Will Warren struggles in Yankees' 9-2 loss to Rockies on Old-Timers' Day

NEW YORK — It was an unceremonious Old-Timers’ Day for one of the younger New York Yankees.

Rookie starter Will Warren struggled in the Yankees’ 9-2 loss to the last-place Colorado Rockies on Saturday, four days after he was recalled to help fill in for the injured Luis Gil.

Warren, the Yankees’ top pitching prospect, surrendered six runs (five earned) on seven hits over three innings in the Bronx, raising his ERA to 9.68 ERA through four career MLB starts.

While he matched a career-high with six strikeouts, Warren was unable to put hitters away in key spots, allowing four of Colorado’s runs to score on two-out hits.

“You see some of the swing-and-miss [stuff],” manager Aaron Boone said. “You see the arsenal that’s capable of getting it [done], but I felt like at times, he was getting ahead, and some non-competitive [pitches] allow them back in the count, and then a mistake that hurts him. That’s part of growing.”

The Rockies scored four times in the third inning, during which Warren gave up four hits — including a two-out, two-run double to Nolan Jones — and balked twice. Austin Wells also committed a catcher interference during that rough inning, after which Colorado led, 6-0.

Warren, 25, had delivered the best start of his MLB career his last time out on Aug. 14, when he limited the MLB-worst White Sox to two runs in five innings.

The right-hander said his issues Saturday came down to failing to execute in some situations and choosing the wrong pitch in others. He fell to 0-2.

“I’ve just got to find a way to be consistent,” Warren said. “It just comes down to minimizing [damage]. I’ve just got to be better.”

Former Yankees farmhand Jake Cave went 4 for 5 with three RBI. He hit a two-run home run against reliever Michael Tonkin in the seventh inning to cap Colorado’s scoring.

The Yankees drafted Cave in 2011, then traded him to the Twins in 2018 for Gil before either reached the majors. The hard-throwing Gil is 12-6 with a 3.39 ERA during a breakout 2024 season but went on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a lower back strain.

Fellow starters Clarke Schmidt and Cody Poteet remain on rehab assignments, meaning Warren may remain in the rotation in Gil’s absence.

“We’ll talk through everything, but I think Will’s certainly a candidate to take that next one again,” Boone said. “I feel like he’s capable. It’s just a game of execution.”

Offensively, the Yankees (76-54) failed to get much going against Rockies rookie Bradley Blalock, who picked up his first career win in his third MLB start. The right-hander limited the Yankees to two runs over 5 1/3 innings, despite giving up five hits and four walks.

“We had some chances,” Boone said. “Just didn’t quite mount enough.”

The Yankees — who won Friday night’s series opener, 3-0 — have totaled five runs in two games against the Rockies (48-82), whose team ERA of 5.49 is the worst in the majors by more than half a run.

Saturday marked the first time in five games that Aaron Judge did not hit a home run, keeping his MLB-leading total at 49 homers. Judge is on pace for 61 home runs, which would be one shy of the 62 he hit in 2022 to set an American League single-season record.

With a fourth-inning solo shot, Alex Verdugo hit his first home run since July 6. Verdugo’s 11th home run of the season snapped an 0-for-21 skid.

The lopsided loss followed a pregame Old-Timers’ Day ceremony that commemorated the 15th anniversary of the Yankees’ 2009 championship. Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera, CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada were among the members of that team who attended.

The Yankees also lost, 9-2, on last year’s Old-Timers’ Day, when they honored the World Series-winning 1998 team.

The Yankees look to claim a series victory on Sunday afternoon, with Marcus Stroman (8-6, 3.82 ERA) set to pitch against Colorado left-hander Austin Gomber (4-8, 4.64 ERA).

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