Game 124. Tanaka Time! Yanks edge Tribe, 3-2.

After a really rough stretch, the Masahiro Tanaka we have seen the last two times out is the Tanaka that Yankees’ fans are hoping to see in October.

The Yanks assured a winning season with win #82. Their last non-winning season was in 1992. 27 years ago. An impressive stretch, but still a long ways away from the stretch of 1925 to 1965 without a losing season.

Since 1925, the only times the Yankees have had a losing season were 1965-1967, 1969, 1973, 1982, and 1989-1992, with the worst year being 1990.

Only ten losing seasons in 94 years. Not bad.  Not bad at all.

At 82-42, the Yanks now have a 10 1/2 game lead over Tampa Bay in the AL East and the magic # for clinching the division outright (barring any tiebreaker scenario) is down to 29.

The Yanks scored first, getting two in the bottom of the first. With one out, Aaron Judge and Gio Urshela singled. After a force out, putting runners on first and third with two out, Gary Sanchez singled for one run and Gleyber Torres singled for another.

Tanaka gave up a solo HR in the top of the second that cut the Yanks’ lead to 2-1.

In the bottom of the second, Yasier Puig threw out Cameron Maybin at the plate to keep another Yankees’ run from scoring. This would make the Yanks justifiably gun-shy of Puig’s cannon the rest of the game. I’ll get to that in a minute.

With two out in the fifth, Aaron Judge doubled, and Gio Urshela singled. Judge was going to be held at third (Puig’s arm) but Puig bobbled the ball for an error, enabling Judge to score. It turned out to be the decisive play in the game.

Tanaka gave up a solo HR to Puig in the seventh. 3-2 Yanks. Tommy Kahnle came in with a man on second, one out, and got two strikeouts to maintain the Yankees’ lead.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Yanks loaded the bases with no one out but couldn’t score. Two balls were hit to Puig but were too shallow for D.J. LeMahieu to score. Puig’s arm would have been too much.

Having wasted a huge scoring opportunity like that, I feared the worst. But the Yanks held on.

They held on because of Brett Gardner. With a man on second and one out in the top of the eighth, Gardner made a fine running catch to rob Cleveland of a double and the tying run. It saved the game.

Before the game, Chance Adams was sent down and recently acquired Ryan Dull was added.

Judge 2 hits.
Urshela 3 hits, .342. If he qualifies for the batting title, his .342 tops D.J. LeMahieu .337.

Tanaka (W, 9-6, 4.56) 6 1/3 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 0 W, 2 K. Gave up 2 HR.
Kahnle (H, 22) 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K.  2.88
Britton (H, 26) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K.  2.13
Chapman (S, 34) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 2 K.  2.40

 

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Game 120. Gleyber bashes O’s again, Yanks win 11-8.

The Yanks (79-41) beat Baltimore 11-8 in the night game of the day/night DH as Gleyber Torres continued to torment the Orioles.

Of Torres’ 26 HR this season, half have come vs. Baltimore. With two games left against the Orioles this year, Torres has 13 HR against Baltimore. The Yanks as a team have hit 59 HR vs. the Orioles (13 Torres, 9 by Sanchez), 43 at Camden Yards.

The major league record for most HR against one team in a single season is by Lou Gehrig in 1936 against the Cleveland Indians—14 of his 49 that year. Gleyber is one short.

Want more? From MLB.com (some repeating what I mentioned above) :

• The 13 homers vs. the Orioles this season are the most by a player against a single opponent in the divisional era (since 1969).

• The 13 homers vs. the Orioles are tied for the second most by a player against a single opponent in a season in MLB history (record is Lou Gehrig‘s 14 vs. Cleveland in 1936).

• Torres is the first player since Roger Maris in 1961 vs. the White Sox — his record-setting season — with 13 homers against a single opponent in a season.

• Torres’ five multihomer games vs. the Orioles are the most by a player in a season against a single opponent.

• With 50 career homers, he’s the third-youngest Yankees player to reach that mark.
(Mantle and DiMaggio)

• Torres is the youngest player in American League history to reach 8 career multihomer games.

• The second-year player has surpassed his rookie-year homer total of 24.

• Torres is the first player since Mike Schmidt (1983 vs. the Expos) to homer in both games of a doubleheader twice against the same team in the same season. Torres also homered in both games of a twin bill vs. the Orioles on May 15.

He’s not even 23 yet.

Things are getting so ridiculous with Gleyber vs. the Orioles that in the eighth inning, with two on and two out, the Orioles walked him intentionally to load the bases rather than face him.

The win was the Yanks’ 14th in a row over the Orioles. They are 15-2 vs. them this season.

With the win, the Yanks have a 9 game lead over Tampa Bay in the AL East. The magic # to clinch the division is 34.

In the first inning, D.J. LeMahieu singled, and one out later, Gio Urshela singled. Torres singled to load the bases, and Brett Gardner hit a 3-run triple. 3-0 Yanks.

With one out in the second, Breyvic Valera singled and LeMahieu walked. A WP moved the runners up, and an error in trying to get Valera at third moved them up even further, Valera scoring to make it 4-0.

The Yanks used a lot of B-pitchers in this game. Chad Green once again served as the opener.

Recently acquired Joe Mantiply, who got his first MLB win, gave up 3 runs, including a 2-run HR, in the third that cut the Yanks’ lead to 4-3. Mantiply was making his Yankees’ debut. He did pitch in five games in 2016 for the Tigers—to a 16.88 ERA. That career ERA wasn’t lowered by much.

Mike Ford homered (4) in the bottom of the fourth to make it 5-3 Yankees.

Torres hit the first of his two 3-run homers in the game in the fifth (25) to make it 8-3.

In the bottom of the sixth, he hit his SECOND 3-run homer of the game (26) to make it 11-3.

Brady Lail, making his MLB debut, gave up a 3-run HR in the seventh that cut the Yanks’ lead to 11-6.

Bottom of the eighth, and with two on and two out, Torres, as mentioned earlier, is intentionally walked. No chance for a third 3-run HR.

Torres also turned a nifty DP, barehanding a the flip to second before firing to first.

Baltimore got two runs in the top of the ninth to make it 11-8 before Adam Ottavino closed things out.

The Yankees’ pitching wasn’t great, but Gleyber made up for it.

LeMahieu 3 hits, .338
Urshela 3 hits, .332 (can he catch D.J.?)
Torres 3 hits, Two 3-run HR (26)  6 RBI. Team HR leader (passed Sanchez).
Gardner 3 RBI
Ford solo HR (4)

Green 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.   4.69
Mantiply (W, 1-0, 9.00) 3 IP, 3 R, 3 H, 2 W, 2 K. Gave up 1 HR. NYY Debut, 1st MLB win.
Lail (H, 1) 2 2/3 IP, 3 R, 2 H, 1 W, 2 K.  Gave up 1 HR. MLB debut.  10.13
Cortes, Jr. 1 1/3 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 0 W, 1 K.   4.44
Ottavino (S, 2) 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.  1.71

 

 

 

Game 118. Tanaka Terrific as Yanks win, 1-0.

Before the game, Stephen Tarpley to the Injured List (pitching elbow), Breyvic Valera sent down. Coming up, pitchers Brady Lail and Joe Mantiply.

With a DH tomorrow, the Yanks needed an outing that would save their bullpen today (Sunday).

They were also hoping to see improvement from Masahiro Tanaka.

They got both. And how.

Tanaka threw 8 shutout innings as the Yanks (77-41) beat Toronto 1-0. The win keeps the Yanks 8 1/2 up on Tampa Bay.

In his previous seven starts, Tanaka had a 10.23 ERA, causing justifiable concern.

Today he was brilliant and was the Tanaka we hope to see in October.

The only run of the game scored in the top of the fifth inning. The first 12 Yankees went down in order from innings one through four, but back-to-back doubles by Gio Urshela and Brett Gardner, the first two batters in the top of the fifth, plated the only run of the game.

Urshela 2 hits (.323) also a nice play in the field.
Gardner RBI. Only run of the game.

Tanaka (W, 8-6, 4.64) 8 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 0 W, 4 K.
Chapman (S, 31) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.  2.56

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.

 

 

Game 114. Yanks pummel O’s again, 14-2. Open up 10 game lead.

Pregame News: Stephen Tarpley sent down, Chance Adams called up for a fresh arm.

Good news on Gleyber Torres. MRI negative, listed as day-to-day. Thairo Estrada was “on call” just in case.

As for the game, the Yanks (75-39) won their 8th straight as they continue to pummel Orioles pitching. This time the score was 14-2, and the Yanks hit 5 HR in the game.

The Yanks have hit 52 HR vs. the Orioles this year, breaking the record of 48 that the 1956 Yanks hit against the Kansas City Athletics. They still have four games against the Orioles—at home, August 12 (Day/night DH), 13 and 14. The Yankees have 11 players with multi-homer games against Baltimore this season, breaking the record of 10 set by San Francisco against the Dodgers in 1958 (I’m sure the LA Coliseum with its 251′ LF line had a lot to do with that). The Yanks also have the record for most homers at a ballpark by a visiting team in one season (43). (Some info from ESPN). They were 10-0 at Camden Yards this year and have won 15 straight there.

How bad has it been for the Orioles? Consider this. Greg Bird has been hurt most of the season. He was 6 for 35 in 10 games. His only HR of the year was against the Orioles.

Troy Tulowitzki got hurt and retired after going 2 for 11 in five games. HIS only HR of the season and the last of his career came against…. the Orioles.

With the win, the Yanks now have a 10 game lead over Tampa Bay in the AL East. They are 41-14 against teams in their own division. Granted Baltimore and Toronto are awful, but they are still 23-9 vs. Tampa Bay and Boston.

With one out in the fourth, Gio Urshela doubled, and Didi Gregorius singled him to third. Cameron Maybin’s popup should have been caught, but fell in for a single and a 1-0 Yankees’ lead. Kyle Higashioka hit a three-run HR (2), his first of two for the game, and the Yanks were up 4-0.

Yanks’ starter James Paxton gave up a HR in the fourth that cut the Yanks’ lead to 4-1, but otherwise was sharp.

In the fifth, Aaron Judge reached on an error and Gio Urshela hit a 2-run HR (13), HIS first of two for the game, and the Yanks were up 6-1.

They got five more runs in the sixth. Mike Tauchman walked and advanced to second on a ground out. He went to third on a WP and D.J. LeMahieu singled to make it 7-1. LeMahieu went to second on another wild pitch, and Aaron Judge singled to make it 8-1. Urshela then hit his second HR of the game (14) to make it 10-1. Didi Gregorius singled and went to third on a single by Cameron Maybin combined with a throwing error. Didi scored on a groundout by Brett Gardner. 11-1.

In the top of the ninth, Maybin led off with his 7th HR of the year, then Gardner doubled and Higashioka hit his second HR of the game (3) to make it 14-1.

Baltimore got a run in the bottom of the ninth for the final score of 14-2.

Urshela 3 hits, 4 RBI, 2 HR (14) .319 …. LeMahieu is at .335
Gregorius 2 hits
Maybin 4 hits, 2 RBI, solo HR (7)  .327
Gardner 2 hits, RBI
Higashioka  2 HR (3),  5 RBI

Paxton (W, 7-6, 4.40) 6 2/3 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 1 W, 7 K.   Gave up 1 HR.
Adams 2 1/3 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K.  6.61

Ernie Bowman, an infielder who appeared in two WS games against the Yanks in 1962, passed away at the age of 84. He played with the Giants 1961-1963 and in 165 MLB games hit .190 with 1 HR.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Game 113. Yanks slug six HR in 9-4 win, but Gleyber hurt again.

The Yanks (74-39) slugged six HR in a 9-4 win over the Orioles Tuesday night. The lead in the AL East stays at 9 over Tampa Bay (since it is 15 1/2 over Boston, I won’t even mention Boston henceforth). The magic # to clinch the division, if you are interested, is 40. More once it gets under 20.

The win is the Yankees’ seventh in a row, and they have won 14 in a row at Camden Yards, a “home away from home.”

But the concern is over Gleyber Torres. For the second time in three days, he was pulled from the game, and more tests are coming. He says same thing as Sunday night. Core issue pain. He is headed back to NY for more tests.

The Yanks hit three HR in the third inning to take a 3-0 lead. Mike Tauchman (10) and D.J. LeMahieu (18) went back-to-back, then after Aaron Judge struck out, Didi Gregorius hit #8.

After that inning, Torres was pulled.

I don’t understand why Aaron Boone let Jonathan Holder, the “opener”, pitch a third inning. As the “opener”, he is supposed to pitch one, maybe two innings. Why push him to a third? It backfired when Holder gave up two runs in the third. Lead down to 3-2, Yanks.

The Yanks came right back with two in the top of the fourth to go up 5-2. Cameron Maybin led off the inning with a walk and Mike Ford doubled him to third. Austin Romine then doubled both runners home.

Tauchman robbed Pedro Severino of a HR in the top of the fourth.

Stephen Tarpley gave up a 2-run HR in the fifth that cut the lead to 5-4.

Romine homered (6) in the sixth to put the Yanks up 6-4.

Romine and Tauchman hit back-to-back doubles to lead off the top of the eighth to make it 7-4.

The Yanks got more insurance runs in the top of the ninth when Brett Gardner (17) and Cameron Maybin (6) hit back-to-back HR for the final score of 9-4.

The six HR the Yanks hit in the game make their total 38 this year at Camden Yards, with today’s game to go.

LeMahieu 2 hits, RBI. Solo HR (18)
Gregorius solo HR (8)
Gardner solo HR (17)
Maybin solo HR (6)
Romine 3 hits, 3 RBI. HR (6)
Tauchman 2 hits, 2 RBI. HR (10). Robbed an Oriole of a HR.

Holder 2 2/3 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 0 W, 2 K.   6.31
Tarpley 2 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 1 W, 0 K.   8.31
Cortes (W, 5-0, 4.37) 2 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K.
Ottavino (S, 1) 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K.  1.41

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Game 112. Yanks win 6th in a row, lead now 9.

The Yanks (73-39) won their sixth game in a row, beating the Orioles 9-6 in a slugfest on Monday night to open up a nine-game lead over Tampa Bay in the AL East.

Austin Romine got it started with a second inning HR, his 5th of the season, to put the Yanks up 1-0.

The Orioles tied it in the third, and had a runner thrown out at the plate (Brett Gardner to Didi Gregorius to Romine) or else they would have taken the lead. They also could have taken the lead in the fourth on a double steal attempt, but Didi’s throw back home to Romine nailed the runner at the plate. So Didi’s arm saved Masahiro Tanaka two runs. Tanaka’s luck would not hold up.

The Yanks got three in the fifth to go up 4-1. Gardner singled, and with one out, the red-hot Mike Tauchman singled Gardner to third. Breyvic Valera tripled in two runs. The 20th hit of Valera’s MLB career was only his 2nd extra base hit—-both triples. D.J. LeMahieu grounded into a fielder’s choice. D.J. was safe at first, and Valera scored when the throw to the plate was bad for an error.

The Yanks make it 6-1 in the sixth on homers by Gardner (16) and Tauchman (8). Tauchman wasn’t finished.

Tanaka fell apart in the sixth. Double, HR made it 6-3. Single, Double and you hardly had time to get the bullpen up. SF makes it 6-4. Out goes Tanaka, in comes Tommy Kahnle. Strikeout. But then Kahnle gave up a two-run HR that tied the game before getting the last out of the inning. 6-6.

Tanaka’s recent efforts are worrisome.

The Yanks won it in the eighth. With one out, Mike Ford hit his 2nd HR of the season to make it 7-6. Gardner singled, then after an out, Tauchman hit his second HR of the game (9) to give the Yanks insurance with a 9-6 lead, which held up as the final score.

Ford solo HR (2)
Gardner 3 hits, solo HR (16)
Romine solo HR (5)
Tauchman 3 hits, 3 RBI, 2 HR (9)
Valera 2 RBI

With all the injuries, a lineup featuring Ford, Romine, Tauchman and Valera seems like a spring training lineup, but they got it done. Next man up.

The Yanks set a record for most HR ever in a season by a team in a visiting park. And they aren’t done yet. 

Tanaka 5 1/3 IP, 5 R, 10 H, 2 W, 4 K.   4.93  Gave up 1 HR
Kahnle (BS, 3) 2/3 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.   2.72     Gave up 1 HR.
Ottavino (W, 5-3, 1.47) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.   1.47
Britton (H, 23) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 1 K.   2.30
Chapman (S, 30) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 3 K.  2.62

The Yanks will use the “opener” tonight as Jonathan Holder is scheduled to get that role.

Gary Sanchez is scheduled for a couple of rehab games Wednesday and Thursday for SWB, then to join the Yankees this weekend in Toronto. He was slumping badly before going on the IL, maybe the stint gets him right.