Games 65 & 66. Yanks regain share of first with a DH Split vs. Mets.

Game 1: Masahiro Tanaka got through one bad inning, pitching into the seventh, as the Yanks pounded the Mets, 12-5.

The Yanks went up 1-0 in the second on a double by Didi Gregorius and an RBI single by Kendrys Morales.

Tanaka gave up 4 runs in the third, inc. a 3-run HR to put the Mets up 4-1.

In the bottom of the third, the Yanks got one back when Brett Gardner singled, he and D.J. LeMahieu were safe all around on an error, and with two out, Gary Sanchez singled to make it 4-2.

The Yanks got five in the fourth on a 2-run HR by Gio Urshela (5) and a 3-run bomb by Luke Voit (16).

With two out in the fifth, the Yanks tacked on two more runs on a double by Morales, RBI single by Urshela, and RBI triple by Gardner. 9-4.

After the Mets scored a run in the top of the sixth to cut it to 9-5, the Yanks got a run in the seventh when Clint Frazier and Urshela each doubled.

Sanchez hit a 2-run HR (20) in the bottom of the eighth for the final score of 12-5.

Voit 3-run HR (16)
Sanchez 2 hits, 3 RBI, 2-run HR (20)
Gregorius 2 hits
Morales 3 hits, RBI
Urshela 3 hits, 4 RBI, 2-run HR (5)
Gardner 2 hits, RBI

Tanaka (W, 4-5, 3.58) 6 2/3 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 7 H, 0 W, 7 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Kahnle 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  2.81
Hale 2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K.  2.57.

Game 2: You worry about the Yanks’ pitching and their health and if they need or will get another pitcher. German on the IL for now, Tanaka’s elbow, CC’s knee, Severino and Montgomery haven’t pitched at all this year, Loaisiga on IL, and with Game 2’s starter, James Paxton, you wonder if his knee is affecting him. In his last two starts, Paxton’s ERA has gone from 2.81 to 4.04.

He was knocked out in the third. After just 11 pitches, the Mets, who won this game 10-4, were up 3-0 after a double, single, and 3-run HR.

The Mets tacked on three more in the third, knocking Paxton out of the box.

The Yanks got three in the bottom of the third to cut it to 6-3. LeMahieu singled, Voit walked. Sanchez singled to load the bases. Gleyber Torres singled in one run, and forceouts by Frazier and Urshela brought in two more.

But a 2-run HR off of Chance Adams in the fourth made it 8-3 Mets.

Adams, the “26th man” for the DH (and therefore going back down after the game), gave up another HR in the fifth, 9-3.

Stephen Tarpley gave up a run in the top of the ninth, 10-3 Mets.

Brett Gardner homered (10) in the bottom of the ninth for the final score of 10-4 Mets.

LeMahieu 2 hits, .316
Sanchez 2 hits
Torres 2 hits, RBI
Gardner 2 hits, solo HR (10)

Paxton (L, 3-3, 4.04) 2 2/3 IP, 6 R, 7 H, 2 W, 1 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Adams 4 1/3 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 H, 3 W, 3 K. Gave up 2 HR.  3.97
Cessa 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K.  5.10
Tarpley 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K.  8.53

Dellin Betances has been shut down for a few weeks. Lat issue.

The Yanks could be getting Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge back in about a week to two weeks.

First round draft pick Anthony Volpe (SS) has signed with the Yankees.

With the split, the Yanks (41-25) are tied for first with Tampa Bay. They are off Wednesday.

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Game 60. Bullpen implodes in 11-7 Yanks’ loss.

A couple of notes before the game recap.

How is Angel Hernandez still a MLB umpire? Some calls he missed on Tuesday night were atrocious, and he’s consistently rated or graded as one of, if not the worst ump in MLB. One pitch Tuesday night that he called a ball was so clearly a strike (Tanaka grimaced and Sanchez turned around) and then the next pitch was a gopher ball.

The Yanks took a flyer and used one of their late draft picks to take Jack Leiter, RHP, son of Al Leiter (and nephew of Mark Sr. and cousin of Mark Jr.). Leiter has 1st round stuff, but has committed to Vanderbilt which is why he dropped and the Yanks took a flyer on him late in the draft in case he changes his mind.

The Yanks also drafted Nick Paciorek, whose uncle, Tom Paciorek, was a MLB player in the 1980s, and who was an All-Star with Seattle in 1981.

MLB.com shows a lot of players who were drafted that have “bloodlines.” Roy Halladay’s son, who is going to Penn State, was one of them, drafted by Toronto.

While we wait for Dallas Keuchel, another top free agent signed. Former Boston closer Craig Kimbrel is going to the Cubs. Out of the AL, and not only for the rest of this year, but for 2020 and 2021 as well.  3 yr., $43MM.

As for the game:

James Paxton was off, and later in the game the bullpen imploded as the Yanks (38-22) lost their third straight game, 11-7, to Toronto Wednesday night.

With the loss, the Yanks’ streak of winning nine straight series is over, and their lead over the Rays was shaved to 1 1/2 games, and the lead over Boston to 6 1/2.

Paxton gave up a 2-run HR to Randall Grichuk (his first of two in the game) in the first inning and a run in the second and the Yanks were down 3-0 after two innings.

Gary Sanchez hit his league-leading 19th HR of the season in the top of the fourth to cut it to 3-1.

The Yanks went up 4-3 in the top of the fifth when Clint Frazier walked, and after a forceout, Gio Urshela singled. Cameron Maybin then singled to make it 3-2. D.J. LeMahieu singled to tie it at 3. Luke Voit walked to load the bases, and Sanchez singled to put the Yanks up 4-3.

Paxton gave up a run in the bottom of the fifth and was knocked out of the game. 4-4.

In the top of the sixth, LeMahieu hit a 3-run HR (7) and the Yanks were up 7-4.

Then the bullpen (and defense) imploded. Two errors helped Toronto get two runs in the bottom of the seventh to cut the lead to 7-6.

Still, the Yanks were up going into the bottom of the eighth. But in that inning, Zack Britton gave up a 3-run HR to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and then Luis Cessa came in and gave up back-to-back HRs (one by Grichuk, the other by one-time briefly a Yankee Brandon Drury) to make it 11-7 Toronto.

Cessa had a good spring training and a good start to the season, but his last two outings have taken his ERA from around 3.16 to 5.33.

Toronto has the sons of both Hall-of-Famers Vladimir Guerrero and Craig Biggio on the team.

LeMahieu 3 hits, (.315) 4 RBI, 3-run HR (7)
Sanchez 2 hits, 2 RBI, solo HR (19) (DYK: 43 hits, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 19 HR)
Maybin 2 hits, RBI

Paxton 4 2/3 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 H, 3 W, 4 K. Gave up 1 HR.  3.11
Ottavino 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K.   1.27
Kahnle (H, 12) 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 1 K.   1.48
Holder (H, 4) 2/3 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.  4.15
Britton (L, 2-1, 2.96; BS, 2)  1 IP, 3 R, 2 H, 1 W, 0 K. Gave up HR.
Cessa 1/3 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 0 W, 0 K. Gave up 2 HR.  5.33

 

 

 

 

 

Game 57. The Kraken gets Crackin’. Sanchez HR gives Yanks 5-3 win.

Gary Sanchez’ league-leading 18th HR broke a 3-3 tie and gave the Yankees (38-19) a 5-3 win over Boston. With the win, the Yanks are now 2 1/2 up on the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East and 9 1/2 up on the Boston Red Sox.

Starter Domingo German got 8 of the 11 outs he recorded via strikeout, but the problem was Boston made him work and 11 outs (3 2/3 innings) is all he lasted.

Boston scored first with a run in the top of the second.

The Yanks came back with three in the bottom of the second. Gleyber Torres singled (and got a scolding for lack of hustle, getting only a single), and Kendrys Morales singled. After Clint Frazier struck out, Gio Urshela singled in a run, and Brett Gardner singled to load the bases. D.J. LeMahieu singled in two runs to put the Yanks up 3-1.

German gave up a HR to the first batter in the top of the fourth, and later in the inning, for the second time against German in the game, Sandy Leon delivered a two-out RBI single. This one tied the game at 3.

Chad Green, who finished the fourth, got out of a 2nd and 3rd, one-out jam in the top of the fifth.

In the bottom of the fifth, with one out, Luke Voit singled, an out later, Sanchez hit his 2-run HR to put the Yanks up 5-3. The Yanks loaded the bases after that but couldn’t tack on, and there was no more scoring after that.

Six Yankees’ relievers shut out Boston over the last 5 1/3 IP. Both Zack Britton in the 8th and Aroldis Chapman in the 9th induced big DP balls.

LeMahieu 2 RBI
Voit 3 hits
Sanchez 2-run HR (18)
Morales 3 hits

German 3 2/3 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 2 W, 8 K. Gave up 1 HR.  3.66
Green (W, 1-2, 9.72) 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 2 K.
Kahnle (H, 11) 2/3  IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K.  1.52
Ottavino (H, 14) 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  1.30. Struck out only batter he faced.
Holder (H, 3) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.   4.30
Britton (H, 13) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 1 K.  2.05
Chapman (S, 17) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 0 K.  1.52

Check out the ERAs on Kahnle, Ottavino, Britton and Chapman.

With the heavy bullpen usage, I wouldn’t be surprised if you see Cessa or Hale tonight, because CC, who is starting, is just coming off the IL.

 

 

Game 56. Great sounds from D.J.’s bat in Yanks 4-1 win over Boston.

What a pick up D.J. LeMahieu has been for the Yanks. If you had to vote for MVP today, he most likely would not win, but would gather a lot of consideration.

The Yanks beat Boston 4-1, pushing them 8 1/2 behind the (37-19) Yanks, and the Rays also lost so the Yanks lead over the Rays is 1 1/2 games.

The Yanks went 20-7 in May. This despite all the injuries. Fabulous.

Boston struck first in this game when Rafael Devers homered off of J.A. Happ in the second.

The Yanks got three in the third. Gio Urshela led off the inning with a single. After Cameron Maybin struck out, Brett Gardner singled. LeMaheiu doubled to tie the game. Luke Voit struck out for the second out of the inning, but then Aaron Hicks singled in two runs to make it 3-1.

LeMahieu homered (6) in the fifth to make it 4-1 Yanks and no one scored after that.

In the fifth, with the score 3-1 and with Boston having 2 runners on and with 2 out, Gary Sanchez picked the runner off of second. Huge play and big turning point at that time of the game.

LeMahieu 2 hits, 2 RBI, solo HR. (.317)
Hicks 2 RBI
Urshela 2 hits, (.338)

Happ (W, 5-3, 4.83) 5 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 2 W, 5 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Ottavino (H, 13) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.  1.32
Kahnle (H, 10) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.  1.57
Britton (H, 12) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 0 K. 2.13
Chapman (S, 16) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K.   1.59

Take a look at the ERAs of the relievers.

Now, as Jack Curry said on the YES postgame show, consider this.

The Yanks split the relievers into two groups of three.

One group of three could be, say, Ottavino, Betances (when he comes back) and Chapman.

The other group is Kahnle, Green (as long as he is back to snuff) and Britton.

You can mix and match the trios any which way you want.

The point is, you have two different killer trios of relievers. One could go one day, the other the next. Everyone stays fresh.

Two killer bullpen trios. The starter doesn’t have to give much more than five or six innings.

Deadly.  That kind of bullpen can give you a ton of wins.

Right into late October and (if needed) November.

Game 54. First four batters doom Yanks, 5-4.

Four batters and 14 pitches into the game, the Yanks were down 4-0. They fought back but lost 5-4.

So at the 1/3 point in the season, the Yanks are 35-19 (a 105 win pace, despite all the injuries) and the lead in the AL East is one game over Tampa Bay.

Those 14 pitches resulted in an error, a single, a bloop single for a run, and a 3-run HR. Before recording an out, Masahiro Tanaka and the Yanks were down 4-0. Tanaka rebounded to give six innings, but the rough beginning put the Yanks in a hole they couldn’t get out of.

In the fourth, the Yanks got a run when Gary Sanchez hit his 17th HR of the season.

San Diego got a run in the sixth to go up 5-1.

The Yanks got three in the seventh when Kendrys Morales walked, and one out later, Thairo Estrada walked. Brett Gardner singled to load the bases, and D.J. LeMahieu singled in two runs to make it 5-3. Luke Voit re-loaded the bases with an infield single. Aaron Hicks drove in a run on a ground out, 5-4.

The Yanks put the leadoff man on in the ninth, but couldn’t bring him around to tie the game.

LeMahieu 2 RBI (.313)
Voit 2 hits
Hicks 2 hits, RBI
Sanchez solo HR (17)
Urshela 1 for 1, PH single (.333)

Tanaka (L, 3-4, 3.20) 6 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 9 H, 2 W, 7 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Joe Harvey 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 W, 2 K.  4.50
Cessa 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 2 K.  3.16

Aaron Judge has started hitting off a tee. Didi Gregorius’ AAA rehab game was rained out. James Paxton comes off the DL today to start and CC looks good to go for Sunday. Slowly, some guys are starting to work at coming off the DL.

UPDATE: After the game, Harvey was sent down to make room for Paxton’s return.

Game 53. Yanks piece it together, win 5-2.

The Yanks (35-18) had to employ the “opener” again, but pieced it together for a 5-2 win over the Padres Memorial Day afternoon.

Chad Green opened and struck out the side in the first.

David Hale replaced him and went the next four innings, giving up 2 runs in the second inning, to pick up his first major league win since 2015.

Then it was Ottavino, Kahnle, Britton and Chapman to close it out.

After Hale gave up the two runs in the top of the second, the Yanks came right back with three runs of their own.

With one out, Clint Frazier hit his 10th HR of the season, Gio Urshela walked, and one out later, Brett Gardner’s 8th HR of the year, a 2-run HR, made it 3-2 Yankees.

It stayed that way until the eighth, when with one out, Gary Sanchez hit his 16th HR of the year to make it 4-2. Gleyber Torres then doubled, and Cameron Maybin singled. An error by the RF on Maybin’s single allowed both runners to take an extra base. 5-2 Yankees, the final score.

Although Green did great (3 up, 3 down, all K) , I do wonder how much more of the “opener” I can take. Paxton will come back Wednesday, CC possibly next Sunday.

The opener and bullpen usage today explains the moves of the day before.

Sanchez solo HR (16)
Frazier 2 hits, solo HR (10)
Gardner 2-run HR  (8)

Green 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K.   11.30
Hale (W, 1-0, 3.38) 4 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 1 W, 4 K.
Ottavino (H, 12) 1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K.  1.42
Kahnle (H, 9) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K.  1.64
Britton (H, 11) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  2.22
Chapman (S, 15) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K.  1.66

Bill Buckner, unfortunately mostly known for that one play that ended Game 6 of the 1986 WS, passed away at the age of 69. He played for the Dodgers 1969-1976, Cubs 1977-1984, Red Sox 1984-1987, Angels 1987-1988, Royals 1988-1989 and back with the Red Sox 1990.

He played for the Dodgers in the 1974 WS as well as for the Red Sox in the 1986 WS.

A 1x All-Star (1981), he got MVP consideration 5x, and finished 10th in the MVP voting in 1981 and 1982. He led the league in doubles 2x and won the NL batting title in 1980. He drove in 100 or more runs in a season 3x.

He played LF, RF and 1B, and had 2715 hits in his career, and a .289 batting average. His 162 g. average was .289-11-78, OPS+ 100. He played in 4 decades (1969-1990).

Game 49. Yanks complete sweep of O’s with a 6-5 win.

Before the game, CC to the DL, Cortes up.

Looks like they’ll be going to an opener for some games.

As far as today, if you didn’t know better, you’d swear that the Yanks were toying with the Orioles.

They didn’t start Gleyber Torres (10 of his 12 HR against the Orioles) or Gary Sanchez (9 of his 15). They did keep Clint Frazier (5 of his 8) in the lineup.

So what happens? Frazier homers (make it 6 of 9) and Torres and Sanchez make big contributions as pinch-hitters in the ninth inning that enabled the Yanks (32-17) to win 6-5 to sweep the four games in Baltimore.

Baltimore scored first with a run in the second. Masahiro Tanaka didn’t help himself with a WP and an error. But Tanaka, who was questionable for a while because he took a liner off his leg in his previous start, was fantastic. He took another liner in this one, no damage.

In the top of the fifth, Frazier tied the game with his 9th HR of the season, six against Baltimore.

In the top of the sixth, with one out, D.J. LeMahieu walked and one out later, Luke Voit doubled him to third. After Kendrys Morales walked to load the bases, Gio Urshela singled in two runs to make it 3-1 Yanks.

To the top of the seventh. With one out, Thairo Estrada walked. He stole second and scored on a single by Austin Romine. 4-1 Yanks.

In the top of the eighth, Voit homered (12) to make it 5-1.

But the Yanks’ bullpen failed and let Baltimore tie the game in the bottom of the eighth. Jonathan Holder worked a 1-2-3 seventh in relief of Tanaka, but lost it in the eighth. Two walks and a single cut the Yanks’ lead to 5-2. Tommy Kahnle replaced Holder and got a flyout. However the next hitter hit a 3-run HR to tie the game. Kahnle rebounded with two strikeouts to end the inning.

With two out in the top of the ninth, guess who the next two batters are? Yup, those Oriole nemeses, Torres and Sanchez, back-to-back pinch-hitting. Torres walks. Sanchez singles. D.J. LeMahieu walks. Aaron Hicks walks to force in what was the game-winning run.

Zack Britton closed it out in the bottom of the ninth.

The Yanks’ lead remains the same, 2 over the Rays, 5 1/2 over Boston. Both teams won.

Hicks GW RBI on a bases-loaded walk.
Voit 2 hits, solo HR (12)
Urshela 2 RBI
Frazier solo HR (9)

Tanaka 6 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 1 W, 5 K.  2.94
Holder (H, 1) 1 IP+, 3 R, 1 H, 2 W, 1 K.  4.88
Kahnle (BS, 2; W, 2-0, 1.80) 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Britton (S, 2) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K.  2.42