Yankees couldn’t find comeback magic this time in loss to Guardians

CLEVELAND — Seven of the Yankees’ previous eight wins featured comebacks, but they failed to produce more thrills on Sunday.

Trailing by two runs entering the ninth, the Yankees were tasked with facing Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase — who’s been just as effective as Clay Holmes over the past month-plus.

And for a change, the Yankees fell short in a 2-0 loss at Progressive Field.

Clase entered with a streak of 19 straight scoreless appearances, allowing just 10 hits and a walk in 19 innings.

Anthony Rizzo walked on four pitches and Giancarlo Stanton grounded to shortstop, but Owen Miller dropped the throw from Amed Rosario.

Josh Donaldson flied to center for the first out and Gleyber Torres was caught looking.

Aaron Judge, not in the starting lineup with Aaron Boone looking to rest the slugger, pinch hit for Jose Trevino and Judge walked to load the bases for Aaron Hicks.

Hicks grounded to second to end it.

The offense was mostly silent all day, as right-hander Triston McKenzie brought them to a halt to help Cleveland avoid a season-sweep by the Yankees.

With the defeat, their first in six games to Cleveland this season, the Yankees’ MLB-best record slipped to 58-22 to close out a stretch of 20 games in 20 days.

McKenzie had allowed 13 earned runs — and five homers — in 10 ¹/₃ innings in his previous two starts — both against Minnesota — but retired the first 10 Yankees he faced.

He gave up just a hit, a walk and a hit by pitch in seven shutout innings.

Stanton was the Yankees’ first base runner when he drew a four-pitch walk with one out in the fourth and Donaldson followed with a single to left. But Torres and Trevino grounded out to keep the game scoreless.

Jordan Montgomery, coming off two straight subpar outings — when he allowed nine runs in 12 ²/₃ innings — gave up just a leadoff homer to Franmil Reyes in the bottom of the fourth.

Montgomery also struck out eight, but lasted just five innings and matched a season-high with three walks.

He pitched out of a jam in the third. With two outs and no one on, Montgomery walked Myles Straw. A throwing error by Isiah Kiner-Falefa at shortstop extended the inning and Montgomery then walked Amed Rosario to load the bases before he got Gabriel Arias looking to end the threat.

Kiner-Falefa got hit by a McKenzie pitch to lead off the sixth and stole second, but was stranded there.

JP Sears, recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday to take the roster spot of Ron Marinaccio — on the IL with right shoulder inflammation — tossed two scoreless innings before consecutive singles gave Cleveland runners on the corners with no one out.

But LeMahieu — who pinch hit for Kiner-Falefa in the top of the inning — threw Steven Kwan out at home and Gabriel Arias was thrown out between first and second — leaving Rosario on second.

Albert Abreu relieved Sears and gave up an RBI single to Reyes before Torres made a throwing error from shortstop after he’d moved over from second after Kiner-Falefa left the game.