Yankees shocker: Clay Holmes blows three-run lead in loss to Reds | Rapid reaction

NEW YORK – When Aaron Boone kept Aaron Judge out of the starting lineup against the Reds on Tuesday, he had several Plan B alternatives, including starting Giancarlo Stanton in right field and using Anthony Rizzo as the DH. Smart, logical, beyond any possible second-guess.

But what the manager was really counting on was a shut-down, lights-out performance from Gerrit Cole. Because, after all, nothing compensates for the absence of the lineup’s best hitter than an ace who’s in scorched-earth mode.

Cole did just that, throwing seven scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts. But what the Yankees didn’t expect was Clay Holmes’ meltdown in the ninth inning, who was charged with all fours run of the Reds’ stunning ninth-inning comeback.

The Yankees’ 4-3 loss stunned the Stadium crowd – or what was left of it. At least half of the 40,000 fans were already heading home, confident that the Bombers were beyond the Reds’ reach.

But Holmes, who hadn’t allowed a run since June 28, allowed two hits, a walk and two hit batters, leaving a bases-loaded, none-out crisis for Wandy Peralta. With a 3-2 lead, the Yankees still had a chance to squeeze by – and nearly did. Peralta got back to back force-outs at the plate, and was 0-2 against Jonathan India.

But Peralta proceeded to hang a change-up, which India smacked to center for the decisive two-run single.

Shocking? You bet.

Unthinkable? That too.

Worrisome? We’ll see.

Thing is, the Yankees made their presence felt immediately against Graham Ashcraft, ambushing the rookie with consecutive hits from DJ LeMahieu (single), Gleyber Torres (double to right-center) and Rizzo (two-run single) in the first inning.

It was the kind of welcome the Reds must’ve dreaded in the Stadium, where the Yankees have the major leagues’ best home record. Not only were they riding a torrent hot-home streak (19-of-21), they were 23-5 in series openers.

Put more simply, the Yankees were in a commanding position before Cole had even stepped on the mound. With a 2-0 lead, the right-hander was looking to erase the memory of his last appearance at Fenway, where he allowed five earned runs in six innings.

It wasn’t the kind of outing that’ll ever be memorialized in Cooperstown, but Cole’s line was misleading in that one hitter – Rafael Devers – was responsible for all the damage.

He hit two home runs, driving in five runs. The Sox slugger has taken Cole deep six times (in 25 at-bats), the most the right-hander has allowed to any hitter in his career.

Cole was thrilled to have Devers out of his hair for a few days (he’ll face him against next Sunday in the Bronx). The Reds posed less of a challenge, scoring 4.27 runs per game, 19th in the majors.

With only two hits in the first six innings, the Reds didn’t muster much resistance to Cole. He struck out seven and allowed only one runner in scoring position.

The only red flag? Aaron Hicks appeared to suffer a serious injury when he fouled a ball off his shin the third inning, The outfielder went down hard and had to be helped off the field.

Marwin Gonzalez finished the at-bat for Hicks and took over in left field. Joey Gallo moved from left to center.

The Yankees subsequently announced Hick had suffered a shin contusion.

NOTABLE:

—Jonathan Loaisiga, pitching on a rehab assignment at Class-AAA, threw a scoreless inning despite allowing three hits. He struck out two. Catcher Ben Rortvedt, playing in his first rehab game for Class-A Hudson Valley, was 0-for-2 with a walk.

—Boone said he’s not leaning towards a hard innings-limit for either Nestor Cortes or Luis Severino, although the manager has slightly juggled the rotation with that thought in mind. Severino, who was supposed to start Tuesday night, was pushed back to Wednesday, which means he’ll make only one start this week instead of two before the All-Star break.

Both Severino and Cortes are experiencing significant increases in their respective workloads. Cortes, currently at 88.2 innings, is already within range of his career-high (93 in 2021). Severino hasn’t pitched a full season since 2018.

—The post All-Star break rotation is still in flux, although Cole’s scheduled start on Sunday will logically take him out of the picture for next Thursday’s doubleheader against the Astros. Presumably Boone will hand the ball to Severino and Cortes. Boone would prefer Cole not pitch in the All-Star Game so he could be fully rested to face the Orioles next Friday.

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Bob Klapisch may be reached at bklapisch@njadvancemedia.com.

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