bases. Holmes induced what should have been the game-ending out, a routine Ryan Mountcastle grounder to Volpe, but the Gold Glove Award winner bobbled it as Baltimore’s fourth run scored.

“I’m still processing it,” Volpe said. “To me, that’s a routine ground ball. The game’s got to be over. … I didn’t move my feet. Good infielders move their feet to get a good hop.”

Up came Cedric Mullins, who sliced a Holmes sinker toward Verdugo in left field. Verdugo misplayed the ball, starting a few steps in before trying to recover, stumbling and falling on his chest. Mullins’ hit landed a few feet beyond Verdugo’s reach, sealing the Yankees’ fourth walk-off loss of the year.

“Dugie jumped it, thinking it was maybe in front of him,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He misread it, simple as that. It’s a play he should make. I think he just misjudged it, broke hard in, not wanting to get beat in front of him. Obviously, it carried enough.”

It represented the sixth blown save of the season for Holmes, tied with the Rockies’ Jalen Beeks for the Major League lead. Holmes, who has a 2.77 ERA and 21 saves in 40 appearances, will join Aaron Judge and Juan Soto at Tuesday’s All-Star Game.

“I didn’t have my best stuff, but I had to compete with what I had,” Holmes said.

The defeat represented a stinging end to the first half for the Yankees, who became the Majors’ first team to reach 50 victories on June 14 at Boston but have endured a month-long tailspin since.

New York took two of three games in Baltimore this weekend to snap an eight-series winless streak. Including Sunday’s loss, the Yanks have won just eight of their past 26 games.

“It’s been up and down, but I think overall where the team is at, it’s been a really good first half,” Verdugo said.

Starting pitching has been a concern, one that Carlos Rodón did little to alleviate on Sunday. Rodón needed 98 pitches to get through four innings, though he held the O’s to two runs and four hits. He showcased a slider-heavy mix after opponents have recently punished his fastball.

Gunnar Henderson’s 28th homer -- second in the American League to Judge’s 34 –- represented Baltimore’s two runs off Rodón, who struck out seven and walked three. Tommy Kahnle surrendered an Anthony Santander homer, while Trent Grisham homered and drove in two runs for New York.

Boone said that his team needs the upcoming break, both physically and mentally. Despite Sunday’s loss, Boone said that his players are “in a great spot” as they scatter from Baltimore, in large part because of their solid March/April (19-12) and strong May (21-7).

“It’s been a rough several weeks here for us; let’s acknowledge that,” Boone said. “The reality is, the last couple of games from Tampa [Bay] into here, I feel like we’re competing our [tails] off. We’re starting to turn the corner and seeing the signs we want to see as we turn this thing around.”

The Yankees will resume play on Friday against the Rays in New York, trailing in the American League East by one game with 64 still to play. As for New York and Baltimore, they won’t see each other again until late September.

Given the heightened emotions of a chippy series that included a benches-clearing incident on Friday, there is reason to believe that those games also will be meaningful.

“We’ve been through some rough, rough stretches, which we acknowledge,” Boone said. “It’s all right there in front of us. We’ve got the pen. We get to write this amazing script, and that’s because we put ourselves in this position.”