ARLINGTON, Texas Clay Holmes lost his delivery, lost his command and then lost the game. By the end of the night, the Yankees had lost their grip on first place in the AL East, too. After a DJ LeMahieu fielding error opened the door for a two-run rally in the bottom of the eighth that trimmed the Yankees lead to one run, Holmes blew it in the bottom of the ninth as the Rangers walked off with a 7-4 win on Tuesday night at Globe Life Field. Rangers teammates get ready to mob Wyatt Langford as he is about to touch home plate after belting the game-winning, walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning of the Yankees 7-4 lo s to the Rangers on Sept. 3, 2024. AP Wyatt Langford delivered the final blow, crushing a grand slam to left field on a full count with one out. Holmes, who had walked back-to-back batters to load the bases, hung a slider over the heart of the plate and Langford clobbered it to seal a brutal finish for the Yankees. Explore More With the crushing lo s their fifth in the last seven games the Yankees (80-59) dropped into second place in the AL East for the first time since Aug. 20, with the Orioles moving into first by a half-game. Theres been times Ive thrown well and gotten beat, Holmes said. Obviously tonight was one of those where I didnt throw very well. Wasnt very good at all and definitely didnt deserve to come out on top the way I was throwing. The blown save was Holmes league-leading 11th of the season, and while this one was different than most of the rest, it only turned the spotlight brighter on his struggles and the i sues facing the back end of the Yankees bullpen. Clay Holmes blew his 11th save of the season in the Yankees lo s on Sept. 3, 2024. AP Asked if the Yankees needed to go in another direction at closer, manager Aaron Boone deflected. Im not going to answer that right now when were raw and emotional, Boone said. Well talk through it Caden Dana Jersey and do what we think is the best thing. Boone had left the door open for a change after Holmes last blown save on Aug. 18 in the Little League Cla sic, but he converted all three of his save opportunities since then leading into Tuesday. Wyatt Langford celebrates after belting the game-winning, walk-off grand slam off Clay Holmes in the ninth inning of the Yankees 7-4 lo s to the Rangers on Sept. 3, 2024. Getty Images At times a victim this season of soft contact as a ground ball pitcher, Holmes hurt himself in this one. He consistently spiked sinkers and sliders in the dirt, leading to walks of Josh Smith (on a 3-2 count) and Marcus Semien (on a 3-1 count) to load the bases with one out before Langfords homer. Just lost the delivery there, Holmes said. Lost the feel for the sinker. [Slider], was just leaving it up. Think I was just getting a little too quick. The command went with that. Obviously that one hurt. That was a tough one. Have to bounce back and show what were made of [Wednesday]. On a night when Carlos Rodon struck out a season-high 11 acro s six strong innings, the Yankees took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth. Anthony Volpe hits a two-run single in the eighth inning of the Yankees lo s on Sept. 3, 2024. AP Smith led off with a high chopper to first base that Boone said LeMahieu lost in the lights as it hit off his glove for the error. One out after Semiens broken-bat infield single off Jake Cousins, Josh Jung roped a line drive to second base that Gleyber Torres could not knock down with a backhanded attempt on an in-between hop, going for an RBI single that made it 4-2. It was a tough play, on this track thats obviously fast, Boone said. If he stabs it, we probably get a double play there, but its a tough one. Carlos Rodon allowed just one run over six innings, but had to settle for a no-decision in the Yankees lo s on Sept. 3, 2024. AP After Cousins walked the bases loaded, Tim Hill entered and allowed Nathaniel Lowes sacrifice fly to make it 4-3 before striking out Jonah Heim to end the threat. But that only delayed the devastation. Its tough, Rodon said. Baseball can be very cruel. Its a cruel game. But I have a lot of faith in Clay Holmes. Hes a good teammate, so hes got all my support. Im looking forward to seeing him out there again. Aaron Judge rounds third base and scores on Anthony Volpes two-run single in the eighth inning of the Yankees lo s on Sept. 3, 2024. AP Given that Holmes was pitching for a second straight night on Tuesday, he likely wont have a chance to redeem himself in Wednesdays series finale the 10th straight rubber game the Yankees have played in. When he gets his next save opportunity after that, though, remains to be seen. Tonight was a struggle, obviously, Boone said. Hes really important to us down there and we need his excellence to be part of the group down there. Jose Soriano Jersey