PITTSBURGH – The last time Carlos Rodon took the mound with the Yankees on a hot streak, he threw cold water on it with his worst start of the season.
With a chance to redeem himself Sunday, the left-hander turned in his best start of his disappointing year — even if the end result was the same.
Rodon worked into the seventh inning for the first time as a Yankee and struck out a season-high 10, though the Yankees wasted his strong outing in a 3-2 loss to the Pirates at PNC Park.
The Yankees (76-74) missed out on a chance to sweep the Pirates (70-80), losing for only the sixth time in their last 20 games.
On a day when Rodon gave up three runs across 6 2/3 innings, he was burned by the foul lines, which also ended his outing on a sour note.
With the game tied 2-2 with two outs and a man on second in the seventh inning, Jason Delay chopped a ground ball that hit off the third-base bag and ricocheted into foul territory, allowing the Pirates to take the lead.
Earlier in the game, ex-Yankee Miguel Andujar had hit a solo home run that sliced off the right-field foul pole for the 2-0 lead.
Otherwise, Rodon was mostly dominant, scattering six hits and walking none in his longest outing of the season. He had plenty of life on his fastball, highlighted by a three-pitch strikeout of Jack Suwinski in the sixth inning at velocities of 99.8 mph, 99.6 mph and 98.6 mph.
A strong finish for Rodon will not undo a rough first season in pinstripes, but the Yankees are hoping it will at least send him into the offseason with some momentum as he tries to rebound next year.
The Yankees were held without a hit through the first five innings against opener Colin Selby (two innings) and right-hander Andre Jackson. But Estevan Florial fixed that with a leadoff single in the sixth and then scored all the way from first on DJ LeMahieu’s double down the left-field line.
Anthony Volpe tied the game in the top of the seventh with a solo home run, his 21st of the season.
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