NEW YORK -- On the heels of a scorching West Coast road trip marked by offensive outbursts, the Yankees' lineup was subdued as the White Sox took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, and New York dropped the series opener, 3-2, on Tuesday night. It was a taste of life without Aaron Judge, who was out of the lineup for a second straight game.

After Tuesday’s contest, it was announced that Judge would be heading to the injured list with a contusion and a sprain of a ligament in his right big toe.

After a weekend filled with promise, New York ran into a buzzsaw in the form of White Sox starter Lucas Giolito, who silenced the Yankees' lineup for six innings, striking out seven. The Bronx Bombers only coaxed three walks from the righty, and they were retired in order in four of Giolito’s innings.

“It seemed like he stayed out of the middle of the plate a lot,” manager Aaron Boone said. “I thought we had the right at-bats against him; we made him work. We got his pitch count up, a lot of three-ball counts, worked some walks. But we just weren’t able to ding him at all.”

Giolito’s ability to avoid the heart of the plate kept the Yankees at bay. It wasn’t until reliever Joe Kelly entered in the seventh that New York was able to break through. Willie Calhoun notched a two-out walk, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a deep fly ball to the left-center-field gap. Left fielder Andrew Benintendi and center fielder Luis Robert Jr. miscommunicated, allowing the ball to drop in for a double as Calhoun scored from first. The Yanks’ threat ended quickly, though, as Jake Bauers grounded out to shortstop with runners on first and third.

The Yankees’ only burst of power occurred in the ninth, when Josh Donaldson led off the frame with a solo homer off Liam Hendriks. It was the 37-year-old’s third homer in three games since returning from the IL.

“I feel good, swing feels good,” said Donaldson. “Recognizing some pitches pretty well. Second at-bat, [Giolito] executed a perfect pitch down and in on me. Third at-bat, Joe Kelly threw me a nasty curveball. Tip my cap on it. But I feel like I’m feeling pretty good at the plate right now.”

Right-hander Clarke Schmidt took the loss after giving up three runs in six innings, all on a pair of Seby Zavala homers. Despite the result, Schmidt was able to avoid trouble for the most part, throwing 52 of 79 pitches for strikes and walking no White Sox batters. 

And for a Yankees rotation that will also be losing Nestor Cortes to the IL, in addition to the already-missing Carlos Rodón and Frankie Montas, Schmidt rounding into form and gaining confidence is key.

“Yeah, [I’m] really happy about it,” said Schmidt. “Being able to go deeper in games, throwing a lot of strikes. You know, my pitch count was intact. Felt like I could have stayed in that game and continued to go.

“I think we’re just getting better every time we’re out there, making improvements, and it’s really starting to show.”

New York’s record dropped to 36-26 and pushed its deficit in the AL East to 7 1/2 games behind the Rays. Uncertainty lies in the road ahead with the announcement of Judge and Cortes heading to the injured list, but there’s a resounding belief in the “next man up” mentality that the Yankees’ clubhouse possesses.

“We expect to pick it up every day, whether Aaron is in there or not,” Boone said before Tuesday’s game. “This team has done a great job of just being really focused for most of the season. That’s one of the things I’ve been most pleased about.

“Whether we’ve had a good game or struggled in a game, I feel like guys are in the right frame of mind on a daily basis. And that doesn’t change no matter who’s in the lineup.”