ARLINGTON, Texas \u2014 Not even Aaron Judge\u2019s return could act as a human defibrillator for the Yankees.<\/p>\n
Because with the game on the line late for the second straight night, Aaron Boone again turned to Devin Williams, and once again the reliever could not come through in the biggest of moments.<\/p>\n
A night after he gave up the game-tying home run in the ninth inning, Williams entered a scoreless game in the eighth inning and gave up a pair of runs that sunk the Yankees in their fifth straight loss, 2-0 to the Rangers on Tuesday night at Globe Life Field.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, I don\u2019t really know what to say at this point,\u201d said Williams, who has given up a run in six of his past eight outings.<\/p>\n
In falling to 25-34 since May 28, the Yankees (60-54) dropped into sole possession of the third and final AL wild-card spot, with the Rangers (60-55) suddenly just a half-game behind them. <\/p>\n
If the Yankees get swept by losing Wednesday\u2019s series finale, they would fly home out of playoff position altogether. <\/p>\n
They are also 6 \u00b9\/\u2082 games back of the Blue Jays and 3 \u00b9\/\u2082 back of the Red Sox in the AL East.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot good,\u201d Boone said. \u201cPut it on record: If we don\u2019t win, it doesn\u2019t matter half-game back, half-game up. We play like this and aren\u2019t stringing wins together, it\u2019s not going to matter. I remain confident in this group, but we continue to say that. Got to start making it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yankees relief pitcher Devin Williams reacts during the eighth inning in the Yankees\u2019 2-0 road loss to the Rangers on Aug. 5, 2025. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
After Nathan Eovaldi finished suffocating the Yankees across eight innings of one-hit ball, Boone called on Williams to handle the bottom of the eighth. <\/p>\n
Will Warren had gone five innings before Camilo Doval and Luke Weaver threw an inning each, and Boone said he liked Williams against the middle of the Rangers order with three of four batters being right-handed.<\/p>\n
Williams quickly got the first out before Adolis Garc\u00eda smoked a fly ball to left field. <\/p>\n
Jasson Dom\u00ednguez ran back on it and then made a leaping attempt just before the warning track, but the ball tipped off his glove and went for a double.<\/p>\n
Aaron Judge grimaces after striking out during the fourth inning of the Yankees\u2019 2-0 loss to the Rangers on Aug. 5, 2025. AP<\/p>\n
\u201cFelt like he didn\u2019t get a great jump on it,\u201d Boone said. \u201cTough play over his head though.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joc Pederson, who hit the game-tying homer off Williams on Monday night and entered Tuesday batting .132, came up next and drew a four-pitch walk before Williams walked Wyatt Langford on five pitches to load the bases.<\/p>\n
The Yankees had gotten David Bednar and Mark Leiter Jr. up in the bullpen midway through the Langford plate appearance as they raced to get ready, but Boone stuck with Williams to face the lefty-swinging Rowdy Tellez. <\/p>\n
Nathan Eovaldi held the Yankees scoreless in eight innings to pick up the win for the Rangers. Getty Images<\/p>\n
He said he was going to go to Bednar in a four-out situation, while Leiter was on his first day back from a month on the injured list. <\/p>\n
Lefty Tim Hill was not warming because if he had entered, Boone said, the Rangers would have just used their right-handed bats sitting on the bench.<\/p>\n
And he thought that Williams could still generate some swing-and-miss on a night when he had one whiff through 15 pitches entering the Tellez at-bat.<\/p>\n
Rowdy Tellez hits the game-winning two-run single during the eighth inning of the Yankees\u2019 loss to the Rangers. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n
Tellez did swing through two pitches while falling behind 1-2, but then fouled off four pitches as he worked the count full before hitting the 10th pitch into center field for a two-run single.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust continue to work and keep trying to execute and help the team any way I can,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n