A few notes before the game recap. Today will be my last reports for a while. I have to go in for surgery tomorrow.
After the game, it was announced that Aaron Hicks will go on the I.L. I thought they were going to bring up Greg Allen, but it’s not Allen coming up, but Ryan LaMarre.
LaMarre, 32, bats right, throws left, and has played in 119 MLB games for the Reds, Red Sox, A’s, Twins, and White Sox. He’s hit .236-4-21 in 225 at bats, OPS+ 70. He’s even pitched in mop up roles, giving up 1 R in 1 2/3 IP. He was 9 for 33 (.273) for SWB this season.
Now to the game.
This is what we thought the Yankees’ (22-17) offense would be this year, not the one that has struggled. Eight runs, 13 hits, Four guys with two hits or more, including three from an unexpected source (Tyler Wade). An Aaron Judge HR.
An 8-2 win over Baltimore.
In the first inning, the Yanks got three runs. D.J. LeMahieu walked, Luke Voit singled, and Aaron Judge walked to load the bases. After Gio Urshela struck out, a passed ball moved up all runners and allowed LeMahieu to score. Gary Sanchez then followed with a 2-run single.
Judge hit a 2-run HR (11) in the second inning to make it 5-0.
In the top of the sixth, Brett Gardner singled, and after an out, Miguel Andujar and Tyler Wade both singled to load the bases. A balk moved up the runners and enabled Gardner to score, then after LeMahieu struck out, Luke Voit singled to make the score 8-0.
Baltimore got a run in the sixth, another in the ninth, and the final was 8-2.
The Yanks (20-17) took two out of three from the Rays this week despite scoring only five runs in the three games. They did it because of pitching. The pitching wasn’t there in the game last night as the Yanks lost, 9-1.
In the games the Yanks won, they won 3-1 and 1-0.
Jameson Taillon struck out 9 in 4 2/3 IP, but took the loss to drop to 1-3, 5.40, ERA+ just 72 on the season. If there is a “weak link” in the Yanks’ rotation so far, Taillon has been it. He is just coming back from his second TJ surgery. The Yanks can look to replace him with Deivi Garcia, or Mike King, or (and what I think will happen) ride him out, hope he improves, but then look to replace him with Luis Severino, once Severino is healthy in two months.
Remember that Severino was the ace before the Yanks got Gerrit Cole. So far all indications are that Severino, himself coming off TJ surgery, looks great.
The Yanks bats were silent, and you keep wondering how long this will go on. Heck, even D.J. LeMahieu is only hitting .264. You still have too many people under .200 (Sanchez, who got two of the Yankees’ five hits last night is at .197; Andujar 0 for 13; Frazier .141; Gardner .182; Mike Ford isn’t even at .100! He’s at .095; Hicks .194; Odor .164; Bruce was at .118 when he retired). They are just hitting .220 as a team. Imagine if they were in the NL with no DH.
Taillon gave up 2 runs in the first, then a 2-run HR in the third. Down 4-0 after three, the way the Yanks haven’t been hitting, you basically knew game over.
When Mike King gave up a 3-run HR in the sixth, those feelings were confrimed. It wasn’t the Yanks’ night. Justin Wilson gave up two runs in the eighth.
The Yanks’ avoided the shutout by scoring in the ninth. Gio Urshela singled to lead off the inning, Sanchez doubled. Ford walked. The slumping Frazier GIDP, the at that time meaningless run scoring, the Rays, already up 9-0, gladly swapping the run for two outs. Andujar then flied out to end the game.
You keep waiting for one of those 12-run explosion games. Maybe this weekend in Baltimore?
Sanchez 2 hits.
Taillon (L, 1-3) 4 2/3 IP, 4 R, 6 H, 2 W, 9 K. 5.40 1 WP, Gave up 1 HR. King 2 1/3 IP, 3 R, 2 H, 2 W, 6 K. 1.84 Gave up 1 HR. Wilson 1 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 W, 1 K. 6.52
Funny stat. Pitchers gave up 9 runs. Struck out 16. Strange.
Before the game, Andujar had to be brought back up because Gleyber Torres had to go on the COVID IL . 8 Yankees, inc. players, coaches (1B, 3B, and P), and staff have been affected.
Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez hit solo homers to back Jordan Montgomery’s strong outing as the Yankees (19-16) beat Tampa Bay 3-1 Tuesday night.
Judge hit his solo HR (8) in the bottom of the first.
With one out in the third inning, D.J. LeMahieu singled and Giancarlo Stanton walked. Two passed balls by Rays’ catcher Mike Zunino enabled the runners to move up two bases, and LeMahieu to score. 2-0 Yankees.
Zunino homered in the bottom of third to cut the Yanks’ lead to 2-1.
Sanchez hit his solo HR (4) in the top of the seventh.
The game marked the return of Luke Voit from the injured list. Miguel Andujar was sent down.
Coaches Phil Nevin and Reggie Willits have tested positive for Covid, even though they were asymptomatic and had received the vaccine. They were two of a few positive Covid tests among coaches and staff.
Judge 2 hits, solo HR (8) Sanchez solo HR (4)
Montgomery (W, 2-1) 6 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 W, 9 K. 3.96. Gave up 1 HR. Loaisiga (H, 4) 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K. 2.61 1 WP Chapman (S, 8) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 1 K. 0.00
Up until the last couple of games, the bullpen was a great strength. But in the last two games, it seems as if the law of averages is catching up to them, as for the second straight game, the bullpen blew it in the end.
A tie game going into the eighth inning became a 11-4 loss as the Yankees (16-16) slipped back to .500.
The Yanks scored first when D.J. LeMahieu led off the bottom of the first with a HR (2).
Washington came right back with three in the top of the second. Jameson Taillon gave up 2 HR that inning, but other than that, pitched well.
Gary Sanchez cut the Nats’ lead to 3-2 with a HR (3) in the bottom of the second.
LeMahieu tied the game with another HR (3) in the bottom of the sixth.
Then the roof fell in. Washington scored six in the top of the eighth off of Jonathan Loaisiga and Luis Cessa, who weren’t helped by three errors. The Nationals got two more in the ninth.
The Yanks got a gift run (defensive indifference) in the bottom of the ninth. 11-4 Nats.
The Yanks only got five hits.
LeMahieu 3 hits, 2 solo HR (3) Sanchez solo HR (3)
Taillon 6 1/3 IP, 3 R, 3 H, 1 W, 5 K. 5.02 gave up 2 HR. Peralta 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 3.97 (Combined SF/NYY ERA) Loaisiga (L, 3-2) 1/3 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 H, 0 W, 1 K. 2.89 Gave up 1 HR. Cessa 1 1/3 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 H, 3 WS, 1 K. 2.40 Gave up 1 HR.
Before the game the Yanks brought up Miguel Andujar and sent back Albert Abreu.
This was more like it. The Yanks got hits from most of the lineup, a couple of players get a multi-hit game, a couple of homers, a crisp performance from a starter going deeper into the game, and in the end, the Yanks (10-13) beat Balltimore, 5-1, on Tuesday night.
First some moves. Deivi Garcia was sent back to the alternate site after his start Monday night, and Mike King was recalled.
Tyler Wade was brought back from the alternate site. Mike Tauchman was traded to SF for LHP Wandy Peralta. Peralta, 29, was 2-1, 5.40 with 2 saves for the Giants this year before the trade. The lefty reliever is 9-9, 4.72 in his career, with those two saves. ERA+ 94.
Tauchman was 3 for 14 (.214) OPS+ 62 for the Yanks this year, not playing much except for pinch-running (led Yanks with 2 SB) and defensive replacement work. From 2019 through yesterday, Tauchman played 141 games as a Yankee, hitting .266-13-61, OPS+ 114. He had a great 2019 as a backup OF, but his last two years were not as good.
The trade did come as a surprise.
Now to the game. Another move before the game. Aaron Boone told Gary Sanchez that Kyle Higashioka would get more playing time at catcher, and during the game Higashioka justified Boone’s decision.
The Yanks scored in the top of the first when D.J. LeMahieu doubled, went to third on an Aaron Judge single and scored on a SF by Gio Urshela. Believe it or not, it was the Yankees first SF of the season….in game #23!
Judge made it 2-0 Yankees in the third inning with his fifth HR of the season.
Baltimore got their only run in the fourth inning off Yankees’ starter Corey Kluber, who worked into the seventh, his deepest outing of the season so far.
Higashioka homered (4) with one out in the fourth to make it 3-1, then with two outs in the same inning, LeMahieu and Giancarlo Stanton singled, and Judge walked to load the bases. Urshela singled in LeMahieu but Stanton was thrown out by plenty at the plate. Bad send.
Stanton homered (6) in the seventh for the final score of 5-1.
Lemahieu 2 hits. Stanton 2 hits, solo HR (6) Judge 2 hits, solo HR (5) Urshela 2 RBI Torres 2 hits Higashioka 2 hits, solo HR (4)
Hopefully this is the start of long dormant bats waking up. Hopefully soon Luke Voit returns to give a jolt to the lineup.
I do wonder something. Miguel Andujar is at the alt. site, rehabbing not only at 3B but at 1B and LF as well, If he’s hitting, and can handle LF, could he soon be replacing the badly slumping (.132) Clint Frazier in LF?
Jordan Montgomery only gave up two hits in six plus innings of work, but one was a solo HR and the other a two-run HR as the Yankees (5-9) lost (again) to the Tampa Bay Rays, 6-3 on Saturday. It was their fourth loss in a row, and continued the Rays’ recent domination of the Yanks.
The Rays only got six hits in the game, but three were homers. The Yanks continued to struggle at the plate, getting just five hits.
The Yanks loaded the bases in the first, but could not score.
Montgomery gave up a solo HR in the second.
The Yanks tied it in the bottom of the second. Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela walked, and an out later, D.J. LeMahieu singled in a run. But the Yanks left second and third. Another chance for a big inning gone.
Montgomery gave up a 2-run HR in the fourth and the Rays were up 3-1.
Sanchez left the game with an injured hand. X-rays were negative, and he is day to day.
In the top of the seventh, Montgomery walked the leadoff hitter. He was relieved by Jonathan Loaisiga, who got two outs, but then gave up a 2-run HR to make it 5-1, Rays.
The Yanks got two runs in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Rougned Odor homered (1). LeMahieu then singled and then scored on a double by Aaron Judge.
The Rays got a run in the top of the ninth, and the final was 6-3.
The Yanks struck out 13x. They still haven’t hit one sac fly all year. I don’t know when I’ve seen a team go 14 games without hitting a SF. Giancarlo Stanton went 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts and is hitting .167. Gleyber Torres is hitting .213 with 0 HR and just 1 RBI. Gio Urshela was 0 for 3 with 3 strikeouts yesterday. The team batting average is just .217. The OPS+ is 89 (11% below league average). They have not drawn one intentional walk. They have to start hitting. They need to win a laugher.
LeMahieu 2 hits, RBI Odor solo HR (1)
Montgomery (L, 1-1) 6+ IP, 4 R, 2 H, 2 W, 7 K. 4.24. Gave up 2 HR. All four baserunners scored. Loaisiga 2 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 3 K. gave up 1 HR. 1.80 Wilson 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 2 K. 2.25
Gio Urshela had four hits, including a HR, and drove in 3 runs as the Yankees (4-5) snapped a three-game losing streak by beating Tampa Bay 8-4 in ten innings on Sunday.
Newly acquired Rougned Odor had the game winning hit.
Jordan Montgomery was shaky, giving up a 2-run HR in the second inning.
The Yanks got three in the top of the third to go up 3-2. Gary Sanchez walked, and Urshela homered to tie the game. Brett Gardner singled, D.J. LeMahieu hit a ground-rule double, and Aaron Judge walked to load the bases. Aaron Hicks GIDP, Gardner scoring.
Montgomery gave up another 2-run HR in the bottom of the third and Tampa Bay had a 4-3 lead.
The Yanks loaded the bases in the seventh with one out, but LeMahieu GIDP.
The Yanks tied it in the eighth. Judge walked, and with one out, Giancarlo Stanton walked. Gleyber Torres singled to tie the game.
The Yanks blew a chance to go ahead in the top of the ninth. Urshela doubled and Gardner walked. LeMahieu grounded into a force but reached second on a throwing error, Gardner going to third. Gardner thought a wild pitch would get away from the catcher, but it popped up straight to the catcher and Gardner was a dead duck in a rundown.
In the tenth, it appeared as if the Yanks would blow another chance. Judge started the inning at second base, and Hicks was HBP. Tauchman, who had PR for Stanton earlier, bunted the runners over. Torres hit into a fielder’s choice, and Judge was out at home. It appeared as if the Yanks blew another opportunity.
But Odor singled to put the Yanks up 5-4. Gary Sanchez singled to put the Yanks up 6-4, then Urshela singled to make it 7-4 and when the RF made a two-base error on the play, Sanchez scored to make it 8-4 and Urshela went all the way to third.
Montgomery 5 IP, 4 R, 5 H, 2 W, 4 K. Gave up 2 HR. 3.27 Green 2 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K. 0.00 O’Day 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 0.00 Chapman (W, 1-0) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 3 K. 0.00 Abreu 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 0.00
The Yanks traded Thairo Estrada to the Giants for cash.
For the second time in just six games, the Yankees (3-3) have lost a game by one run in extra innings. This time it was 4-3 to Baltimore in 11 innings.
Hopefully, when this pandemic is over, the rule that extra innings begin with a runner on second gets scrapped. I hate that rule. I’m a purist and hate seeing baseball bastardized. The only exception I make is with the DH. I can’t stand watching pitchers try to hit. (Ohtani and Bumgarner are exceptions).
The Yankees did not have Aaron Judge available for the game, because of a sore oblique. He is day to day.
A few things I haven’t liked this season. One is Aaron Hicks hitting third, even though he did get an RBI in last night’s game, and the other is Gleyber Torres’ defense.
Torres is basically a 2B playing SS. He did play SS in the minors, but his defense needs a lot of work, and it is costing the Yankees right now.
Jameson Taillon started for the Yankees, and it was his first start in nearly two years. Taillon has undergone two TJ operations, a hernia operation, cancer and being hit in the head by a line drive. He retired the first nine batters he faced and pitched well.
The Yanks struck first, getting a run in the bottom of the third on singles by Brett Gardner and D.J. LeMahieu, then after Torres struck out, Hicks’ single.
Taillon gave up two homers in the fourth and the Orioles took a 2-1 lead.
The Yanks tied it in the eighth. With two out, Gary Sanchez singled on a ball the Orioles’ LF should have caught. Sanchez thought it would be caught, and instead of a double, only got a single. Mike Tauchman pinch-ran for Sanchez and scored, just getting in ahead of the tag, on a double by Gio Urshela. Tie game.
A fine play by Jay Bruce in the top of the tenth on a bad throw by Chad Green appeared to be able to save the Yankees from giving up a run, but on the next play, which should have been the third out of the inning, Bruce couldn’t prevent a bad throw by Torres from becoming an error that let Baltimore go up 3-2. It was a routine play. Torres just botched it.
The Yanks tied in the the bottom of the tenth when down to their last out, Kyle Higashioka singled to right, scoring pinch-runner Tyler Wade, who just got in under the tag. Wade started the inning at second base. (I did mention I HATE that new rule.)
In the eleventh, the Orioles bunted the runner over, and dunked in a single to bring the runner in and take a 4-3 lead. Luis Cessa got out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam by striking out two batters to keep it at 4-3.
In the bottom of the eleventh, Gio Urshela started at second base for the Yankees (once again, I HATE this rule). Gardner bunted him to third, then LeMahieu hit a liner to right. Urshela tried to tag up and score but was a dead duck at the plate, getting tagged out to end the game.
The Yankees out-hit Baltimore 13 to 4, They struck out 17 Orioles. They gave up 2 earned runs over 11 innings. In the last 6 1/3 innings, Yankees’ pitchers only gave up ONE hit (I hate that rule!).
Yet they lost. They left 12 men on base. They struck out 10 times.
Clint Frazier and Jay Bruce, the 5 and 6 hitters, combined to go 0 for 10. I can see Bruce being benched, LeMahieu going to 1B, and Odor playing 2B. … but there is still the problem of Torres’ defense at SS.
LeMahieu 2 hits Stanton 2 Hits Sanchez 2 hits Higashioka 1 for 1, RBI. Big hit at the time Urshela 2 hits, RBI, Big hit at the time Gardner 2 hits.
Taillon 4 2/3 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 0 W, 7 K. Gave up 2 HR. 3.86. Nelson 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 0.00 O’Day 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 0.00 Loaisiga 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 0.00 Chapman 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K. 0.00 Green (L, 0-1) 1 1/3 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K. 0.00 Cessa 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 2 K. 0.00
With those runners starting the inning on second, (I … you get the idea) those runs are unearned.
Getting to this a bit late, because I was at a Final Four get-together (and what a game between UCLA and Gonzaga!).
The Yankees (1-1) evened up their season record with a 5-3 win over Toronto Saturday. Gary Sanchez homered for the second straight game, and Jay Bruce (celebrating his 34th birthday), dunked in a 2-run single.
With two outs in the second, Gio Urshela singled, went to second on a double by Clint Frazier and scored on a single by D.J. LeMahieu.
A couple of walks, a WP and an error by Sanchez led to Toronto tying the game up in the top of the third.
Sanchez homered leading off the bottom of the fourth, and the Yanks tacked on another run when with one out, Frazier walked, and the Yanks got three straight singles from LeMahieu, Judge and Hicks to go up 3-1.
I am not sold on Hicks hitting third. I am thinking outside the box here. I’d flip Hicks (who walks a lot) to leadoff (he has decent speed) and bat LeMahieu third. Reason why? LeMahieu is the best contact hitter on the team, and he would split two guys (Judge and Stanton) who, besides their great power, do strike out a lot. Just my opinion.
Kluber gave up a leadoff homer in the top of the fifth that cut the Yanks’ lead to 3-2 then was replaced by Jonathan Loaisiga.
In the bottom of the sixth, LeMahieu walked, and with two out, Stanton and Torres both walked. Bruce then dunked in his two-run single and the Yanks had a cushion, a 5-2 lead.
Toronto got a run in the seventh, and the game ended 5-3 Yankees.
LeMahieu 2 hits, RBI Judge 2 hits Bruce 2 RBI Sanchez solo HR (2) Urshela 2 hits.
Kluber 4+ IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 H, 3 W, 5 K. Gave up 1 HR. 1 HBP, 1 WP. 2.25 Loaisiga (W, 1-0) 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K. 0.00 Luetge (H, 1) 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K. 9.00 O’Day (H, 1) 2/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 0 K. 0.00 Green (S, 1) 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 0.00
This was the second and last game of Aroldis Chapman’s suspension.
The Yankees went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position, struck out 13 times (Yankees’ pitchers also struck out 13 Blue Jays) and it hurt them as they lost their season opener, 3-2, to Toronto in 10 innings.
I haven’t liked the way the bats have been at the end of spring training. Seems my worries were justified today in the season opener.
The only runs the Yanks got came via a 2-run HR by Gary Sanchez in the second inning. This came after Toronto got a run off of Gerrit Cole in the top of the second.
Cole gave up a game-tying HR in the top of the sixth, shortly before he was pulled. The pitch count got up, it was Opening Day and the day was quite cool.
Blown chances. In the bottom of the seventh, the Yanks loaded the bases but Aaron Judge GIDP.
They had a man on third with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but after a walk to Clint Frazier, D.J. LeMahieu hit a ground ball and PR Mike Tauchman was thrown out at the plate. Even with that, the Yanks still had men on first and second, but Aaron Judge struck out.
The extra inning rules are the same as last year, man starts on second base. Nick Nelson gave up a leadoff double, then struck out the next three batters, but with that runner beginning the inning on second, the damage was done and a run scored. The Yanks had the same thing in the bottom of the tenth, Judge starting the inning on second, but Hicks, Stanton and Torres all struck out.
The good:
Sanchez 2 hits, 2-run HR (1) Frazier 2 hits and a walk.
The bad: The 2 through 6 hitters in the Yankees’ lineup went 2 for 22 with 12 strikeouts.
Judge 1 for 5, 2 strikeouts Hicks 0 for 4, 3 strikeouts Stanton 0 for 5, 3 strikeouts Torres 1 for 4, 2 strikeouts Urshela 0 for 4, 2 strikeouts.
The pitching line:
Cole 5 1/3 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 2 W, 8 K. Gave up 1 HR. 3.38 Green 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K. 0.00 Loaisiga 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 0.00 O’Day 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K. 0.00 Nelson (L, 0-1) 1 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 W, 3 K. 0.00
Aroldis Chapman was suspended for this game and the next one for throwing at a Tampa Bay batter last year. He was not available.
