Game 96. Yanks slam Rockies, 8-2, behind some ex-Rockies. Lead now 9.

Edwin Encarnacion hit a grand slam, ex-Rockies D.J. LeMahieu, Mike Tauchman, and Adam Ottavino tormented their former team, and Aaron Judge added a 2-run HR as the Yanks (63-33) beat Colorado 8-2 Friday night.

With the win, the Yanks’ AL East lead grew to 9 over Tampa Bay and 11 over Boston.

The Rockies struck first, scoring two in the second off of J.A. Happ. Ryan McMahon led off the inning with a HR, then an out later, Chris Ianetta singled and then scored on a double by Garrett Hampson. Hampson advanced to third on the play on an error by Gleyber Torres. Happ got out of further trouble, when, on a fly ball to LF Mike Tauchman,  Tauchman lined up perfectly to catch the ball and then threw a perfect one-hopper to Gary Sanchez to nail Hampson, who was trying to tag up and score on the flyout, at the plate.

The Yanks took over in the third inning. With one out, LeMahieu, the former Rockie (as is Tauchman and Ottavino) singled. Both Judge and Sanchez walked, and Encarnacion hit a grand slam, his 29th HR of the season, to put the Yanks’ up 4-2.

Tauchman was huge in this game. Besides throwing a guy out at the plate, his hustle came up big. He made a nice sliding catch at one point in the game, and in the fourth, with two out, blooped a hit into shallow left. He hustled it into a double, and that hustle paid off when LeMahieu singled him in to make it 5-2.

Tauchman singled with one out in the sixth, and then showed off his hustle again by stealing second. He advanced to third on a throwing error on the play and scored on a fielders’ choice grounder, beating the play at the plate. More hustle. LeMahieu reached on that play, and then Judge added a 2-run HR (11) to make it 8-2.

The Yanks got excellent relief pitching as Happ, Ottavino and Stephen Tarpley combined for 17 K. 

With Nestor Cortes, Jr. having gone a few innings on Thursday, he was sent down and Tarpley brought up in order for the Yanks to have a “fresh arm.”

LeMahieu 2 hits, 2 RBI .330
Judge 2-run HR (11), threw out a guy at second.
Encarnacion grand slam HR (29), 4 RBI
Hicks 2 hits
Torres 2 hits
Tauchman 3 hits, scored two runs due to hustle, made great defensive plays.

Happ (W, 8-5, 4.86) 5 IP, 2 R, 8 H, 2 W, 8 K. Gave up 1 HR. In and out of trouble all night, helped by Tauchman and Judge.
Ottavino (H, 23) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K.  1.66
Tarpley (S, 2) 3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 6 K.  7.30.

Manager Aaron Boone was suspended for this game due to his ejection in Game 1 of Thursday’s DH.

I can’t help but think. With the excellent defense (and hitting) LeMahieu and Urshela provide, could good bat/weak glove youngsters Clint Frazier and (the injured) Miguel Andujar be on the trade block in order to land a starting pitcher? There are only so many spots to go around to fill up a team, and someone would have to go.

My reports this weekend may be spotty, if at all. I’ll be up in Cooperstown Sunday for the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

 

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Yanks rained out. A minor move, news on Chapman, and Heller has a setback.

From MLB.com:

The New York Yankees announced that Wednesday’s game between the Yankees and Rays has been postponed due to the forecast of severe inclement weather.

Tonight’s game has been rescheduled as the first game (3:00 p.m.) of a single-admission doubleheader for tomorrow, Thursday, July 18. The regularly scheduled second game will start approximately 30 minutes after the first game ends, but no earlier than 7:05 p.m.

The Yanks did make a minor move today, picking up Terrance Gore from KC for cash considerations. He will go to SWB and isn’t on the 40 man roster. He could go on at the end of the year. The speedster could be used late in the year or in the postseason as a pinchrunner. He already has been used in that role in the postseason with the 2014 and 2015 Royals and with the 2018 Cubs.

Gore, 28, only has 67 MLB at bats, hitting .224 with just 1 MLB RBI. He does have 40 SB however, in 49 attempts. He can play all three OF positions but is primarily a corner outfielder.

Rumors were going around today that Aroldis Chapman absolutely, positively, 1 million percent sure was going to opt out of his contract at the end of the season. Maybe he still will, but (per mlb.com):

Chapman said that no decisions about his future have been made.

…

“The report is completely false,” Chapman said through a translator. “I haven’t even spoken to my agent about it. Like I said before, we have a big task in front of us, which is to win the division and win the World Series. That’s the main focus for me right now. Contract stuff hasn’t even crossed my mind at all.”

….

“But the truth is, honestly, I feel really good here,” Chapman said. “There’s no reason for me to start thinking about changes or anything like that. I feel great here. Eventually, when the season is over, I’ll sit down and talk about it. No need right now.”

Also from MLB.com:

Right-hander Ben Heller, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, has been pulled back from his Minor League rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre due to an issue with his right elbow or forearm. Heller is returning to New York to be evaluated by the Yankees’ medical staff.

The YES network has had different people in the studio for pre- and post-game Yankees’ game reports. Seeing Jeff Nelson and David Wells was one thing, but it is a little surprising the past few nights to see Buck Showalter doing commentary.

 

Minor League Report.

AAA: SWB (53-38) won 4-3. SS Tyler Wade 2 hits, 2 RBI (.312). He’s really heating up now. Unfortunately, just .173 in his time in the majors so far. You wonder if he (or Thairo Estrada) could be trade bait if the Yanks make a major deal for a pitcher before the trade deadline. Estrada has done better in his brief minor league stint this year than Wade has in his. Also, infielder Breyvic Valera will be going back down to SWB now that Luke Voit comes off the IL today. The Yanks may have to make a decision between these players if they make a deal—who to keep and who to include in the trade.

C Kyle Higashioka solo HR. 1B Ryan McBroom 2 hits. CF Billy Burns 3 hits.

Randall Delgado (W, 2-4, 6.07) 6 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 2 W, 5 K. Gave up 1 HR>
Jonathan Holder (H, 2) 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 3 K.  3.86
Joe Harvey (S, 8) 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K. Gave up 1 HR.  2.66

Good to see the previously struggling Holder have a decent outing. BTW, the win came over Syracuse, the Mets’ AAA team. Tim Tebow batted 9th, was 0 for 3 and is hitting just .158 for Syracuse.

AA: Trenton (47-40) shut out Reading 3-0. C Jorge Saez 2 hits.

Rony Garcia (W, 2-7, 4.65) 8 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 0 W, 8 K
Danny Alvarez (S, 11) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 0 K.  2.84

High A: Tampa (39-51) lost 5-2.  SS Diego Castillo 2 hits. 2B Wilkerman Garcia two RBI.

Low A: Charleston (47-45) won 4-3 in 10 innings. SS Oswald Peraza 2 hits. DH Welfrin Mateo solo HR, 2 RBI. Dalton Lehnen (2-0, 0.82) 3 scoreless relief innings for the win.

 

Game 89. Yanks shut out Jays, 4-0.

From the time the Yankees got Edwin Encarnacion from Seattle, up until the All-Star break, Encarnacion struggled, going 8 for 65. Of the 8 hits, 2 were doubles, and 4 were HR.

We know what Encarnacion can do. Hopefully this first game after the All-Star break gets him going.

A bases-clearing 3-run double by Encarnacion was the key hit in a 4-0 Yankees’ win over Toronto Friday night. The win keeps the Yanks (58-31) 6 1/2 up on Tampa bay and 9 up over Boston in the AL East.

Domingo German pitched six scoreless innings to go to 11-2 on the season. Tommy Kahnle and Chad Green completed the shutout.

Nice to get a shutout and not have to use Ottavino, Britton or Chapman.

The Yanks got all four runs in the fifth inning. Brett Gardner led off the inning with a triple and scored on an RBI groundout by D.J. LeMahieu. Aaron Judge singled, Aaron Hicks doubled Judge to third, and Gary Sanchez was HBP to load the bases. Encarnacion then cleared the bases with his double.

Luke Voit should come off the IL tomorrow.

Hicks 2 hits.
Encarnacion 2 hits, 3 RBI
Gleyber Torres 2 hits
Gardner 2 hits.

German (W, 11-2, 3.40) 6 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 0 W, 7 K.
Kahnle 1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 0 K.   3.03
Green 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 3 K.  5.35

Game 88. Yanks lose pitcher’s battle, 2-1.

The Yanks enter the All-Star break at 51-37, 6 1/2 up on Tampa Bay and 9 up on Boston after losing 2-1 to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday afternoon.

There were 27 strikeouts in the game. The Yanks struck out 14x, the Rays 13.

James Paxton pitched well, but the first three batters of the game decided the whole ballgame. Double, double (which I’ll get to in a moment) for a run. Single to put runners on the corners. A forceout brought in Run #2.

On the second double, bad defense by the Yankees allowed Tommy Pham to take second on what should have been a single. There is a good chance that, the way the inning played out, that the second run would not have scored. That miscue may have cost them the game.

The Yanks’ only run came on a HR by Brett Gardner in the second inning. If I had told you in spring training that Gardner would have 15 HR at the All-Star Break, you’d have thought I was nuts. But here you go….

One call on Aaron Judge was atrocious. Judge, a soft spoken guy, needs to get on the umps a bit (not enough to get thrown out of the game, however). Umpires call low strikes on him as if he were a normal major league hitter. THE GUY IS SIX FEET SEVEN! HIS KNEES ARE HIGHER UP THAN A NORMAL MAJOR LEAGUER! WHAT IS A STRIKE TO A NORMAL MAJOR LEAGUER IS LOW TO JUDGE! What about this don’t some umpires understand? Horrible call.

Hopefully after the All-Star break, Edwin Encarnacion heats up. So far as a Yankee, he has been bad. 8 for 65, 2 doubles, 4 HR, but 8 for 65 is not good. Not at all.

Before the game, Breyvic Valera was brought up (he got one hit and almost had another) and Dan Camarena sent back down. With Voit due back after the all-star break is over, Valera, like Camarena, could be up for just one day. At least he got into a game. Camarena didn’t.

Gardner 2 of Yanks’ 5 hits. Solo HR (15).

Paxton (L, 5-4, 4.01) 6 IP, 2 R, 7 H, 0 W, 11 K.
Kahnle 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.  3.12
Ottavino 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K.  1.80
Green 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.  5.68

 

 

Game 87. Yanks lose in walk-off fashion, 4-3.

One-time Met Travis D’Arnaud hit a walk-off HR for the Tampa Bay Rays to beat the Yanks 4-3 Saturday.

The loss decreased the Yanks’ (57-30) lead in the AL East over the Rays to 7 1/2 games.

The Yanks got the early lead in the game when Brett Gardner hit his 14th HR of the year, putting the Yanks up, 1-0 in the second inning.

d’Arnaud singled in a run in the bottom of the inning to tie it up.

It stayed that way until the seventh. Gio Urshela singled and went to second on a WP. Mike Tauchman walked. D.J. LeMahieu GIDP, Urshela to third, then Aaron Judge walked. Aaron Hicks singled to put the Yanks up 2-1. Sanchez then walked, but Encarnacion lined out. He just missed out on a bases clearing double.

This was the Yanks’ bugaboo in the game. They were 1 for 12 w/RISP. In the fifth, they had bases loaded, one out and couldn’t score.

I thought CC would come out at this point. At this stage of his career, in his final season, about to turn 39 soon, CC doesn’t go seven innings anymore.

But his pitch count was low, and he did come out for the seventh. He did get the first two guys out, but then gave up a single, and on a 1-2 count (one strike away from getting out of the seventh), gave up a 2-run HR that put the Rays up, 3-2.

Second-guess? It’s tough. Got the first two outs in the seventh no problem, one strike away from getting through seven. One bad pitch.

Down to their last strike in the top of the ninth, Aaron Hicks homered (8) to tie up the game.

Chad Green came in for the ninth and got two quick outs, then d’Arnaud hit the first pitch he saw for a HR to win the game.

A tough loss, but it’s hard to bitch when you have won 16 of your last 19.

Tomorrow (Sunday) is the last game before the All-Star break.

Some notes: Before the game, Mike Ford sent down, Dan Camarena called up b/c of the pitchers being a bit burned out. There is a good chance Camarena doesn’t even get into a game, what with the All-Star break.

CC’s career will be honored in Cleveland (where his career began) during the All-Star Game.

Because of an injury, Masahiro Tanaka has been added to the All-Star roster.

Going into the game, LeMahieu not only led the AL in batting average, but also in RBI… the batting average for a leadoff hitter is no surprise, but the RBI is.

Hicks 3 hits, 2 RBI, solo HR (8)
Sanchez 0 for 4, 4 strikeouts. Did draw one walk. Slumping. Down to .245.
Encarnacion 0 for 4. Just 8 for 61 (4 HR) since the Yanks got him.
Gardner solo HR (14)
Tauchman 2 hits.

Sabathia 7 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 2 W, 5 K. Gave up 1 HR. 4.03
Ottavino 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.  1.83
Green (L, 2-3, 5.81) 2/3 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K. Gave up GW, walkoff HR.

 

 

 

Minor League Report. Trenton throws one-hitter, loses 1-0.

AAA: SWB (48-35) won 4-0. DH Tyler Wade (.301) 2 hits. RF Trey Amburgey solo HR. 2B Wendell Rijo 2 RBI.

Espinal (W, 4-7, 4.24) 7 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 1 W, 9 K.
Ort 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K.  3.97
Harvey 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  2.60

Logan Morrison did opt out of his contract.

AA: Trenton (45-35) lost both games of a DH.

Reg. Sched. game: Lost 7-1. SS Kyle Holder 2 hits.

Makeup of 4/20: Lost 1-0 despite pitching a one-hitter. Trenton only got two hits themselves.

Talk about a tough-luck loss!

Nelson (L, 2-2, 3.78) 6 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 3 W, 11 K.

High A: Tampa (35-45) won 9-2. CF Estevan Florial 2 hits, 5 RBI, 3-run HR. 1B Steven Sensley 2 hits, 3 RBI, 3-run HR. 3B/1B Jose Martinez 2 hits, RBI.

Frank German 5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 5 W, 6 K.

Low A: Charleston (43-40) lost 10-0, getting just three hits.

Cortijo (L, 3-1, 1.93) 6 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 W, 3 K.   Then the relievers blew up.