Yanks & Rodo Ride Big Early Inning to Win. NY 5 SD 1

September 6, 2026 paperbacklou 2026 0
Spencer Jones RBI double in 2nd puts NY up 1-0.

The Yankees scored 4 runs in the 2nd inning and added another in the 3rd for a 5-0 lead, which Carlos Rodon and the Yankee pen rode to a 5-1 win over the Padres in San Diego on an early Saturday evening.

Spencer Jones got the first RBI — a ripping RBI double down the line with 2 outs in the 2nd, and went 2 for 4 on the day. Cody Bellinger followed with a 2-RBI single later in the inning. George Lombard Jr. added a sac fly in the 3rd. Ben Rice went 3 for 3 on the night with 2 walks and 2 runs scored.

Rodon pitched 5 strong innings, then the Yankees patched-up bullpen of Michael Fulmer, Brent Headrick, John Schreiber, and Tim Hill took it from there with 4 shutout innings.

The Yanks had several chances to break the game open but were foiled:

  • They loaded the bases with 1 out later in the 3rd inning — and Austin Wells smoked a ball up the middle but a fielder was right there (computer-aided positioning?).
  • NY loaded the bases with 2 outs in the 6th, but Luis Garcia Jr. was struck out to end the threat.
  • And NY put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out in the 7th, but Wells hit a fly that was too shallow to score the runner, and Paul Goldschmidt struck out.

“I think patience was a big factor,” said manager Aaron Boone about scoring runs early against Padres pitcher Robbie Ray. “His walks have been a little high this year, and so you got to make him come in and we were able to do that. And we strung together some really good at bats — swung the bats well within that — but I think controlling the strike zone really helped us. We had a couple more opportunities to break open the game, weren’t able to do it — but were able to make that big inning stand up.”

NY improves to 81-61, still 4 back of Tampa and 3.5 ahead of the Red Sox. SD drops to 74-68.

1. S Jones & Bellinger RBI Hits Stoke 4-Run 2nd vs Ray

Robbie Ray started for the Padres. Many Yankee fans still haven’t forgiven him for lifting the Cy Young from Gerrit Cole in 2021 while with Toronto — going 13-7 2.84 to Cole’s 16-8 3.23. Cole was dominant all year but Ray came on at the end and led the league in ERA and snuck away with the award. Ray then blew out his arm within a year — at the start of the 2023 season — and required Tommy John surgery. Cole won the Cy Young in 2023 (15-4 2.63, leading the league in ERA) then blew out his arm within a year in 2024.

Ray is now 34 years old, and is having a great year. The 6’2 lefty came in at 11-7 3.14 — most of that with the Giants where he was 10-6 3.08 before being traded to the Padres at the trade deadline for 2 minor league prospects (teenage shortstop Joniel Hernandez and pitcher Miguel Mendez).

But Ray has always had trouble with control: he currently leads the NL in walks allowed (with 77), just like he did last year (when he walked 73 while with the Giants), and in 2020 (45 in a COVID-shortened half season) when with Arizona.

Ray got the first 3 outs of the game on groundouts in pitching a 1-2-3 inning in the 1st, and after Ben Rice singled to lead off the 2nd, Ray got a strikeout and groundout and was just about out of the inning — when Spencer Jones doubled down the line in right for a 1-0 Yankee lead.

That seemed to shake Ray, who then walked 3 consecutive batters — Jose Caballero and Austin Wells to load the bases, and Paul Goldschmidt to force in a run and make it 2-0 Yankees.

Cody Bellinger then singled in 2 runs and it was 4-0 Yankees.

2. Yanks Add Run in 3rd on Lombard Sac Fly

Ray got the final out of the 2nd — but was still undone to start the 3rd: he walked Ben Rice, Heliot Ramos singled to center, and George Lombard Jr. hit a sac fly to right for a 5-0 Yankee lead.

Spencer Jones then singled to center and sent Robbie Ray to the showers.

3. Rodon Very Good

Carlos Rodon was very good. He started out allowing a 1-out single to Xavier Bogaerts and walking Manny Machado in the 1st inning — then struck out 2 batters and was rolling.

He retired 8 in a row in pitching a 1-2-3 inning in the 2nd and 3rd, striking out 4 more batters.

Manny Machado led off the 4th with a solo HR to make it a 5-1 game — but Rodon got the next 2 batters en route to a shutout 4th (walking a batter with 2 outs), and then did the same thing in the 5th — pitching a shutout inning and just allowing a 2-out walk.

Rodon was relieved after 5 innings having reached his pitch count; his line: 5 IP, 2 hits, 1 run, 7 K’s, 2 BB’s in 89 pitches. He wins to go 5-3 3.09.

4. Yanks Almost Break Game Open 3 Times

The Yanks had 3 chances to blow the game open that were foiled:

  • After the Spencer Jones single sent Ray to the showers in the 3rd, 6’2 righty Griffin Canning came in and walked Jose Caballero to load the bases with 1 out. Austin Wells Smoked a shot up the middle — but Xander Bogaerts was playing right there and he started a double play to end the inning.

  • Old friend Wandy Peralta got in and out of trouble in the 6th: Paul Goldschmidt singled with 1 out, Ryan McMahon singled with 2 outs, and Ben Rice walked to load the bases. San Diego brought in 6’0 righty David Morgan who struck out Luis Garcia Jr. to leave the bases loaded.
  • Morgan stayed in for the 7th, and hit George Lombard Jr. to start the inning. Spencer Jones then reached on catcher’s interference and Jose Caballero bunted the runners over for 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. But Austin Wells hit a high fly to center too shallow to score the runner and Paul Goldschmidt struck out to end the inning.

5. Rice 3 for 3 with 2 Walks & 2 Runs Scored

Ben Rice continues to be Red Hot — he was 3 for 3 on the night with 2 walks and has reached base in 8 of his last 9 plate appearances. “I told him he’s doing his Tony Gwynn imitation,” said Aaron Boone afterwards. “Watch him slash it all over the field too. He keeps hitting it off the barrel the last few days, line to line”.

6. Yank Re-Worked Pen = 4 Shutout Innings

With Fernando Cruz gone for the year, the Yanks have had to re-work their bullpen. Righty Will Warren just pitched out of the pen the game before and in this game newly acquired righties Michael Fulmer and John Schreiber were used.

Fulmer pitched the 6th and was wild in his second appearance as a Yankee, but mostly got the job done. He walked Many Machado, struck out the red-hot Ty France, walked Merrill, and got Luis Campusano to fly out to right.

Brent Headrick then came in to pitch to lefty Freddie Fermin; the Padres pinch-hit righty Ethan Salas — and Headrick struck him out to end the 6th. Headrick then pitched a 1-2-3 shutout 7th inning — foul out, strike out, ground out.

New Yankee John Schreiber made his 2nd appearance as a Yank and did good again — pitching a shutout 8th: groundout, ground out, walk of Ty France, groundout.

Schreiber then took the hill to start the 9th — and struck out Luis Campusano swinging.

Tim Hill then relieved Schreiber — and allowed a single to Austin Hays, before getting a fielder’s choice groundout and strikeout for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401816825

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