Because I am leaving soon on a bus trip to today’s Yankees game, this will be the only report. There will be NO minor league report on Friday’s games in the Yankees farm system. Sorry, but this one is all the time I have before I have to leave and catch the bus.
Randy Vasquez, the Yankees’ #14 prospect, made his MLB debut last night and did well for four innings before losing it in the fifth, giving up a long upper-deck HR to Juan Soto that gave San Diego a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately for Vasquez and the Yanks, those runs would be all the Padres would need in a 5-1 win.
The Yankees’ offense struggled again, getting only the one run on seven hits. They struck out 11x.
Ron Marinaccio gave up an upper-deck HR to Fernando Tatis, Jr. in the top of the sixth and it was 4-1 Padres.
The Yanks got their only run in the bottom of the sixth when with one out, Gleyber Torres singled and Aaron Judge followed with a double. Anthony Rizzo got an RBI groundout.
San Diego got a run in the top of the ninth. Ex-Yankee Roughned Odor got the RBI single.
Before the game, Aaron Hicks, previously DFA’d, was given his outright release.
Rizzo 2 hits, RBI.
Vasquez (L, 0-1) 4 2/3 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 3 W, 6 K. 2 HBP. Gave up 1 HR. 3.86 MLB DEBUT. Marinaccio 1 1/3 IP, 2 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K. 1 HBP Gave up 1 HR. 4.26 Weber 3 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 0 W, 3 K. 3.48
Aaron Boone didn’t manage the game, having been suspended for a game by MLB because of recent ejections.
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
Aaron Judge homered to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth, and rookie SS and #1 prospect Anthony Volpe hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the tenth to give the Yankees (30-20) a 6-5 come from behind victory over Baltimore Tuesday night. It was the Yankees’ fifth straight win.
Gerrit Cole got his 2,000th career strikeout, but otherwise wasn’t sharp last night. With two out in the top of the first inning, Cole walked two straight batters, then gave up a two-run double and the Yanks were down 2-0.
He gave up solo homers in the third and fourth to put the Yanks into a 4-0 hole.
Harrison Bader homered (5) in the bottom of the fourth for the Yanks to cut the lead to 4-1, then the Yanks scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game.
Oswaldo Cabrera led off with a single and went to second on a single by Gleyber Torres. After Judge lined out, Anthony Rizzo doubled in one run. A single by D.J. LeMahieu brought home Torres, and Rizzo scored on a Bader SF.
Cole probably should have been pulled at that point, but he started the top of the sixth and gave up two singles to start the inning. Ron Marinaccio relieved him, and things got hairy. One run did score to give the Orioles a 5-4 lead, and the final out was Cedric Mullins (who homered earlier) just missing a grand slam, as he flied out deep to Judge in right.
In the bottom of the seventh, with one out and runners at the corners, D.J. LeMahieu twice tried to bunt the runner home. Instead, Torres was out at home. Manager Aaron Boone said D.J. was doing that on this own. There is a time for that, but that didn’t seem to be the time. Try it first, ok (he fouled that one off) but not a second time. That was a real head-scratcher.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Judge tied the game up with his fourteenth HR of the season.
Michael King stopped Baltimore and its ghost runner in the top of the tenth, leaving the runner at second. In the bottom of the tenth, Isiah Kiner-Falefa was the ghost runner for the Yankees, as he PR for LeMahieu. Bader grounded out, and that moved IKF to third. Willie Calhoun was intentionally walked as the Orioles hoped for a DP to get out of the inning, but Volpe flied to CF for a game-winning sac fly.
Torres 2 hits. Judge solo HR (14). HR tied game in bottom of 9th. Rizzo 3 hits, RBI. Bader 2 hits, 2 RBI. Solo HR (5) Volpe GW SF
Cole 5+ IP, 5 R, 6 H, 3 W, 2 K. Gave up 2 HR. 2.53 2000th Career K. Marinaccio 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 2 K. 3.75 Peralta 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 1.83 King (W, 1-1) 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 3 K. 1.95
Off night for Cole, but five scoreless IP by the bullpen.
In my post regarding Game #47, I mentioned how the Yanks traded for Greg Allen. Allen was added to the major league team right away and in order to make room for him, the Yanks DFA’d Aaron Hicks, eating the rest of his contract.
It may have been a surprise move to some, that the Yanks would eat that much money remaining on the contract (I’d guess about $28MM and the rest of this year plus two more years?) but it was a long time coming. Hicks was hitting just .188-1-5 this year with an OPS+ of only 46 (100 is average). Since his best year of 2018 (.248-27-79, OPS+ 127 and 22nd in MVP voting), Hicks only hit .218 with an OPS+ of 92 whiles being frequently injured. His defense also has suffered, and the former CF was moved to LF what with Harrison Bader taking over the CF job. From 2017-2020, Hicks’ OPS+ was 120, but injuries hurt his 2017 and 2019 seasons, and Covid shortened the 2020 season to 60 games. The big drop-off in Hicks’ production started in 2021 when more injuries limited him to 32 games. He hasn’t been the same since.
Allen doesn’t have the power Hicks does, but does have more speed and unlike Hicks, who has been a starter, has been a bench player for his whole career, so he doesn’t have to adapt to the role like Hicks has had to this year. Like Hicks, Allen is a switch-hitter.
As for the game, the Yanks rode Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo to a 7-4, 10-inning win. Catcher Ben Rortvedt made his Yankees’ debut and got hits in his first two plate appearances.
Jhony Brito struggled and was sent down to AAA after the game to make room for today’s starter, Luis Severino, who will be coming off the IL and will be making his season debut today. It will be a strange starting time today (Sunday) of 11:35 AM.
The Reds struck first in yesterday’s game, getting a run in the bottom of the first. Brito hurt himself with a walk and a balk before giving up an RBI single.
The Yanks came right back in the top of the third to tie the game. Rortvedt doubled in his first ever Yankee at bat and was brought home on a single by Judge.
The Reds took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third. Once again, Brito hurt himself. After getting the first two hitters out, he walked the next three batters then gave up an infield single.
In the bottom of the fourth, Brito once again couldn’t close things out with two out. He got the first two hitters, then gave up a single and a 2-run HR and the Yanks were in a 4-1 hole.
They came right back to tie the game at four each with three runs in the top of the fifth. Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a solo HR (2) with one out in the inning. Rortvedt and Gleyber Torres followed with singles. Judge doubled in a run to make it 4-3. Rizzo singled to tie the game, but Judge was thrown out at the plate on a bad send by third base coach Luis Rojas. It hurt at the time because D.J. LeMahieu singled right afterward. You think, hey, Judge would have then scored, but then you have the fallacy of the predetermined outcome. Oh, well.
The game stayed tied and went into the tenth inning. Allen, who arrived in the middle of the game, pinch-ran for Rortvedt as the ghost runner in the top of the tenth. He was moved to third on a flyout by Torres, and you thought that Cincinnati would then walk Judge to try to get out of the inning by making Rizzo GIDP. Instead, they pitched to Judge, and Judge broke the tie with an RBI single—his fourth hit of the day—to give the Yankees a 5-4 lead. But it didn’t matter if the Reds would have walked Judge, for (but once again, the fallacy of the predetermined outcome) Rizzo homered (11) to give the Yanks a cushion with a 7-4 lead, and that is the way the game ended.
The Yankees are 28-20 (3rd in AL East, 6 1/2 out), and even with some guys still out (most notably Stanton, Donaldson, Rodon, Montas, Loaisiga, Hamilton, and I won’t list guys who won’t even be back at all this year like Trivino and Effross) are 13-6 this month.
The AL East is one tough division. Toronto is 25-21, which isn’t a bad record, but they are in LAST place in the division.
Torres 2 hits. Judge 4 for 4 with a walk, 3 RBI. Rizzo 2 hits, 3 RBI. 2-run HR (11). Kiner-Falefa solo HR (2). Rortvedt 2 hits. (First two at bats as a Yankee, two hits. Yankee debut).
Brito 4 IP, 4 R, 4 H, 4 W, 6 K. Gave up 1 HR. 1 balk. 5.58 Sent to AAA after game. Marinaccio 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 3 K. 4.09 King 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 3 K. 2.10 Holmes (W, 2-2) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 1 K. 3.44 Weber (S, 1) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K 3.68
The Yankee bullpen tossed six shutout innings, giving up just one hit.
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.
Wandy Peralta gave up a three-run HR in the bottom of the tenth inning and the Yankees (25-20) lost to Toronto 3-0 Wednesday night.
The Yanks had their best chances to score in the eighth and tenth innings. In the eighth, with two out, the Yanks drew three straight walks, but PH Anthony Volpe struck out to end the inning.
In the top of the tenth, PR Isiah Kiner-Falefa (the ghost runner) was on third with one out but Gleyber Torres struck out. After Aaron Judge was intentionally walked, Anthony Rizzo struck out.
It was a great pitcher’s duel until the unfortunate ending.
The Yankees only got three hits in the game and made three errors.
Judge 1 for 3, 2 walks. Calhoun 1 for 3, walk. Cabrera 0 for 4, 3 strikeouts. Torres 0 for 5, 2 strikeouts.
Cole 6 IP, 0 R, 7 H, 2 W, 6 K. 2.01 Holmes 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 3.63 J. Cordero 1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 W, 0 K. 2.37 King 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 W, 0 K. 2.28 Peralta (L, 2-1) 1/3 IP, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K. Gave up GW 3-run walk-off HR. 2.16
Luis Severino will come off the IL and start on Sunday for the Yankees. No corresponding move yet.
Nick Ramirez was brought up to replace Ian Hamilton, who went on the IL.
The Yanks went with Jimmy Cordero to start the game, and then brought in Jhony Brito afterwards. It worked like a charm for seven innings.
Against ace Alek Manoah of Toronto, Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone gave both Harrison Bader (for 8 innings, he came in as a defensive replacement in the ninth) and D.J. LeMahieu the night off. Jose Trevino had the night off too.
But Aaron Judge (twice) and Willie Calhoun homered, and the Yankees (24-19) beat Toronto 7-4.
The Yanks gave Cordero a three-run lead before he took the mound. Judge hit a solo HR (9) and a couple of batters later, Calhoun hit a 2-run shot (3) to make it 3-0.
The Yanks added two runs in the fourth. Anthony Volpe led off with a double, then Oswaldo Cabrera walked. Kyle Higashioka singled in Volpe with Cabrera going to third. Aaron Hicks walked to load the bases. After Jake Bauers popped up, Judge walked to force in a run. 5-0.
In the top of the sixth, with one out, Bauers walked and stole second. Maybe not a smart play by Bauers, because then Judge was intentionally walked. Toronto was hoping for an inning-ending DP but Anthony Rizzo spoiled that by hitting an RBI double. 6-0.
In the top of the eighth, Boone was ejected for arguing a called strike on Judge that was clearly low. No one gets as many bad calls called on him than Judge. Umpires need to and don’t adjust the strike zone for Judge. He is 6’7″. A ball at the knees for a normal player is LOW on Judge. Anyway, Judge hit a 462 ft. bomb, his second HR of the game and tenth of the season, to make the score 7-0. He just had a 2-HR game the other day, so hopefully he is back and on a hot streak.
Toronto got four runs in the bottom of the eighth. A questionable call on a double (it looked foul) started the rally, Gleyber Torres made an error, and a couple of bloopers. Michael King stranded two to end the inning and then closed it out in the ninth.
Judge 2 for 2. Both hits HR (solo and 2-run) (10). He also drew 3 walks. Calhoun 2-run HR (3) Cabrera was 0 for 2 but drew 3 walks.
Besides their 8 hits, the Yanks drew 10 walks.
J. Cordero 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 2.50 Brito (W, 3-3) 5 1/3 IP, 4 R, 2 ER, 6 H, 0 W, 2 K. 5.45 Hamilton 1/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 0 K. 1.27 King (S, 3) 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 2.38
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.
Aaron Judge was due. Even taking into account the recent stint on the injured list, he hadn’t homered since April 19.
Judge homered twice in a thrilling Yankees’ (23-18) comeback win over the Tampa Bay Rays yesterday. The Yanks, trailing 6-0 after 4 1/2 innings, won 9-8.
A big concern is Nestor Cortes. With Rodon, Severino and Montas on the IL, Cortes has to resemble the All-Star and CYA candidate of last year. Nestor’s ERA is 5.53. You didn’t expect a repeat of last year’s 2.44 but were hoping for 3.44. The big problem is his third time through the batting order. In his first four innings of work this year, he has been Nasty Nestor, with an ERA of 1.97. However, from the fifth inning on, it is an atrocious 16.55.
Nestor gave up a run in the second inning, and was OK through four, giving up just that one run.
But in the fifth, he gave up a grand slam to Yandy Diaz, and after a double followed, was pulled from the game. The runner later scored, and the Yanks were in a 6-0 hole.
But in the bottom of the fifth, Kyle Higashioka hit a 2-run HR (3) and Judge later followed with a 2-run HR (7) to cut the Rays’ lead to 6-4.
The Yanks then scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead. It all started with a bunt. Anthony Volpe got a “Volpe run” with the bunt single, two stolen bases, and then he scored on a WP. Volpe became the first Yankee to be successful in all of his first 13 stolen base attempts. After a walk, Judge hit his second HR of the game (8), a 2-run shot, to give the Yanks a 7-6 lead. Anthony Rizzo then laid down a bunt single (!) and then a couple of walks loaded the bases. Oswaldo Cabrera’s 2-run single made it 9-6.
But the Rays stormed back, getting two runs in the top of the seventh to cut it to 9-8. The Yanks’ bullpen held it from there for the thrilling victory.
Judge 2 hits, both of them 2-run HR (8), 4 RBI Rizzo 3 hits. Cabrera 2 RBI. Volpe 2 SB (13). 13 for 13 in SB this season. First Yankee to be successful in all of his first 13 SB attempts. Higashioka 2-run HR (3).
Cortes 4 1/3 IP, 6 R, 7 H, 2 W, 3 K. Gave up a grand slam. 5.53 J. Cordero (W, 3-1) 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K. 2.81 Marinaccio (H, 4) 1/3 IP, 2 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K. 1 HBP 3.71 Holmes (H, 2) 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 0 W, 3 K. 1 WP 4.11 Peralta (S, 2) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 1 K. 1.76
The Stadium was packed for a big matchup against the team with the best record in baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays, and also for the Anthony Rizzo bobblehead that was given away.
And based on the results of last night, more bobbleheads for the rest of the team may be on order.
Rizzo hit two homers, the last being a 2-run shot in the bottom of the eighth, to lead the Yanks (22-18) to a 6-5 win.
Gerrit Cole struggled through five innings and wasn’t sharp. He gave up a HR in the top of the first inning to Randy Arozarena.
Rizzo came right back with his first HR of the game to tie it at one in the bottom of the first.
Jose Siri homered off Cole in the top of the second to make it 2-1, Rays. Even after giving up the HRs, Cole (who needed 31 pitches to get out of the first inning) had to escape two-on jams to close out both the first and second innings. It could have been much worse.
Anthony Volpe homered (5) to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth.
In the bottom of the seventh, D.J. Lemahieu led off with a single, and after a force-out, Jake Bauers got a PH single. Volpe singled to put the Yanks up 3-2. After a flyout, Oswaldo Cabrera singled to make it 4-2, but Cabrera was thrown out trying for second.
It seems that every bullpen move manager Aaron Boone makes lately, even if it is the right move, is backfiring. Michael King gave up a 3-run HR to Josh Lowe in the top of the eighth that put Tampa Bay up 5-4 and that had the crowd worried. Talk about deflating the mood.
But in the bottom of the eighth, Aaron Judge walked, and Rizzo followed with his second HR of the game (8) to put the Yanks up 6-5 and they held on for the victory.
Rizzo 2 hits, (both of them HR (8) a solo and 2-run shot) 3 RBI Volpe 2 hits, 2 RBI. Solo HR (5).
Cole 5 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 2 W, 4 K. Gave up 2 HR. 2.22 Hamilton 1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 3 K. 1.29 King 1 1/3 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 1 W, 0 K. Gave up 1 HR. 2.53 Holmes (W, 1-2) 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K. 4.61 Peralta (S, 1) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K. 1.88
Aaron Judge is overdue. He had the IL stint, but his last HR was April 19. Hopefully he busts out—big time—soon.
How tough is the AL East? Despite a 22-18 record (at this pace, 89-73 for the season, which isn’t great but not bad at all) the Yanks are in last place in the division, 8 games out. With that record, they would LEAD the AL Central. Still and all, the Yanks are only 1/2 game out (it’s early) of a playoff spot. We are 1/4 of the way through the season. Some players have to improve. A lot of others need to get healthy.
The Sommer Frieze 
