Not even a visit from last-place Baltimore could get the Yankees going.
Baltimore tied the game against Max Fried in the sixth and went ahead for good in the eighth with a pair of runs off Luke Weaver, as the Yankees lost for the seventh time in eight games, 5-3, in The Bronx.
The Yankees had plenty of opportunities to put some distance between themselves and the Orioles, but they squandered scoring chances throughout the game and ended up 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position, leaving 10 runners on base.
“We definitely had opportunities early on,” Aaron Judge said. “It’s better than not having anybody on, like the past couple of games. We’re moving in the right direction. All good teams go through little slumps when things don’t go your way.”
But with another loss, the Yankees fell to 8-12 in the AL East, and coupled with Tampa Bay’s win over Detroit, their lead in the division slipped back to 1 ½ games.
Luke Weaver walks back to the dugout after he is pulled from the game by New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone during the eighth inning on June 20, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Ramón Urías rounds the bases on his solo homer during
the eighth inning on Friday night. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
And since Baltimore is playing better under new manager Tony Mansolino, who replaced the fired Brandon Hyde in May, the Yankees paid for their mistakes.
Aaron Judge could not catch Ramon Urias’ home run. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Despite being in the cellar in the division, Baltimore is 18-14 under Mansolino after it opened the season 15-28 under Hyde.
And the Orioles have won 17 of their last 25 games.
In front of a sellout crowd at the Stadium, the Yankees, whose offense went silent for much of the six-game losing streak they snapped Thursday against the Angels, couldn’t break the game open.
Fried, excellent for the Yankees since signing with them in the offseason, got off to a bumpy start Friday.
Anthony Volpe reacts after striking out in the seventh inning. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
He gave up a leadoff single to Jackson Holliday and hit a pair of batters — Ramón Laureano and Colton Cowser — to load the bases before ex-Yankee catcher Gary Sánchez’s two-run single put Baltimore up early.
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But the Yankees answered in the bottom of the inning, as the first four runners reached against 35-year-old rookie Tomoyuki Sugano, with Jazz Chisholm Jr. driving in Paul Goldschmidt with a single to make it 2-1.
After Giancarlo Stanton struck out, Jasson Domínguez hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game.
A homer from Judge, who went deep for the first time in a week, made it 3-2 for their first lead of the night.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge homered in the loss. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Fried settled down and retired nine straight after the Sánchez single before Coby Mayo doubled down the left field line with two outs in the fourth.
The Yankees had a chance to add to their lead in the fourth, when DJ LeMahieu opened with a double, but with two outs, LeMahieu was thrown out by Laureano trying to score on Chisholm’s single to right.
The Yankees challenged the play, but the call stood to keep it a one-run game.
“We’ve had some really, really close ones not go our way,” Aaron Boone said of recent failed challenges. “I understand this one. A few of the others, I don’t.”
New York Yankees second base DJ LeMahieu is tagged out by Baltimore Orioles catcher Gary Sánchez. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
An inning later, Stanton and Domínguez started off with walks before the slumping Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells grounded out.
Fried faltered again in the sixth, as Baltimore tied the game with three straight singles. Boone went to the mound but didn’t take out Fried, though Fernando Cruz jogged halfway to the mound before being turned back for the bullpen.
Boone’s faith in the lefty paid off, as Fried got Dylan Carlson to fly to deep center and Luis Vázquez to ground out to keep it tied.
Max Fried got the start for the Yankees on Friday night. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
LeMahieu and Judge singled in the sixth before Chisholm bounced out.
The missed opportunities came back to hurt the Yankees when Weaver gave up a homer to Ramón Urías to open the top of the eighth in Weaver’s return from the IL.
Pinch-hitter Gunnar Henderson added an insurance run with an RBI single off Tim Hill, and the Yankees failed to rally.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) strikes out swinging during the ninth inning. Robert Sabo for NY Post
“We had quality at-bats all night,” Boone said. “We just didn’t break through and put a big number on the board.”