New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hits a two run home off of San Francisco Giants starter Logan Webb in the top of the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sat Jun 1, 2024 (AP News photo)

New York-AL (41-19). 202 000 030. 7 11 1

San Francisco (29-30) 002 010 000. 3. 5.0

Time: 2:22

Attendance: 34,487

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–With tonight’s 7-3 loss to the red hot New York Yankees, the Giants slipped once more below the .500 mark.

They had been relying on Logan Webb to give some stability to their rotation and a chance for their bullpen to catch its breath. Those hopes were dimmed in the top of the first when New York’s number three batter, Aaron Judge, sent a three and two change up 464 feet into center field for his 21st home run of the season, a two run blast that drove in Juan Soto and put the Yanks ahead from the get go.

They padded that lead in the third on a leadoff single by DJ LeMahieu, a double by Anthony Volpe, Soto’s sacrifice fly to left that almost left the park, an intentional walk to Judge, and an RBI single executed to the opposite field by Alex Verdugo.

It now was 4-0 in favor of the Bronx Bombers. All four runs were earned, but Webb didn’t let them score again, leaving after seven innings on the mound and allowing seven hits and one base on balls. He struck out six and threw a total of 108 pitches, of which 74 were strikes, it was a gutsy performance, but Webb was the losing pitcher, and his record now is 4-5, 2.95. That he went as deep into the game as he did was a slight and possible long run help to this beleaguered team.

Cody Poteet, who started for the Yankees tonight, had been recalled from Syracuse on Thursday, when Clarke Schmidt was placed on the injured list with a right lateral strain. His loss was a serious blow to the Yanks; he was their second-best hurler in their rotation this year, going 5-3, 2.52 in 11 starts.

At the time of his promotion, Poteet was on two ILs, the International League and its Injured List thanks to a blister, which had healed just before his callup He had an ERA of 4.05 in his seven Syracuse starts and had given a fine account of himself in an April spot start for the Yankees against the Guardians in Cleveland, where he surrendered only one run in six innings of work.

He wasn’t that effective tonight, although the Yanks still were leading when he left the game and he got the win, making him 2-0. He had pitched five innings and allowed three runs, two of them earned, on three hits, one of them a home run, and a walk. His pitch count was 78, including 47 strikes. His big league ERA now is 2.45.

Casey Schmitt, the shortstop whom the Giants had just recalled from Sacramento cut the visitor’s four run lead in half in the bottom of the third with his 400 foot blast into the left field bleachers with Trenton Brooks, who had walked, on first. It was Schmitt’s first homer in his current stay in the show. He ended up going two for four.

The Yankees threatened again in the top of the fifth. Soto’s two out liner to center got past a charging Matos for a two out triple that brought the dangerous Judge to the plate. After falling behind, 2-0, Webb fanned the major leagues’ leading home run hitter.

The hosts narrowed the gap to one tally in their half of the frame. Ramos legged out a single to short and took second on Volpe’s errant throw to first. He was called out at third after he tried to advance on Schmitt’s fly to Judge in right center, but that call was reversed on video review, enabling Ramos to score on Brett Wisely’s single to right.

It still was 4-3 in favor of New York when Ian Hamilton took the mound to replace Poteet to open the home sixth. He set the Giants down in order and gave way to Caleb Ferguson the seventh inning stretch. He allowed a single and a walk but no runs.

When the Yankees next came to bat, Ryan Walker had relieved Webb. He fanned Volpe and Soto, but then Judge hit a grounder up the middle that Wisely. playing second, made a nice backhanded grab of but threw off balance, late and inaccurately past first.

Judge scored all the way from first on Vertigo’s punishing triple to right center and coasted home on Giancarlo Stanton’s 14th home run of the year, a 368 foot shot into the left field bleachers.

That gave Tommy Kahnie a 7-3 lead to work with in the bottom of the eighth, a cushion he protected by striking out two of the three batters he faced to set San Francisco down in order. Randy Ramírez faced three batters in the top of the ninth, and, with the help of a pitcher’s best friend, kept them from scoring.

The Giants will try to salvage one game of the series and claw their way back to .500 tomorrow, Sunday, at 1:05. The Yankees plan on starting Néstor Cortés ((3-4, 3.30). The Giants are relying, with their fingers crossed, on Blake Snell (0-3, 10.42). A lot could hinge on his performance.