Game 144. Yanks beat Boston 10-5 behind HRs by Gleyber and Judge. Tauchman also HRs, but gets hurt.

Before the game, the Yanks activated Gio Urshela off the IL and brought up Thairo Estrada (who was on rehab), Kyle Higashioka and Breyvic Valera.

The Yanks then beat Boston 10-5 behind Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres and Mike Tauchman, but Tauchman got hurt during the game.

With the win, the 94-50 Yankees maintain an 8 1/2 game lead over Tampa Bay with 18 games to go. The magic # to reach the playoffs is 8 and the magic # to clinch the division is 10.

They remain tied with Houston for the best record in baseball but Houston has the tiebreaker. Both teams are 1 1/2 games ahead of the Dodgers.

In the second inning, Torres gave the Yanks a 2-0 lead with his 35th HR of the season after Edwin Encarnacion singled in front of him.

In the third, Tauchman singled, and D.J. LeMahieu reached on an infield single. Judge singled in a run, sending LeMahieu to third. After Didi Gregorius popped out, Gary Sanchez’ RBI groundout made it 4-0.

Staked to a four-run lead, Masahiro Tanaka couldn’t go five innings for the win. He gave up a two-run HR to Jackie Bradley in the bottom of the third that cut the Yanks’ lead to 4-2.

In the top of the fourth, Torres singled and scored two outs later on a 2-run HR by Tauchman (13) who had to leave the game later with a calf injury. He’ll be getting an MRI. Ugh. 6-2, Yanks.

With two out in the fourth, Tanaka gave up a single and two doubles and that cut the lead to 6-4. Tanaka didn’t come out for the fifth, so couldn’t get the win.

Chad Green was superb in his three innings of scoreless relief and did pick up the W. His ERA of 4.60 doesn’t look good because of those horrendous first three weeks of the season where his ERA was 16.43 and he had to be sent to the minors. Since returning, the ERA is 2.89.

In the fifth, Judge led off the inning with a HR (21) to make it 7-4, then Didi reached on an error. After a walk, Encarnacion singled Didi to third, and Didi scored on an RBI forceout by Torres. 8-4.

Judge’s HR was the Yanks’ 268th of the season, topping the mark set last year when they set a MLB record. They are eight behind the Twins (who set a new record) this season. Could they (or the Twins) hit 300?

Mookie Betts homered in the bottom of the eighth to make it 8-5.

The Yanks scored two in the ninth when Didi walked, and Rafael Devers made two errors on the same play (one fielding, one throwing) to put runners on second and third. Devers had three errors in the game and was saved from a couple others. Encarnacion singled in one run, then Torres doubled in another to make it 10-5, the final score.

Judge 2 hits, 2 RBI, solo HR (21)
Encarnacion 3 hits, RBI
Torres 3 hits, 4 RBI, 2-run HR (35)
Tauchman 2 hits, 2 RBI. 2-run HR (13). Injured, left game.

Tanaka 4 IP, 4 R, 8 H, 0 W, 2 K. Gave up 1 HR.  4.53
Green (W, 3-4, 4.60) 3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 5 K.
Ottavino 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K. Gave up 1 HR.   1.76
Loaisiga 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K.  4.63

In the minors, Trenton (AA) will face Bowie for the Eastern League Championship. The best-of-five series begins in Trenton on Tuesday.

OF/1B Chris Duncan, ex-Cardinal and brother of one-time Yankee Shelley Duncan and son of former MLB catcher and pitching coach Dave Duncan, died of brain cancer
September 6 at the age of 38. He hit 22 HR as a part-time player for the 2006 WS Champion Cardinals and 21 the following year. In 389 MLB games, he hit .257 with 55 HR and an OPS+ of 109. He played for the Cardinals 2005-2009.

Tom Phoebus, RHP, died Sept. 5, age 77. Born in Baltimore, he pitched for his hometown Orioles 1966-1970, and was a part of two WS Champs (1966, 1970) and one AL Pennant winner (1969). He won 14, 15 and 14 games from 1967-1969. His only postseason appearance was in one game during the 1970 WS, where he got the win in Game 2. He pitched for the Padres (1971-1972) and Cubs (1972). His career MLB record was 56-52, 3.33, ERA+ 100.

A DYK: Aaron Boone now has 194 wins (and counting) in his first two seasons as Yankees’ manager. The record? Ralph Houk with 205 (1961 and 1962).

Lastly, a tip of the cap to Brian Cashman’s longevity with the Yankees. Not even a year after winning the World Series, the Red Sox fire Dave Dombrowski.

 

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Game 139. Offense and Bullpen waste a Tanaka gem. Yanks lose, 7-0, and are shutout for first time in 220 games.

Transaction news, first. From MLBtraderumors.com:

Edwin Encarnacion will be joining the Yanks tomorrow. See the minor league report for how he did today for SWB.

Also, the Yankees have traded minor league right-hander J.P. Feyereisen to the Brewers  in exchange for minor league infielder Brenny Escanio and international bonus pool space, per announcements from both clubs. Both Feyereisen, 26, and Escanio, 16, were eligible to be traded by virtue of the fact that neither has been on a 40-man roster at any point in 2019.

Feyereisen, like Ryan McBroom who was traded yesterday, needs to be added to the 40-man roster this winter, lest he be eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft, and this trade likely signifies that the Yankees didn’t feel they had room to do so.

That’s not for any lack of performance on the part of Feyereisen; to the contrary, in fact, he’s had a terrific season with the Yankees’ top affiliate in Scranton. Through 61 1/3 innings, the righty has pitched to a 2.49 ERA with 13.8 K/9, 4.6 BB/9, 0.88 HR/9 and a 36.7 percent ground-ball rate. That’s Feyereisen’s third tour in Triple-A, but he’s yet to receive a call to the bigs despite owning a collective 3.12 ERA and 195-to-76 K/BB ratio in 164 2/3 frames at that level.

…

The amount of bonus money acquired by the Yankees wasn’t specified, though international allotments must be traded in blocks of at least $250K. The international funds acquired here were the primary get for the Yanks, as Escanio was a relatively low-profile signing just two months ago on July 2 when this year’s international signing period kicked off. The Yankees spent the vast majority of their international pool to sign top outfield prospect Jasson Dominguez, and their lack of additional funds acquired to this point ultimately cost them the opportunity to sign another well-regarded outfield prospect: Jhon Diaz.

While it was reported on July 2 that Diaz had agreed to a roughly $1MM bonus with the Yankees, the organization needed to acquire additional pool allocations in order to make that agreement a reality. Just last week, though, Diaz signed with the Rays for a similar amount. With the Yankees having dedicated roughly $5MM of their $5.398MM pool to Dominguez, today’s deal will help them to further explore the market for remaining talent.

After a rain delay of 2 hours and 45 minutes, the game began and Masahiro Tanaka only gave up two runs in six innings, but a lack of offense and an off performance by Nestor Cortes, Jr. out of the bullpen doomed the Yanks (90-49) to a loss to Texas on Monday, Labor Day, 7-0.

It was the first time the Yanks were shutout in 220 games, second-longest steak all-time. The Yanks from August 1931 to August 1933 had a streak of 308 games.

Tanaka gave up a couple of hits and a SF in the first inning, and a HR in the fifth.

In the eighth, Cortes, who had struck out the side in the seventh, gave up four runs, three on a HR ball. All four runs scored with two out.

Tyler Lyons, a Sept. callup, gave up a HR in the ninth (NYY debut).

Tauchman 2 hits. The Yanks only had six total.

Tanaka (L, 10-8, 4.42) 6 IP, 2 R, 7 H, 2 W, 5 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Cortes, Jr. 2 IP, 4 R, 3 H, 1 W, 3 K. Gave up 1 HR.    5.03
Lyons 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K.  Gave up 1 HR.  10.80.

The magic # remains 15. The AL East lead is now 9. They fell into a tie with Houston (Houston would have the tiebreaker, having gone 4-3 against the Yanks) for best record in the AL.

Game 130. Yanks doom Dodgers 10-2 behind 5 HR (2 by Didi) and Paxton.

The Yanks (84-46) snapped their four-game losing streak by hitting five HR and by getting a much needed great pitching performance by James Paxton in beating the Dodgers 10-2 Friday night.

The win maintains the 8-game lead over the Rays in the AL East, and the magic # for clinching the division is now 25.

The win also keeps the Yanks one game ahead of Houston for best record in the AL, and one game behind the Dodgers for the best record in the majors.

Paxton had a 1-2-3 first inning. A good sign considering how badly he has struggled in the first inning all season.

The Yanks wasted a chance in the second inning when they had runners on second and third with no one out but couldn’t score. I was concerned here because in that situation, two fast guys, Brett Gardner and Cameron Maybin, didn’t try to squeeze bunt a run home, and the guy hitting behind THEM was the pitcher (no DH in NL Park). Gardner flied out, not deep enough to bring in Didi, and Maybin and Paxton (Paxton unsurprisingly) struck out.

Against a guy in Ryu who came in with a 1.64 ERA, I was worried.

Not to worry, the Yanks then went bombs away.

They started things off in the third inning with two homers. With one out, Aaron Judge hit #14, and one out later, Gary Sanchez hit #29.

For Sanchez, career HR #100. He became the fastest catcher to hit 100 HR, and the second fastest guy EVER (in regards to how many games it took to get there) to hit 100, behind only the Phillies’ Ryan Howard.

Paxton gave up a run in the bottom of the third. 2-1 Yanks.

But the Yanks got five in the fifth. D.J. LeMahieu led off the inning with a single, and Judge singled. After Gleyber Torres grounded out, moving up both runners, Sanchez was intentionally walked. Didi Gregorius hit a grand slam to make it 6-1 (12). Gio Urshela and Brett Gardner then hit back-to-back doubles to make it 7-1.

Torres homered (32) in the sixth to make it 8-1.

The Dodgers scored in the seventh to cut it to 8-2.

In the eighth, PH Mike Ford singled, went to third on a groundout, and scored on a single by Judge. 9-2.

Didi homered again, his second of the game and 13th of the season, in the top of the ninth for the final score of 10-2.

The Yanks had 16 hits in the game.

LeMahieu 2 hits, .332
Judge 3 hits, 2 RBI. Solo HR (14)
Torres solo HR (32)
Gregorius 2 HR (14) Grand Slam and solo HR. 5 RBI.
Urshela 2 hits, .337
Gardner 2 hits, RBI

Paxton (W, 10-6, 4.43) 6 2/3 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 0 W, 11 K.
Kahnle 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K.   2.81
Cortes 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 4 K.  4.39

Some notes: after a couple of subpar starting pitching outings, you wonder about the rotation in the playoffs and who the “ace” could be. If Paxton keeps this up (5-0 in August), maybe the Yanks have found one. Hopefully German (16-3) keeps it up. You don’t know what, if anything, Severino can give. Tanaka and CC have been inconsistent, and Happ has been horrible.

Seeing Paxton step up tonight was a good sign.

Also, Didi. His adjusted OPS was a tick below league average coming into the game, but what is really amazing is how he has been after missing the first 61 games of the season. In just 57 games, he has 13 HR and 44 RBI. That is one hell of a pace. Over 162 games, that would give him some 37 HR and 125-130 RBI. Fabulous.

Finally, the Yanks made a move, getting Cory Gearrin off of waivers from the Seattle Mariners. This is an under the radar move that could be big. Gearrin, 33, RHP, has been in the majors 2011-2013 with Atlanta, then he missed all of 2014 and most of 2015. He was with the Giants 2015-2018, Texas 2018, the A’s 2018 and the Mariners this year.

He was 0-2, 3.92 for the Mariners this year, and has a MLB record of 12-11, 3.59, ERA+ 116. Not too bad.

To make room for Gearrin on the 40-man roster, the Yankees released minor league pitcher Domingo Acevedo.

Cashman has stocked up on relief pitchers lately. Gearrin, David Hernandez, Ryan Dull, and Tyler Lyons all have been signed.

My thought on those signings is this: When rosters expand, a few of those guys may be brought up. Why? To keep the innings down on the “Big 4” of Kahnle, Ottavino, Britton and Chapman. Not to mention Chad Green or Luis Cessa.

Others, like Deivi Garcia and Dellin Betances, may be able to do that too. Maybe even David Hale if he comes off the IL, just like Betances.

How many of these guys will be on the expanded roster, who knows. But they may be looking at these guys for an expanded bullpen roster in September to keep those major guys I mentioned fresh for October.

Game 116. Yanks’ winning streak ends in 8-2 loss.

Before the game, the Yanks made a minor league deal (those are still allowed after the deadline) getting Joe Mantiply from the Reds for cash considerations. Mantiply, 28, LHP, pitched in five games for the Tigers in 2016, going 0-0, 16.88. He actually was in the Yanks’ minor league system in 2017, going 6-5, 2.83 for SWB (6 starts, 29 relief appearances). He was 1-0, 4.15 for the Reds’ AA/AAA teams in 19 relief appearances this year. He’ll be going to AAA.

Good news on Luis Severino. He threw off a mound and felt great. It looks like the Yanks could get him back in September. But would it be for only two or three outings before the postseason? Would that be enough? More on that later after this game report. (Also, in a separate minor league report, good news on Jonathan Loaisiga Friday night).

On Firday, Yanks’ GM Brian Cashman had a scare, being mistaken for a car thief. He was stopped—at gunpoint—by as many as nine officers in CT.

Per ESPN:

Cashman, 52, said in an interview with the New York Post that his white Jeep Wrangler had been stolen and returned to him but that the New York City police had not cleared the vehicle from its stolen-car database.

Luckily, things didn’t escalate or get mistaken into anything tragic.

Now for the game. Good point made by John Flaherty on YES about holding umpires accountable. Players have to face the media after a bad performance and answer questions, not so umpires. Players get suspended and/or fined, umpires should too. Because the umpiring last night was bad.

Brett Gardner got tossed from the game by the home plate umpire who A) didn’t give a warning first, and B) wasn’t even looking in the dugout to see who was getting on him, thus ejecting the wrong person. How do you eject someone without seeing and making sure you are ejecting the right individual? Gardner says he didn’t say anything or do anything to get ejected, and when he came out to vociferously argue, was lied to by that home plate umpire. As a result, Aaron Judge, who was supposed to get the night off, had to play. Of course, after the game there is no media questioning the umpire. HE isn’t held accountable. If Gardner faces a fine or ejection, that would make this even more of a travesty. MLB needs to hold more bad umpires (like Angel Hernandez, even though this time it wasn’t him) accountable by fining or suspending them. They probably won’t though. It’s  a joke how they let some really bad umpiring slide. This wasn’t all. There was a really bad call later in the game.

As far as strike zones, MLB has to tell the umpires off on that. You can’t have “your” strike zone and call it the same way on a 6’7″ player like Aaron Judge the same way you do on a 5’9″ player. How many times do we see strikes called on Judge that are below his knees because he is 6’7″? But the umps don’t adjust to his height as they should. Ridiculous.

Umpires need to face the same criticism and meet the same standards and receive the same penalties as the players. Start cracking down on bad umpiring, MLB.

As for the game, well, those bad decisions didn’t cost the Yanks the game, bad pitching by J.A. Happ did. Unfortunately, Happ, who was so good for the Yanks after the Yanks traded for him last year (until Game 1 of the ALDS), has turned into this season’s “Sonny Gray”. What is worrisome is that he has a contract for next year for another $17MM and a vesting option for 2021 for another $17MM that kicks in with 27 starts or 165 IP in 2020. If Happ, who turns 37 in mid-October, is falling off the cliff per se, then the Yanks have a problem. I don’t know if he has a no-trade clause. But right now, would you trust him on the postseason roster? I wouldn’t. Would you look into dealing him after the season (and probably having to eat a lot of his contract)? I would.

Happ only gave up four hits in 5 IP, but three were HR as he was plagued by the gopher ball again. Those resulted in six runs. We can only hope for improvement, but it looks like a lost season for him. We’ll see if it is the start of the end for his career as well.

He has to improve, that is for sure.

Things got off to a bad start when Happ gave up a 2-run HR in the first and a solo HR in the second. Yanks down 3-0 after two innings, already.

In the top of the fourth, immediately after the fiasco with the umpire that got Gardner ejected, Mike Tauchman homered (12) to cut it to 3-1. Boy, is Tauchman hot.

But Happ gave up a 3-run HR in the bottom of the fourth that made it 6-1 and basically ended the Yanks’ (76-40) chances for a win in this one. Oh well, you can’t win them all and the loss snapped a nine-game winning streak.

Tampa Bay won, so the Yanks’ lead in the AL East was cut to 9 1/2.

Mike Ford homered (3) in the seventh to make it 6-2, but Tommy Kahnle gave up a 2-run HR in the eighth. Final score 8-2 Toronto.

LeMahieu 2 hits,  .340
Maybin 0 for 4, Golden Sombrero 4 strikeouts, should have had a hit. Bad call.
Tauchman 2 hits, solo HR (12)  .301
Ford solo HR (3)

Happ (L, 9-7, 5.48) 5 IP, 6 R, 4 H, 3 W, 4 K.  Gave up 3 HR.
Cortes, Jr.  2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 2 K.  4.18
Kahnle 1 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 1 W, 1 K.  3.04   Gave up 1 HR.

You wonder how much of an “opener” the Yanks could use in the postseason. Could Severino AND Loiasiga be used in such a fashion because of just coming off the IL in September? Could German be (because of an innings limit) used as the guy AFTER the “opener” ? There will be very interesting decisions made in a month because, even with the great record the Yanks have right now, you can’t be comfortable with what you are getting from the starters right now, especially Tanaka, Happ and even CC.

Especially if they are going up against Greinke, Verlander and Cole.

Over the next few weeks, here’s hoping the rotation can step it up and alleviate my concerns.

 

 

Trade deadline. No major move done by the Yanks. Thoughts.

The Yanks did not make a major move at the trade deadline.

They only made a minor one, trading rookie RHP Joe Harvey (1-0, 4.50 in nine games this year for the Yanks) to Colorado for LHP Alfredo Garcia. Per the NY Post: Garcia, 20, has pitched for Single-A Asheville and Boise this season. With the two teams, he’s combined for a 3-10 record and 6.00 ERA in 22 starts.

They apparently were looking at LHP Robbie Ray of Arizona but Arizona wanted OF Clint Frazier, RHP Clarke Schmidt (the Yanks’ #1 draft pick in 2017, who is now pitching at High A Tampa) and two other prospects. The Yanks thought that price was too steep.

Arizona did trade Zack Greinke to Houston (they made other moves as well). Now Houston is really scary with Justin Verlander, Greinke, Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley.

Greinke never would have come to the Yankees. He has a no-trade to the Yanks, and with his problems with depression and anxiety early in his career (2005/2006) NY wouldn’t be right for him at all.

That is the situation at the trade deadline. Some teams are asking too much of you, like the teams that wanted Gleyber Torres for a pitcher that other teams say is an ace but you know they are middle to back end of the rotation caliber. And Torres shouldn’t be going anywhere. He is not even 23 yet, a 2x All-Star, and someone with 20+ HR in both of his seasons in the majors. Torres for Matthew Boyd of Detroit (6-8, 3.94 now, career 28-43, 4.82)? Please. Spare me.

Some players, like Greinke and Madison Bumgarner, have no-trade clauses. Whether Bumgarner would have waived his to go to the Yankees, who knows. But we also don’t know what SF would have wanted for him.

Some teams, like the Mets, won’t deal with the Yankees. I can see that with the Red Sox not dealing with the Yankees, but the Mets are in a different league. But the Mets have the fear of looking bad in a deal with the Yanks, and don’t want the Yanks to “take over the city” or is it “Citi”? LOL. But the Yankeephobia the Mets’ front office has hurts them if they are making trades with other teams and getting less return from them than in what the Yankees would give them for say, Wheeler or Syndegaard—and neither Wheeler or Syndegaard went anywhere.

So the Yankees don’t get a starter that could have helped them. No Minor, Bumgarner, Wheeler, Ray, Stroman, Boyd, Bauer, Roark, Leake, etc. Most, as I stated, don’t fall into the “ace” category.

They didn’t get relief help either. Shane Greene and Mark Melancon (both former Yankees, by the way) both went from their respective teams (Tigers and Giants) to the Braves.

By the way, ex-Yankee (twice) David Robertson, who went to the Phillies last offseason as a free agent, and who has barely pitched this year, is headed for elbow surgery that could include TJ surgery. If TJ (Tommy John) surgery, then he misses ALL of 2020.

So the Yankees have to hope some, or all of the following, get healthy enough to contribute soon: Luis Severino, Jordan Montgomery, Jonathan Loaisiga and Dellin Betances. Loaisiga had a rehab stint (2 innings for AA Trenton last night). The others haven’t pitched yet in a game for any rehab assignment yet.

Either that or some pitchers need to pick up the slack and pitch better than they have so far this season (Happ/Paxton, even Tanaka).

I don’t know if I would call the Yanks’ efforts at the trade deadline here a failure. If you DO want to point any blame for not improving the rotation, I don’t think it is now, but things that happened BEFORE getting to this point.

For example, the free agent market. I didn’t mind bringing back Happ at the time (and that may be a mistake, given what he’s done this year and that he has a couple years left on the contract). But Happ wasn’t my first option. He was a fallback option. I think that the Yanks felt as I did. Getting Patrick Corbin being the top priority, with Happ as a fallback. But Corbin wanted more than the four years that the Yanks were offering, and got six from Washington where he is 9-5, 3.23. The Yanks sure could use that now.

Then there was Gio Gonzalez. The Yanks signed him at the end of spring training to a minor league deal, one that Gonzalez opted out of a few weeks later when it was obvious, at that time, that there was no place in the rotation for him. He is 2-1, 3.48 for Milwaukee right now.

Lastly, Dallas Keuchel. The Yanks wouldn’t go an extra mile to land him, lost him to the Braves, and Keuchel is 3-4, 3.86 right now.

Any of those three would not have cost players, just money. Now the question is why the Yankees were not more proactive towards those three? And that may not be the fault of Cashman, but of Hal Steinbrenner, who, let’s face it, is more frugal than his dad. Hal may have set a certain price that he wouldn’t allow Cashman to exceed, and if a deal then wasn’t made, the blame falls on Hal then, not Cashman.

If there is something to gripe about, I feel as if it isn’t because of what wasn’t done today at the trade deadline, but what wasn’t done BEFORE—namely, Corbin, Gonzalez and/or Keuchel. For those three have/had better potential and results than almost all of what was out there today.

One more thing. I wasn’t too keen this offseason about bringing back CC. He hasn’t been bad this year, but you are getting what you expected you’d get from a guy who just turned 39. Two trips to the injured list. Not much length in his starts. He has not recorded a “W” in more than a month. Yes, having him retire as a Yankee is nice. It’s his final season. But sentiment doesn’t win titles. You think with your head, not your heart.

Being a clubhouse presence and a great teammate is great. But you also have to do it between the lines, and of course, CC isn’t what he used to be.

So we hope now for help from within. Severino, Montgomery, Loaisiga, Betances. Maybe Deivi Garcia, but I doubt it. I’d be surprised. At 20, he probably needs a full season of AAA, so maybe 2021 for him (or late 2020?)

And after this season is over, don’t mess up on the free agent market. For example, Gerrit Cole of Houston, who the Yanks once drafted (he didn’t sign) and later coveted (traded by Pittsburgh to Houston because the Yanks wouldn’t give the Pirates Miguel Andujar) is a free agent after this season. He is 12-5. 2.94 for Houston now. He was 15-5, 2.88 for them last season. He struck out 276 last year and leads the majors with 212 strikeouts right now. Houston is one of your top competitors right now for AL supremacy. You can improve yourself and hurt Houston after this season in one move. Are you listening, Hal? Cash?

 

 

Game 106. Yanks’ lose, 4-2. Trade deadline is today.

The Yanks (67-39) returned to the Bronx, but the offense wasn’t much to be found as they lost 4-2 to Arizona Tuesday night. They have lost four of their last five games, and things don’t get easier with Zack Greinke on the mound for Arizona today.

With the loss, the Yanks’ lead over Tampa Bay is now 7 1/2. They remain 9 up on Boston.

Arizona scored right away off of J.A. Happ in the first inning on a pair of singles, a walk that loaded the bases, and a SF.

They made it 3-0 in the fourth on a HR, double and single.

The Yanks cut it to 3-1 in the sixth. Aaron Judge reached on a two-base error and scored on a double by Edwin Encarnacion.

But Luis Cessa gave up a HR in the seventh to the first batter he faced that made it 4-1 Arizona.

Tyler Wade, just up from SWB, and in the game when Luke Voit had to leave with an injury, hit his first HR of the season (only 2nd of his MLB career) to make it 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth.

Hopefully Voit is Ok. It looked like an oblique and the Yanks can’t afford to lose Voit right now while LeMahieu is still day-to-day. He will be undergoing an MRI for what is said to be a core muscle injury. Earlier in the game, Voit was HBP.  MLBTR reminds us that Voit already went to the injured list with an abdominal strain earlier this month, though he returned after missing the minimum amount of time. You wonder if this is related to that.

The Yanks only got five hits in the game.

Encarnacion 2 hits, RBI
Wade solo HR (1)
Urshela 2 hits (.312)

Happ (L, 8-6, 5.19) 6 IP, 3 R, 8 H, 1 W, 2 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Cessa 3 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 0 W, 0 K.  3.91 Gave up 1 HR.

Things also don’t look promising as far as the trade deadline (4 PM today, Wednesday) goes. Target Trevor Bauer was dealt to Cincy by Cleveland. Bauer is a bit of a head case, but a good pitcher. It remains to be seen whether Cincy will now flip him, but we’ll see.

But as long as other teams have unreasonable demands (like asking for Gleyber Torres) for pitchers who really aren’t aces but middle to back of the rotation pieces who don’t have a long, good track record , the Yanks won’t be making a deal.

CC Sabathia stated that if elected and inducted into Hall of Fame, it’ll be with him wearing a Yankees’ cap. CC, expected to be a first-ballot choice, would be inducted in 2025.

C Ryan Lavarnway, who was with SWB most of the season, was released by the Yanks July 18. He joined the Reds, got into a couple of games, going 5 for 18, 2 doubles, 2 HR, 7 RBI, then was DFA’d this weekend. He cleared waivers and is now with the Reds’ AAA team.

Mike Roarke, a backup C for the Tigers from 1961-1964, passed away at the age of 88. He got most of his playing time for the 1961 Tigers as a 30 year old rookie. That team won 101 games but finished second, 8 behind the Yankees. Roarke was a .230 career hitter in 194 games.

 

 

Game 105. Yanks get badly need win, 9-6.

The Yanks (67-38) got a badly needed win, and badly needed decent start from Domingo German in beating Boston Sunday night, 9-6.

Before the game, a few happenings. CC Sabathia went on the IL. No corresponding pitching move yet, instead INF Tyler Wade was brought up for now.

As far as pitching, cross off Marcus Stroman. Toronto wanted Yanks’ prospect Deivi Garcia, and Garcia is off limits unless the Yanks got someone like Noah Syndergaard from the Mets in return, and the Mets, with their Yankeephobia, won’t deal with the Yanks even if the Yanks do have the better prospects to give. So who DOES Stroman go to? The Mets, for two prospects.

So with the trade deadline getting closer, the Yanks are still looking, and they, justifiably so, are saying “No” to offers that would have them giving up Garcia or Gleyber Torres.

We will see if the Yanks get ANYBODY.

After seven games in a row in which a Yankee starter couldn’t give five innings, Domingo German gave 5 1/3 in winning his 13th game of the season.

The Yanks got on the board first in the third inning when Cameron Maybin walked and Austin Romine hit a 2-run HR (3), a 446-ft. bomb.

In the fourth, Luke Voit walked and Didi Gregorius hit a 2-run HR (7) to put the Yanks up 4-0.

German gave up a 2-run HR to Andrew Benintendi in the bottom of the fourth that cut the lead to 4-2.

The Yanks scored two in the sixth to go up 6-2. Gregorius walked and was forced at second by Gleyber Torres. Gio Urshela doubled in Torres. Maybin singled in Urshela.

Boston got a run in the bottom of the sixth to make it 6-3 and in the process, knocked out German.

In the top of the seventh, Aaron Hicks walked, and after Aaron Judge struck out, Edwin Encarnacion doubled Hicks to third. Luke Voit walked to load the bases. Didi Gregorius flied out, not deep enough for a SF but two runs scored on a two-base throwing error by Jackie Bradley. 8-3.

Things got hairy after that as the Yanks bullpen finished the game, but didn’t exactly nail it down. It was nail-biting time.

Boston got one in the seventh to make it 8-4, and stranded men on second and third.

The Yanks got one in the top of the eighth to make it 9-4 when Maybin doubled, went to third on a groundout and scored on a WP.

Boston had the bases loaded and one out in the eighth off of Zack Britton, but couldn’t score. They did get two in the ninth off of Aroldis Chapman before the game finally ended, 9-6 Yankees.

Whew. It sure would be nice to see a 1-2-3 from Britton or Chapman sometime. They seem to always make you sweat it out.

With the win, the Yanks are 8 1/2 up on Tampa Bay and 9 up on Boston. They have Monday off.

Rough night for Aaron Judge, 0 for 5 with 3 strikeouts.

Encarnacion 2 hits.
Gregorius 2-run HR (7)
Urshela 2 hits, RBI (.309)
Maybin 2 hits, RBI (.315)
Romine 2-run HR (3)

German (W, 13-2, 4.08) 5 1/3 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 1 W, 9 K.  Gave up 1 HR.
Kahnle (H, 20) 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K.  2.74
Ottavino 2/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 0 K.  1.57
Britton 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 W, 1 K.  2.51
Chapman 1 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 W, 2 K.  2.66.

Three Yankees made the top 100 of MLB’s top prospects list last week. Garcia at #66, Estevan Florial at #67 and recently signed 16 yr. old Jasson Dominguez at #72.