Yankees’ bullpen implodes again as Tigers rout New York, 11-1

The New York Yankees' bullpen collapsed for a second consecutive night, turning a close game into an 11-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.

After strong outings from the rotation, the relief corps surrendered nine runs while recording only seven outs, completing a two-game span in which the bullpen allowed 19 runs (18 earned). The defeat left the Yankees 80-65 and three games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East, while they remained in a virtual tie with the Boston Red Sox for the top American League wild-card spot.

Carlos Rodón delivered six solid innings for the Yankees, allowing two runs and lowering his ERA to 3.11, but the visitors' bullpen unraveled beginning in the seventh. Mark Leiter Jr. entered and gave up consecutive singles, and a wild pitch advanced the runners. Rodón was relieved after the sixth; Leiter failed to record an out in earlier relief work the previous night and struggled again on Wednesday before manager Aaron Boone made a change.

Camilo Doval took the ball later in the seventh and finished the inning, but he returned for the eighth and was hit hard — Riley Greene belted a two-run homer among the damage — and Tim Hill and Luke Weaver each surrendered two-run homers in the later innings as the Tigers blew the game open. Left fielder Austin Slater was called on to get the final two outs of the top of the ninth after the string of ineffective relievers.

Jack Flaherty blanked the Yankees for five innings, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out seven, and the Tigers struck for the early leads they would build on. Detroit manufactured runs against Rodón in the fifth inning after he issued a walk and hit a batter to load the bases; a subsequent two-run single put the Tigers ahead.

The Yankees’ offensive chances were few. In the third inning, Ryan McMahon doubled and Trent Grisham drew a 10-pitch walk, but Aaron Judge ended that threat by grounding into a 6-4-3 double play. Judge later ground into another double play, cutting short one of the rare rallies. New York avoided a shutout when Austin Wells homered in the bottom of the eighth.

The loss followed a 12-2 defeat on Tuesday in which the bullpen also collapsed in the late innings, raising questions about New York’s relief depth as the regular season nears its conclusion. Manager Boone has repeatedly shuffled options and leaned on a mix of veterans and recent additions, but the back-to-back meltdowns underscore growing concern about the unit’s reliability.

Detroits’ offense was balanced, capitalizing on the Yankees’ late-inning struggles and chasing several relievers. The Tigers improved to 84-62 and took advantage of Detroit starter-and-bullpen execution to add to their lead in the standings.

With a 12-game stretch against contenders underway, New York had been 4-2 through the first half of the gauntlet, but the consecutive blowouts at the hands of Detroit halted that momentum. The Yankees will try to avoid a sweep on Thursday when the series concludes.

The Yankees must address the bullpen’s volatility before the postseason push. The rotation has kept the club in position, but repeated late-inning collapses have amplified the urgency for more consistent relief pitching as the regular season winds down.