Yankees' Bullpen Nightmare Unfolds in Shocking Defeat to Braves as Second Half Begins - lulu

ATLANTA — Baseball has a way of surprising its spectators on any given night. 

This was not one of them. 

Because of injury concerns with Cam Schlittler and Max Fried, the Yankees began the second half Friday night by throwing a bullpen game, featuring a bullpen that was overworked and exposed heading into the break.

And it went just about how you might expect. 

Ian Hamilton got things off to a rocky start and it did not get much better from there — with Jorbit Vivas committing a baserunning blunder that sank a shot at a rally before things got out of hand — on the way to a dud of a 7-3 loss to the Braves at Truist Park. 

Ian Hamilton of the New York Yankees pitches in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on July 18, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.Getty Images

“Should have showed up for the team today a little bit better,” said Hamilton, who could have been speaking for a number of teammates, after putting the Yankees in a 3-0 hole in the first inning. “[My stuff] was hittable. I wasn’t getting the ball past people. Should have made some better pitches. Didn’t give my team the best start.” 

The final tally was four relievers combining to throw eight innings, a far-from-ideal way to start the second half of the season. The Yankees (53-44) have dropped three straight games after winning five straight after losing six straight, all of which has them trailing the Blue Jays by three games for the division. 

New York Yankees’ Jorbit Vivas was caught tagging up in the Yankees’ loss on Friday night.AP

The Yankees could have opted to bring up a starter to give some length (à la Allan Winans or Carlos Carrasco) instead of going with a straight bullpen game.

But doing so would have meant having to place Schlittler or Fried on the injured list (when the Yankees believe they can start against the Blue Jays on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively), optioning Hamilton or Scott Effross to Triple-A or designating Rico Garcia for assignment before he threw a pitch for them. (As it was, Garcia was designated for assignment by the end of the night anyway, The Post’s Joel Sherman reported, after giving up three runs on 53 pitches in 2 ²/₃ innings.) 

“We could have [called up a starter], but we felt like all things considered, this was the best way to go,” manager Aaron Boone said before the game. 

Two batters into the bottom of the first, the Braves (43-53) led 1-0. One batter later, it was 2-0 and by the end of the frame 3-0. Jurickson Profar led off with a single against Hamilton before Matt Olson and Ronald Acuña Jr. roped back-to-back doubles. Acuña later came in to score on Ozzie Albies’ sacrifice fly

Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves reacts after hitting a RBI double in the first inning against the New York Yankees at Truist Park on July 18, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.Getty Images

The Yankees were shut down early by Spencer Strider, but they began to threaten in the top of the third when Vivas and Trent Grisham drew consecutive walks with one out. Cody Bellinger then hit a high fly ball to right field that Acuña eventually camped underneath and caught nonchalantly as Vivas tried tagging up to third.

But Acuña unleashed a cannon and Vivas slowed down before getting to third — despite third-base coach Luis Rojas waving for him to slide — and he was tagged out standing up by third baseman Nacho Alvarez Jr., who did not act as if the throw was coming until the last second. 

“Got deked,” Boone said. “Can’t happen.” 

Instead of having Aaron Judge bat as the tying run, the inning was over as a fundamental miscue haunted the Yankees once again. 

“That’s my mistake,” Vivas said through an interpreter. “Acuña has a really good arm. Especially in that situation there … it’s something I can’t let happen again.” 

Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies (1) reacts after hitting a three run home run against the New York Yankees during the third inning at Truist Park.Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Braves then piled on in the bottom of the inning, as Albies crushed a three-run homer off Garcia, the righty the Yankees claimed off waivers from the Mets on Monday. 

After the Braves made it a 7-0 game with a run off Effross in the bottom of the fourth, the Yankees finally broke the shutout in the top of the seventh. Pinch-hitter Giancarlo Stanton delivered a two-run double and Bellinger added an RBI single that made it 7-3. But Judge extinguished the rally when he struck out against lefty Dylan Lee with runners on the corners. 

New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) reacts after striking out against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Truist Park.IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Intermittent, some quality at-bats, but [Strider] also had the swing-and-miss going,” Boone said. “And then we’re kind of chasing and in a little bit of a hole and then couldn’t ultimately get that big one to get us back into it.”