Paxton labors vs. Rox on scorching day in Bronx

NEW YORK -- Just 3 1/3 innings into Sunday’s game against the Rockies, Yankees starter James Paxton put his head down and walked off the field at Yankee Stadium. His infielders tried to console him, patting him with their gloves as manager Aaron Boone stuck his hand out for the ball, but there wasn’t much they could do except watch him leave to a mixed chorus of cheers and boos.

It seemed to be a fitting microcosm of both Paxton’s afternoon and his year as a whole. After an 8-4 loss to Colorado, the left-hander dropped to 5-5 on the season. He gave up a leadoff homer to Charlie Blackmon and a four-spot in the third inning before letting two men on in the fourth, which ended his outing.

• Box score

Coming into the matchup, Paxton seemed to be rediscovering the form that made him a standout pitcher last season. He was attempting to string together four straight starts with two or fewer runs allowed -- which he last did from May 19 to June 5, 2018 while becoming the ace of the Seattle Mariners rotation.

But inconsistency has been the theme of the season for Paxton up to this point, and a four-week stint on the injured list for right knee inflammation during the month of May has seemed to be a through line in the left-hander’s struggles.

“His season got a little interrupted there with the IL stint, so it’s been a little disjoined there,” Boone said. “But I think overall he’s been good for us, and I think even in some of his best outings, he’s had a chance to get really deep in the game. I think there’s been just some at-bats where it’s foul balls or soft contact to extend an inning in a game he’s pitched very well that hasn’t allowed him to get as deep as he can.”

On Sunday, that phenomenon reared its ugly head as the third inning went off the rails. After Paxton gave up a leadoff walk, Tony Wolters attempted a sacrifice bunt, but a fielding error by Luke Voit at first base allowed both runners to reach on the play. Then Blackmon, who had already homered on a two-seam fastball that Boone suspected was left “on the plate a little too much,” singled to load the bases for Nolan Arenado.

Arenado hit a double down the left-field line to score two runs, and after another Paxton walk later in the frame, David Dahl hit a single to center that plated another pair. Paxton didn’t fare much better in the fourth -- giving up another leadoff walk and Blackmon single -- before his day came to an abrupt end.

“I just didn’t locate very well,” Paxton said. “I was falling behind in counts, not executing my pitches the way I wanted to, so that was on me. I wasn’t throwing strikes with the fastball -- and walking guys, [I] can’t walk that many guys -- giving up hits when I was behind in the count.”

Though Paxton is adamant that his knee is no longer a concern, he is still trying to find the rhythm in his delivery that has been lacking so far this year.

“I just didn’t have a very good game today, didn’t have a feel for my fastball,” Paxton said. “But I’ll get back to work like I always do and try to bounce back. I was on a bit of a roll with the past three -- little blip today -- but I’m hoping to get back on a roll and pull off some good starts in a row moving forward.”

Between Paxton and Saturday’s starter Masahiro Tanaka, Yankees starters have now allowed at least five runs in each of their last two games, which comes after a stretch during which the rotation allowed two or fewer runs in 11 of the Yanks’ first 14 games in July. The club has been vocal about its desire for starting pitching ahead of the impending July 31 Trade Deadline, though that doesn’t seem to be on Boone’s mind at the moment.

“I think if you look back at some of [Paxton’s] outings, it’s been a little unfortunate in there,” Boone said. “I think overall [Paxton’s] throwing the ball really well, and I view him as a guy we’re going to lean on heavily down the stretch, and hopefully in October.”