The combination of poor offense and defense put the Yankees behind the eight ball as they fell to the Athletics, 7-0, on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

New York mustered just three hits and has now only scored three runs across the first two games of the series. The A’s entered play with the second-worst ERA in all of baseball (5.42) along with the second-highest batting average against (.267).

With the series tied, the Yankees (47-35) will lean on the returning Marcus Stroman to avoid the series loss.

Here are the takeaways…

-After pitching seven no-hit innings in his last start, Clarke Schmidt picked up where he left off, getting the first three batters in order and pushing his scoreless innings streak to 26.1, the longest single-season scoreless streak by a Yankees starter in the Expansion Era (1961).

He would extend that streak to 28.2 innings, the most by a Yankee since Don Larson‘s 29 straight in 1958, but Brent Rooker put an end to the feat with his solo shot in the fourth to give the A’s a 1-0 lead. Schmidt lost his command in the sixth, walking the first two batters on eight pitches. After a mound visit, Schmidt bounced back to strike out Rooker, but Nick Kurtz deposited a 1-2 cutter over the right field wall to give the Athletics a 4-0 lead.

Schmidt would finish the frame to give the Yanks six solid innings. He threw 85 pitches (55 strikes), allowing four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out seven batters.

-On the offensive side, the Yankees’ offense just couldn’t get the big hit against former Yankee prospect JP Sears. Sears allowed just one hit through the first five innings, but the Yankees made him work, walking three times and setting up Aaron Judge for a big inning with runners on first and second and two outs. However, Judge flew out to right field to end the Yankee threat.

After Cody Bellinger‘s first-inning single, the Yankees wouldn’t get another hit until Paul Goldschmidt led off the sixth with a single of his own. Judge would have another chance to drive in runs, and just missed a two-run shot, launching a drive to the deepest part of Yankee Stadium for an out. The ball left his bat at 107 mph, had an xBA of .750 and went 406 feet, but it wasn’t enough. It would have been a home run in 20 parks.

Judge finished 0-for-3 with a walk. His average has dipped to .354.

The offense as a whole had three hits, five walks, struck out seven times and grounded into two double plays. They were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left six runners on base.

-With the score still 4-0 in the eighth, the game got away from the Yanks. After Allan Winans walked the first two batters, Max Muncy laid down a bunt that popped in the air in front of homeplate but none of the Yankees played it aggressively and it dropped between Austin Wells and Winans. Worse than that, Wells picked it up — when it potentially could have rolled foul — and tried to throw to first for the force but almost threw it into the outfield.

A sac fly and a strikeout later, Austin Wynns hit a single to score another run. Bellinger threw to third to cut the runner down there but it skipped past Jazz Chisholm Jr. and no one backed him up, so another run scored as the Athletics’ lead ballooned to 7-0.

Game MVP: Nick Kurtz

Kurtz’s blast put the game away even before the defensive mishaps in the eighth inning.

What’s next

The Yankees and A’s complete their series on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:35 p.m.

Marcus Stroman (0-1, 11.57 ERA) returns from the IL and will be opposed by former Yankee, Luis Severino (2-8, 4.83 ERA).

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza updated the rehab statuses of injured left-handers Sean Manaea and Brooks Raley before Saturday’s game at the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Manaea, who has been on the injured list since late March with a right oblique strain, had a setback in his left elbow and played catch earlier this week.

He does not yet have a next rehab start in mind, Mendoza said.

“He’s scheduled to throw a bullpen (Sunday) back in New York, and then we’ll see where we’re at after that,” Mendoza said.

The Mets have to wait and see with how Manaea responds, Mendoza added.

“We’ve got to, especially with what he’s dealing with now,” Mendoza said. “Again, bullpen (Sunday) and we’ve got to wait (and see) how he responds and we’ll make that next decision.”

Raley, meanwhile, is set to pitch for Double-A Binghamton in Saturday’s game against the Boston Red Sox-affiliated Portland Sea Dogs.

“We’ll see what’s next after that,” Mendoza said. “Obviously, he’s got to go to (Triple-A) Syracuse at some point.

“I think we’re going to see one-plus (inning) out of him, so we started that process — finishing an inning and then going back out for another one. I think that’s happening (Saturday).”

Raley started his rehab assignment on June 17 with Low-A St. Lucie before Saturday’s Binghamton transfer.

“I think it’s more (likely) after the (All-Star) break,” Mendoza said of when Raley, who underwent Tommy John surgery last May, could return to the Mets.

Most of the recent pitching news with the New York Yankees has involved starters going on the injured list. Ryan Yarbrough was the latest, sidelined with a right oblique strain. 

However, the Yankees will get a starting pitcher back on Sunday with Marcus Stroman returning to the rotation against the Athletics. Stroman has been on the IL since mid-April with left knee inflammation, but just completed three starts on a minor-league rehab assignment. 

After throwing a side session on Friday with no difficulties, Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced that Stroman would start Sunday. 

“He’s mostly built up and he feels ready to go,” Boone told reporters, via MLB.com. “Hopefully, he represents that when we go out there [Sunday].”

Stroman didn’t put up impressive numbers during his rehab assignment, compiling a 6.97 ERA. In his final rehab start for Double-A Somerset on Tuesday, he allowed five runs, 10 hits and two walks in 3 2/3 innings. That performance, coupled with Stroman struggling before he went on the IL, has some Yankees observers concerned about what sort of contribution the 11-year veteran can provide. 

Yet Stroman insists he feels good and appeared to imply that his results will be better with the urgency of pitching in the majors, rather than recovering in the minors. 

“I’m just making sure the knee’s moving well, body’s feeling good, arm’s feeling good,” Stroman said, via MLB.com. “I’m someone who definitely needs the intensity to turn it back up, so I’m looking forward to getting back out there.”

Stroman also explained that he altered his mechanics during his rehab assignment to lessen the stress on his left knee. 

In his previous three starts this season, Stroman collected an 11.57 ERA with 12 hits and seven walks allowed in 9 1/3 innings. This was after his spot in the starting rotation was in question during spring training. 

At the time, Stroman insisted pitching out of the bullpen was not an option. But with Gerrit Cole undergoing Tommy John surgery and Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt beginning the season on the IL, Stroman basically won a starting role by default. 

Stroman being activated means Allan Winans will be sent back down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Winans got a spot start on Monday after compiling a 0.90 ERA in 11 minor-league starts. But he was battered for four runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings versus the Cincinnati Reds. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls swapped players Saturday, specifically Isaac Okoro for Lonzo Ball.

It’s a deal that’s actually fairly well-balanced, so let’s get into it.

Cleveland gets a Ty Jerome replacement

With Ball coming in to Cleveland, you can probably rule out a return of free agent Ty Jerome this summer, as Ball is going to take over the backup point-guard role.

The 27-year-old missed two full seasons due to left knee issues, going through three surgeries, making a stunning comeback this past season by playing 35 games for the Bulls and displaying better movement than most would have anticipated.

Cleveland takes a certain level of risk here because Ball is no lock to play 50 or 60 games, but they’re swinging on the upside of him being ready for a postseason run. Ball’s on-court IQ is substantial, and his defensive know-how remains an asset for any team.

Ball signed a two-year extension worth $20 million, which triggers this summer. The second year has a team option in case his injury pattern re-emerges.

Basically, the Cavs have an easy out here if needed, so they’re only on the hook for his salary this year, which accounts for just 6.47% of the projected salary cap.

The fact they gave up Okoro, who has become a rarely used wing, won’t hurt their depth, with De’Andre Hunter absorbing a lot of those minutes.

Grade: A

Bulls gain better roster symmetry

The Bulls were loaded with guards, and it was frankly time to do something about it.

The Bulls extended Ball for this very reason — so they could ship him out in a future trade — showing surprising foresight for an organization that’s historically had very little.

The yield is Okoro, a 6-foot-5 wing who can hit the corner 3 and play rock-solid defense.

He’s not a high-volume guy and probably never will be, but he can integrate himself into the fabric of a team where he doesn’t feature heavily, and that’s not a bad ability to have.

Okoro will play hard, he’ll be an active and switchable defender, and he’ll give Chicago needed depth at small forward, with Patrick Williams and Matas Buzelis better suited as natural fours.

Okoro’s contract is also fine. He signed a three-year deal in 2024 worth $33 million, so a little over $22.8 million is left over the next two seasons.

That’s a very manageable number, and the Bulls essentially lock in a rotation wing for a number that falls way short of the non-tax MLE, which is actually decent work.

Of course, it’s still unclear what Chicago’s plan is, so in the context of potential follow-up moves, this becomes a tough grade.

Are they planning to compete and view Okoro as someone who will significantly help get them into the playoffs? If so, that’s probably a little too optimistic.

Is he instead considered a solid contract who will help steady the secondary rotation? If so, then that’s a bull’s-eye.

Grade: Incomplete, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner had an opportunity to become the first player to hit for the cycle for the fourth time in his career when he came to bat in the ninth inning on Friday night. He needed a triple for the feat and admitted after the game that he briefly considered making a drastic decision to get it. 

During the Phillies’ 13-0 win over the Atlanta Braves, Turner already had a double in the first inning, a home run in the second and a single in the fourth. With a double-digit deficit, the Braves were pitching outfielder Luke Williams to save the bullpen and finish out the game. 

Williams was just trying to lob strikes, so Turner had to time one of those pitches right. But he also wanted to hit the ball down the right- or left-field line for a chance at the triple he needed. 

“A lot of things were going through my head,” Turner told the NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast after the game. “I was trying to hit a line drive down the right-field line on the first two pitches.”

After falling behind by two strikes, Turner turned on an inside 52.4 mph pitch and pulled it to left field. He thought he got jammed by the pitch and hit a pop-up, but saw Braves left fielder Alex Verdugo continuing to drift back. So he started to run faster, in case the ball hit the wall. But the fly ball went over the wall for Turner’s second homer of the game. 

Has a player ever been disappointed to hit two home runs in a game? Probably not, and Turner wasn’t either. But after scoring the Phillies’ 13th run, he realized that he could have given himself a triple by not touching home plate.

“After I touched home plate — and this thought never crossed my mind before that,” Turner said, via MLB.com. “But you know, the thought of missing the plate — I think that’d be a triple.”

Turner added that he and his teammates thought the “baseball gods” would have frowned upon such a decision and “it would have been probably the most selfish thing to do in the history of baseball.” So he finished with a 4-for-6 night with two homers, two RBI and a stolen base. Getting that fourth cycle will have to wait for another time. 

Five players have hit for the cycle three times, including Turner: the Milwaukee Brewers‘ Christian Yelich, Hall of Famer Adrián Beltré, Babe Herman of the then-Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees‘ Bob Meusel. 

With the win and the New York Mets losing on Friday, the Phillies regained a half-game lead atop the NL East going into Saturday’s play.