Cam Schlittler’s rough night against the Cardinals wasn’t just an off performance. It exposed the kind of mechanical hiccup that can turn a power arm into a traffic jam.
The Yankees right-hander, who usually lives on two things - elite velocity and sharp command - was suddenly out of sync Monday in St. Louis.
He walked his first batter on four pitches, then kept missing enough to turn what should have been a manageable start into a mess. By the time it was over, Schlittler had issued five walks in three innings during a 13-7 loss, easily his worst outing of the season.
What stood out wasn’t only the lack of control. It was how it looked.
A scout who watched the start pointed out that Schlittler was throwing across his body at times, with his left foot landing slightly toward third base instead of straight toward home plate. That kind of drift can wreck a pitcher’s finish and drag the ball out of the strike zone.
“You could definitely see it,” the scout said. “Not every pitch, but enough of them. He was falling off (in his delivery).”
Schlittler didn’t argue. In fact, he said the issue has shown up on and off all season.
“Yeah, it was pretty obvious,” Schlittler said. “It’s something that’s happened before, but I’m usually able to reel it in.
For some reason, I couldn’t (against the Cardinals.). I kept falling off (towards first base).
“I mean, I’d get to 0-2 or 1-2 and then I’d throw two or three waste pitches. Suddenly it’s a full count and that’s when it becomes a battle. It’s a whole different game when you can’t get ahead (of hitters).”
After the start, Schlittler said he wasn’t sure exactly why it got away from him so quickly. He suggested his body may have been affected by Sunday night’s late flight back from Chicago, where the Yankees wrapped up a seven-game stretch against the White Sox and Cubs.
What he does know is what it feels like when everything is right.
“You’re going down the mound, straight down, right at the catcher instead of falling off,” he said. “That’s what got me, instead of being in the zone, I was throwing too many non-competitive pitches.”
The right-hander is scheduled to start Sunday against the Braves, and he’s been working with pitching coach Matt Blake all week to clean things up. Blake’s focus, according to Schlittler, is to “slow Cam down” so his long stride stays on line.
He’s also getting help from two veterans who know exactly what the dugout can see: Gerrit Cole and Max Fried. Schlittler has said before that both pitchers often offer feedback between innings rather than waiting for the next day.
That guidance matters because Schlittler has become a major piece of what the Yankees want to do going forward. He leads the American League with a 2.26 ERA, and he’s already showing why the Yankees see him as an ace in the making.
Cole won the 2024 Cy Young Award. Fried won 19 games in 2025.
Schlittler figures to be part of the next wave after them.
For now, he’s also part of the Yankees’ October formula. One American League executive said the club’s rotation gives it an edge in a long series.
“No one has the kind of depth the Yankees have,” the executive said. “Their advantage is the middle and back end of their rotation.
Everyone’s got a top-notch No. 1 and No. 2.
But the Yankees have Schlittler as a No. 3, which is tough to beat.”
Schlittler already showed what he can do in October. In the 2025 Wild Card Series, he struck out 10 in Game 4 against Boston to end the Red Sox season.
With the Yankees’ offense still struggling, the burden on the rotation only grows. That leaves little room for mistakes if Schlittler ends up in a Game 3 spot. And against a Cardinals lineup that ranks 19th in the majors in runs scored and sits at .500, he should have been in control.
Instead, he found the flaw.
“Five walks…I might walk five guys in a month,” he said, shaking his head. “Walks lead to runs. I just have to be better.”
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