Clarke Schmidt holds Twins scoreless in longest start yet as Yankees sweep
After logging 6 2/3 scoreless innings against the Rays on May 10, Clarke Schmidt found himself wanting more.
The right-hander had just matched the longest start of his career, but he put up a small fight when manager Aaron Boone pulled him from the game with two outs in the seventh inning at Tropicana Field.
“We’ll continue to push that envelope,” Schmidt said after the game. “I know I’m gonna go out there and earn his trust. It’s just a matter of continuing to go out there and show that I can do it, and then eventually, I’ll leave him with no other choice. But every time I’m out there, I want him to try to pry the ball out of my hand.”
On Thursday in Minnesota, Schmidt was given the chance to get the extra out and then some, as he set a new personal best with eight complete innings. Much like the Rays, the Twins could not score against the right-hander in a 5-0 Yankees win that secured a sweep.
Schmidt now has a 2.49 ERA this season. He permitted just three hits and didn’t walk any batters while striking out eight, which tied a career high, over 103 pitches.
While Schmidt was busy dealing, Anthony Volpe set the tone on offense with a leadoff home run against Joe Ryan. Volpe’s sixth homer of the season extended his hitting streak to nine games.
Later in the first, Gleyber Torres was credited with an RBI double when a fly ball bounced off of Alex Kirilloff’s glove in left. The Yankees scored their third run of the frame on an Anthony Rizzo groundout.
The sixth inning brought an RBI single from Austin Wells, while Alex Verdugo added a sac fly in the seventh.
Ryan totaled 5 1/3 innings, six hits, four earned runs, one walk and five strikeouts over 93 pitches.
Having made easy work of a Twins team that was on fire before this series — Minnesota scored just one run over the three-game set — the Yankees will head home for three games against the lowly White Sox.
Nestor Cortes will start for the Yankees on Friday, while Mike Clevinger will take the ball for Chicago.
