Game #59. Sevy’s awful first inning dooms Yanks. Dodgers win 8-4.

When you are facing a future first ballot Hall-of-Famer, you don’t want to give him a big cushion to work with. But that is what Luis Severino did. Sevy had an awful first inning, giving up six runs, and after one inning Dodgers’ starter Clayton Kershaw had a 6-0 lead.

The Yanks saw a couple of familiar faces for the first time in a while and were probably glad that they won’t see them as often since they are out of the division with the Dodgers and not with the Red Sox anymore. That would be Mookie Betts (probably a future HOF in his own right) and J. D. Martinez (who can also make a case for the HOF).

Betts hit Severino’s second pitch of the game for a HR, and after a hard-hit out and a single, Max Muncy hit a 2-run HR to put LA up 3-0. Just what you don’t want against Kershaw. If you look at the Dodgers’ team stats on baseball-reference.com, guess who the #1 Dodger of all-time is according to WAR? It’s not Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Sandy Koufax, Jackie Robinson or name another Dodger great. It’s Kershaw. Giving him a 3-0 lead is usually death to your team.

But the Dodgers were not done in the first. Four straight singles made it 4-0. A SF made it 5-0. Even the outs were hit hard. The Dodgers batted around, and Betts hit a single to make it 6-0. And Betts wasn’t done for the night.

The only thing encouraging for the Yankees was that both of the sluggers who came off the IL after being on it for over a month homered last night. The first was Josh Donaldson, whose solo HR (2) in the top of the second made it 6-1. Donaldson would hit another HR, a two-run shot, in the top of the ninth.

But Martinez hit a solo HR in the bottom of the third for LA to put the Dodgers up 7-1. It was the third HR Sevy gave up for the night. As I mentioned, even the outs he got were loud outs.

Giancarlo Stanton, the other Yankees’ slugger activated off the IL before the game, homered (5) in the top of the fourth off of Kershaw and it was 7-2.

In the bottom of the sixth, Betts proved he wasn’t done, hitting his second HR of the game, this one off of Ryan Weber, to put the Dodgers up 8-2. Betts was 4 for 4 last night with 2 HR and 3 RBI.

Donaldson’s second HR of the game (3), a 2-run shot, closed out the scoring. Yanks lost 8-4.

The Yanks only got five hits on the night, and three of them, all HR, were by guys just off the IL in Donaldson and Stanton.

The loss dropped the Yanks to 34-25. They are in 3rd place in the AL East, 6 1/2 behind first place Tampa Bay and 3 behind second place Baltimore. If the playoffs started today, the Yanks would have the 6th and last playoff spot in the AL. They hold that spot by 2 1/2 games over Toronto. Long way to go, though.

Stanton solo HR (5).
Donaldson 2 HR (3). Solo and 2-run shots.

Severino (L, 0-1) 4 IP, 7 R, 9 H, 1 W, 2 K. Gave up 3 HR. 5.28
Kahnle 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K. 0.00 SEASON DEBUT JUST OFF IL
Weber 2 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K. Gave up 1 HR. 3.14
Abreu 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K. 3.45

I’m starting to worry about Anthony Volpe. He hasn’t stolen a base since May 13. Of course, you can’t steal if you aren’t getting on base. His average is down to .190. Since May 14, he is 7 for 58. That is a .121 batting average in that span. He has just 3 walks to go against 21 strikeouts. He is noted for his good eye and his speed and baserunning ability, but neither has shown up lately. Since May 2, he’s only hitting .152 with five walks and 36 strikeouts. It’s not just a recent slump. It’s been going on a while. He’s only 22, and we all (myself included) advocated for him after his phenomenal spring training. We do need to be patient with him, but remember he only had 22 games of AAA experience before the jump to the majors. For those who say AAA doesn’t matter and want to jump players right from AA to the majors, I disagree and point to Volpe as an example. Sure, some stars can do it. But it is rare. Some, like Al Kaline, never played a day in the minors. But it is rare. You wonder if Volpe, like Mickey Mantle in 1951, needs to be sent down to get his mojo back. Oswald Peraza has been raking at AAA lately. Is a switch in order? Volpe is on a pace for 22 HR and 60+ RBI. He is also on a 35 SB pace. Those are great numbers, but that pace has dropped off. I’m patient, but .190, OPS+ 71 and .152 over the last month is concerning. He’s human and at some point, you probably feel he is pressing or starting to press. You don’t want to destroy his confidence, but at some point, you need to see better results. Here’s hoping he turns it around, but maybe it has to start back at AAA.

Game #56. Judge hits 2 HR, takes one away in Yanks’ 10-4 win. Bader hurt.

Aaron Judge hit 2 homers and almost a third (a double off the wall) and robbed a Mariner of a HR in the Yanks’ (33-23) 10-4 win late last night in Seattle.

During the game, Harrison Bader had to be removed due to right hamstring tightness. He will have an MRI today and the IL is a possibility.

The Yanks struck first in the top of the second when Bader singled, stole second, went to third on an error and scored on a double by Jake Bauers.

Yanks’ starter Domingo German gave up a run in the bottom of the second and the game was tied at one.

Judge’s first HR of the game, a 2-run shot, made it 3-1 in the top of the third. Soon after that, Bader tweaked his hammy in beating out an infield hit.

Bauers hit a solo HR (3) in the top of the fourth to put the Yanks up 4-1. German gave up a run via a HR by Julio Rodriguez in the bottom of the inning and it was 4-2.

The Yanks made it 8-2 with four runs in the top of the fifth. Gleyber Torres led off the inning with a single and Judge doubled off the wall, sending Torres to third. Willie Calhoun doubled in two runs to make it 6-2. After an out, Greg Allen (in for Bader) was HBP. After another out, Isiah Kiner-Falefa doubled in both runners to make it 8-2.

German struggled with J-Rod again in the bottom of the fifth, as he singled in two runs for Seattle to make it 8-4.

In the top of the sixth, Judge hit his second HR of the game (AL Leading 17th) to make it 9-4.

Ron Marinaccio came in for German in the seventh and got two straight strikeouts with runners on second and third to get out of a jam.

In the bottom of the eighth, Judge went high above the fence and robbed Teoscar Hernandez of a HR.

Kyle Higashioka got an RBI single in the top of the ninth to make the score 10-4, and it ended that way.

Giancarlo Stanton will begin rehab today (Tuesday) with Somerset, joining Josh Donaldson and Tommy Kahnle there.

Torres 2 hits.
Judge 3 hits, double and 2 HR (2-run and solo) (17), 3 RBI and he robbed a Mariner of a HR.
Calhoun 2 hits, 2 RBI
Bader 2 for 2, removed from game with right hamstring tightness.
Bauers 3 hits, 2 RBI. Solo HR (3).
Kiner-Falefa 2 hits, 2 RBI.
Higashioka 2 hits, RBI.

German (W, 3-3) 6 1/3 IP, 4 R, 7 H, 3 W, 4 K. 1 HBP. Gave up 1 HR. 3.98
Marinaccio 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 1 WP. 4.00
Abreu 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 3 K. 3.58

Game #52. Very little offense means a Yanks’ loss, 3-1.

The Yanks only got three hits—two by Willie Calhoun—in losing 3-1 to Baltimore Thursday night.

Clarke Schmidt pitched well, getting out of a bases loaded jam in the first, and also a two-on jam in the third. After the top of the third, manager Aaron Boone was ejected for arguing balls and strikes.

Schmidt gave up a run in the top of the fifth. The Orioles got a couple of runs in the eighth when Wandy Peralta put a couple of runners on then Clay Holmes gave up a 2-run double.

Calhoun got an RBI double with two out in the ninth to drive in the Yanks’ only run.

After the game, Nick Ramirez was sent back down to make room for Randy Vasquez. Vasquez, the Yankees’ #14 prospect, will pitch Friday. It will be his MLB debut.

With the loss, the Yanks are 30-22, 3rd in the AL East. They are 7 games back of Tampa Bay and 4 behind Baltimore. Long way to go, but at present they would be the second wild card team.

Calhoun 2 hits, RBI.

Schmidt (L, 2-5) 5 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 2 W, 4 K 5.58
N. Ramirez 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K. 2.00
J. Cordero 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 3.63
Peralta 1 IP, 2 R, 0 H, 2 W, 1 K. 2.61
Holmes 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K. 3.15
Abreu 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 3.86

Game #51. Orioles’ big 7th inning dooms Yanks to 9-6 defeat.

Nestor Cortes, Jr. has had a problem this year. For the first four innings, he’s been the Nasty Nestor of the past two years. But this year, in the fifth inning or in the third time around the order, he has been imploding. It’s a Jekyll and Hyde thing. Great for four, but after that ….

It appeared last night would be different. Except for one blip, Nestor was good through six innings. Once he got through the fifth and sixth, you thought that he had figured it out for this evening.

Then came the seventh, and things fell apart quickly. Not only for Nestor, but also for Jimmy Cordero, who relieved him. The Yanks saw a 5-1 lead disappear as the Orioles scored eight runs in the top of the seventh on their way to defeating the Yankees by a 9-6 score. The loss snapped the Yankees (30-21) five-game winning streak.

The Yanks had struck first in the bottom of the third. Isiah Kiner-Falefa tripled, and Gleyber Torres hit his first of two home runs for the night to give the Yanks a 2-0 lead.

Cortes gave up a HR in the top of the fourth and it was 2-1. But for six innings, that was the only run Cortes gave up.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Kiner-Falefa, not known for power at all, hit a 2-run homer (3) to make the score 4-1. Torres immediately followed with his second HR of the game (9) to make the score 5-1.

But then in the top of the seventh, Cortes walked the leadoff man, gave up a single, then gave up a 3-run HR that hit the RF foul pole and it was 5-4. Cordero relieved him. Single, single, double and Baltimore now had a 6-5 lead. An out, passed ball and walk put runners at first and third with one out. Albert Abreu replaced Cordero. A SF made it 7-5. A single and error made it 8-5. Another single and it was 9-5. Ouch.

Anthony Rizzo got an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, and after that single, the Yanks still had the bases loaded with just one out, but they couldn’t add on.

Final 9-6, Baltimore. The Yanks struck out 13x.

Torres 2 hits, both HR (9) (2-run and a solo HR) 3 RBI.
Judge 3 walks.
Kiner-Falefa 2 hits. Triple and HR (3). 2 RBI.

Cortes 6+ IP, 4 R, 5 H, 2 W, 5 K. Gave up 2 HR. 5.30 Last year 2.44 ERA. Yanks need to get him right.
J. Cordero (L, 3-2) (BS, 1) 1/3 IP, 4 R, 3 H, 1 W, 1 K. 3.80
Abreu 1 1/3 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K. 4.01
N. Ramirez 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 2.08

Game #49. Yanks sweep Reds behind Bader, Gleyber HRs. Sevy strong in coming off IL in 1st start of season.

Luis Severino pitched 4 2/3 innings, giving up only one disputed run in coming off the IL. It was Sevy’s first start of the season. Now we continue to wait on Rodon’s return.

The Yanks beat the Reds, 4-1, Sunday in a game that started at 11:35 AM Eastern Time. With the win, the Yanks swept the three-game series from Cincinnati. Tomorrow (Monday) is an off day for the Yanks. It was the fourth win in a row for New York, sixth in the last seven games and 11th in the last 14 games. After ending April at 15-14, the 29-20 Yanks have gone 14-6 so far this month.

Aaron Judge was given the day off so that with the off day on Monday, he’d have two days off before the Yanks take on Baltimore and San Diego in the upcoming days.

Severino gave up his only run in the bottom of the first inning. A leadoff walk, then two outs, but then a fly ball down the RF line was originally ruled foul but then overturned to fair. The umpires ruled the runner to score and placed the batter on second. Manager Aaron Boone argued against the run scoring and was ejected. (Reds’ manager David Bell would be ejected later in the game). The runner was going on the pitch with two out, so he probably WOULD have scored, but once the ball was incorrectly called foul, everyone stopped. I think Boone’s argument was that if they were going to overrule the call with the correct call and give a double and two bases, then the runner should not be given the run but be stopped at third.

The umps must have had a tough time waking up for the early start. Sevy picked off a runner only after the original call was overturned, and Anthony Volpe was called out on strikes on a pitch a replay clearly showed was high for a ball.

The 1-0 score stood until the top of the fifth, when Harrison Bader hit a 2-run HR (4) to give the Yanks the lead. That trade of Montgomery for Bader doesn’t look too bad now. Monty is doing OK with the Cardinals, 4.21 ERA but only a 2-6 record to show for it. Since the deal he is 8-9, 3.60. Looks like he isn’t getting much help over there. It’d be nice to have Monty but boy, can Bader go get them in CF and he is showing more power than we thought (5 HR in last year’s postseason and 4 already this year). Bader is bringing a great deal of energy.

Gleyber Torres upped the lead to 3-1 in the top of the sixth with his seventh HR of the season.

In the top of the seventh, Jake Bauers walked with two out, and newly acquired Greg Allen ran for him. Allen stole second and went to third on a WP. Anthony Volpe doubled home Allen to make the score 4-1.

Clay Holmes gave us a scare in the bottom of the ninth by loading the bases before closing out the game.

Because Sevy was coming off the IL and had a pitch limit, he was pulled one out away from earning the victory.

Torres solo HR (7).
Bader 2-run HR (4).

Severino 4 2/3 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 1 W, 5 K. 1.93
Abreu (W, 2-1) 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 4.24
Cordero (H, 3) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 2.14
Peralta (H, 5) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 1.93
Holmes (S, 5) 1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 W, 1 K. 3.26

Game #47. Judge, Rizzo HR, Higgy redeems self in Yanks’ 6-2 win.

Kyle Higashioka was 0 for 3 with three strikeouts in the game at that point in the top of the ninth inning. In the top of the seventh, with men on second and third and just one out, he had struck out instead of helping the Yanks add on to a 3-2 lead. He had pounded the bat into the bat rack in frustration at that point.

It was time to redeem himself, and he did, hitting a two-run double to ensure the Yankees’ win. The Yanks (3rd in AL East, 27-20, 6 1/2 out) beat Cincinnati 6-2 Friday night.

Aaron Judge, hot as all heck, gave the Yanks an early lead with a solo HR (13) in the first inning, and Anthony Rizzo upped that lead to 3-0 with a 2-run HR (10) in the top of the sixth.

In the middle of the game, the Yanks got a scare. Already playing one man short because of the suspension of Domingo German, Clarke Schmidt caused a controversy by being checked out by the umpires. It turned out he was ok with the amount of rosin on his hand, but that the fuzz from inside of his glove was sticking to and making a black mark on this non-pitching hand. He was told to wash it off, and he complied. All good. But Cincy manager David Bell thought that Schmidt deserved the German treatment (which REALLY would have screwed up the Yankees), argued too long about it, and got ejected.

Anyway, Schmidt then ran into trouble in the sixth, giving up a single and double. Jimmy Cordero came in for Schmidt and gave up a two-run double to make the score 3-2. He walked the next batter while there was an SB. So first and third, 3-2 game but Cordero escaped without any more runs scoring.

Then came the ninth and Higgy’s redemption. Gleyber Torres walked, and two outs later, Oswaldo Cabrera walked. Higgy then doubled both runners home to give the Yanks a 5-2 cushion. After a walk to D.J. LeMahieu, Harrison Bader gave the Yanks more insurance with an RBI single. 6-2.

After the game, it was announced that the Yanks traded a minor league pitcher to Boston for OF Greg Allen and cash considerations. Allen, 30, was previously with the Yanks for 15 games in 2021. He has played for Cleveland (2017-2020), San Diego (2020), the Yankees (2021) and the Pirates (2022). He hasn’t played in the majors this season yet, but is expected to join the team in Cincy. We will see what the corresponding moves will be. The switch-hitter can play all three OF positions. He is just a .232 career hitter with an OPS+ of just 71 and I don’t like his BB/K ratio, but he is best for his speed (45 of 53 in his career in SB) and defense.

In return for Allen, the Yanks gave up minor league P Diego Hernandez, who is just 18 and who was 4-2, 2.10 in the Dominican Summer League last year in 12 games, five of them starts.


Judge solo HR (13)
Rizzo 2 hits, 2 RBI. 2-run HR (10)
Higashioka 2 RBI

Schmidt (W, 2-4) 5+ IP, 2 R, 5 H, 2 W, 6 K 6.00
J. Cordero (H, 2) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 2 K. 2.25
Abreu (H, 3) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 1 K. 4.50
Peralta (H, 4) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 2.04
Ramirez 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 0 K 2.45

Game #46. Nasty Nestor gets backing from the Captain and the Kid. Yanks win 4-2.

Nestor Cortes wasn’t the Nasty Nestor we’ve known during the past few starts. One concerning thing was that his ERA for the first 4 innings was great at 1.97, but it was over 16 from the fifth inning on.

Cortes rectified that tonight in the Yankees (26-20) 4-2 win over Toronto, going six strong innings.

The Yanks bullpen was shorthanded due to overwork, but Ryan Weber, Albert Abreu and Ron Marinaccio combined to do the job.

Cortes got backing from the Captain and the Kid.

Gleyber Torres led off the game with a single, and Aaron Judge homered (12) to make it 2-0 right away. Judge just killed the Blue Jays in this four-game series with four HR.

Cortes gave up a HR to Bo Bichette in the bottom of the first, and the score was 2-1.

It stayed 2-1 until the seventh. In the top of the seventh, Oswaldo Cabrera doubled, and Aaron Hicks got an RBI single to make it 3-1.

Cortes left after a leadoff walk in the bottom of the seventh, and Ryan Weber gave up a single and a walk. Things didn’t look good as Toronto had the bases loaded with one out. But Weber got a flyout with no advance. PH Vlad Guerrero, Jr., always scary, was held to a SF to make the score 3-2 but Weber got a flyout for the third out to preserve the Yankees’ lead.

In the top of the ninth, Anthony Volpe homered (7) off the foul screen to give the Yanks an insurance run. 4-2 final.

Volpe, just 22, is only hitting .215, but he does has 7 HR and 13 SB in 46 games. Imagine what he could do if he can raise that average 50 points.

Besides his HR, Judge also had a double that just missed being a second HR of the night by about a foot.

Torres 2 hits.
Judge 2 hits, 2 RBI. 2-run HR (12).
Volpe solo HR (7).
Hicks 3 hits, RBI.

Cortes (W, 4-2) 6+ IP, 2 R, 5 H, 1 W, 6 K. Gave up 1 HR. 5.21
Weber (H, 1) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 0 K. 4.26
Abreu (H, 2) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K 4.71
Marinaccio (S, 1) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 4.50

Josh Donaldson had a setback, slicing a thumb in a home accident. Jose Trevino to the 10-day IL with a strained hamstring. Ben Rortvedt called up. Ian Hamilton will be out 4-6 weeks.

Game #42. Almost. But just short. Yanks fall, 8-7.

With two outs and no one on in the bottom of the ninth, Aaron Judge hit a ball about 395 feet. Off the bat it looked like it could be a game-tying HR, but it fell about five feet short of the fence, and the Yankees (23-19) lost to Tampa Bay, 8-7.

Until the returns of Luis Severino and Carlos Rodon, and also the improvement of Nestor Cortes, the Yankees’ starting rotation, which was supposed to be a strength, is a problem.

No worries with Gerrit Cole, whose ERA is 2.22. Domingo German is average at 4.00. But….

Nestor Cortes, who was brilliant last year with an ERA of 2.44, has an ERA of 5.53. Jhony Brito, a rookie, has an ERA of 5.81. After today’s loss, Clarke Schmidt’s ERA is 6.30.

That’s not going to get it done. It is awful, and it takes a toll on your bullpen.

Schmidt gave up a run in the first inning, and two more in the third.

The Yanks came back from that 3-0 deficit by scoring four runs in the bottom of the third. Oswaldo Cabrera hit a 2-run HR (3) and a few batters later, Anthony Rizzo hit a 2-run HR (9) and the Yanks were up 4-3.

But in the fifth, Schmidt gave up a run to tie the game and was pulled with the bases loaded and two out. Albert Abreu immediately gave up a grand slam to make the score 8-4 Tampa Bay.

The Yanks tried to come back. Judge got an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh that cut the score to 8-5.

Anthony Volpe hit a 2-run HR (6) in the bottom of the eighth that cut the score to 8-7, leading us to the ninth when Judge came oh so close to tying it up.

Sevy and Rodon (and even Montas) can’t get back in the rotation soon enough. If there is a deal to be made for a starter, the Yanks may have to make one as well.

Rizzo 2 RBI. 2-run HR (9)
LeMahieu 2 hits.
Volpe 2 hits, 2 RBI. 2-run HR (6).
Cabrera 3 hits, 2 RBI. 2-run HR (3).

Schmidt (L, 1-4) 4 2/3 IP, 7 R, 6 H, 3 W, 5 K. 1 WP 6.30
Abreu 2 1/3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 W, 3 K. 1 HBP. Gave up a grand slam. 4.95
Weber 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K. 1 HBP 9.00
Marinaccio 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 3.50

Game #39. Weak bats, bad bullpen lead to 8-2 loss for Yanks.

The Yanks (21-18) lost Thursday night to Tampa Bay, 8-2.

Domingo German pitched well, but …. I ‘ll get to that in a moment.

He gave up an unearned run in the top of the fifth. Anthony Rizzo made a two-out error, then a double put the Rays up 1-0.

In the top of the sixth, manager Aaron Boone made a move that had me screaming. German got the first two guys out, then gave up a walk. Boone had the quick hook again. Remember when he pulled German with one out in the ninth, a 2-0 lead, man on, German having pitched a two-hit shutout to that point, and it all backfired into a 3-2 loss?

Well, in 8 starts this year, Boone has pulled German in the middle of an inning 5 times. And it’s basically backfired each time. 10 runs, not all charged to German, have ensued. You think Boone would learn his lesson. Nope.

So instead of leaving German in to get one more out and get out of the inning, he brought in Ron Marinaccio. It backfired again. Marinaccio gave up a hit, HBP and then a bases-clearing double. 4-0 Rays, and with the way the Yanks were hitting (or not hitting) last night, game over.

Boone’s move may not have made a big difference anyway, because the Yanks didn’t score until two outs in the ninth on a Gleyber Torres single.

Meanwhile, Marinaccio wasn’t the only bullpen guy who didn’t have it. Tampa Bay got a run off of Albert Abreu, then three off of Ryan Weber, who was brought up earlier in the day when Deivi Garcia was sent back down.

But Boone? If German is doing well, next time… .leave him in to finish the inning.

Torres 2 RBI
Bauers 2 hits.

German (L, 2-3) 5 2/3 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 W, 3 K. 4.00
Marinaccio 1/3 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 0 W, 0 K. 1 HBP 2.70
Abreu 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 2 W, 0 K. 5.09
Weber 2 IP, 3 R, 5 H, 0 W, 1 K. Gave up 1 HR. 13.50 Season debut.

So far Aaron Judge has been ok, but not AARON JUDGE. 39 K in 102 at bats. 6 HR. A bit of a hangover after last year’s greatness? Hopefully he gets back to being AARON JUDGE soon.

Game #37. Yanks club A’s, 10-5.

Clarke Schmidt got his first MLB win as a starter in the Yankees’ (20-17) 10-5 win over Oakland last night.

Prior to last night, Schmidt was 5-3 in relief, but 0-6 as a starter.

Schmidt gave up a run in the top of the second but got out of more trouble.

The Yanks exploded for five runs in the bottom of the third. Jose Trevino and Aaron Hicks led off the inning with walks, and Trevino moved to third on a flyout by Anthony Volpe. Aaron Judge, back off the IL, reached on an error that allowed Trevino to score and tie the game. Anthony Rizzo singled to make it 2-1, Judge going to third. Gleyber Torres singled in Judge, Rizzo going to second. Harrison Bader, who has been a big spark since coming off the IL, singled in Rizzo to make it 4-1, Torres going to third. Jake Bauers then hit a SF to make it 5-1.

In the top of the fourth, Schmidt gave up a HR to Jordan Diaz, the first of THREE HR Diaz would hit in the game. 5-2, Yankees.

Torres hit a 2-run HR (6) in the bottom of the fifth to put the Yanks up 7-2.

Diaz homered for the A’s in the top of the seventh. 7-3.

Bauers hit a 2-run HR (2) in the bottom of the seventh. 9-3 Yankees.

Diaz’ third HR of the game, a 2-run shot, cut the Yanks’ lead to 9-5 in the top of the eighth.

In the bottom of the eighth, Volpe led off the inning with a triple, then scored on a SF by Judge.

Aaron Hicks had to leave the game early with hip tightness.

The Yanks have an afternoon game today, starting at 12:30. Jhony Brito is the starting pitcher.

Judge 2 RBI
Rizzo 2 hits, RBI.
Torres 2 hits, 3 RBI. 2-run HR (6).
Bader 3 hits, RBI.
Bauers 3 RBI. 2-run HR (2). Both his hits this year (2 for 12) are HR.

Schmidt (W, 1-3) 6 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 2 W, 7 K. gave up 1 HR. 1 WP 5.35
Abreu 2/3 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K. Gave up 1 HR. 4.86
Peralta 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 0 K. 2.03
Weissert 1 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 1 W, 2 K. gave up 1 HR 5.06
Holmes 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 3 K. 3.46