Game 2 ALDS. Yanks even series behind the Kraken.

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Gary Sanchez had a poor regular season. His .186 batting average was the lowest ever for any Yankee with 300 or more plate appearances.

But he did hit 18 HR. He hit 33 last season. He hit 20 in just 53 games in 2016. You knew the power was there, and that at any time he could put up a two homer, 4 RBI game.

That is the Sanchez we hoped would return, and in time for the playoffs. Make up for a bad regular season with a great postseason.

It is the Sanchez we got last night. Sanchez hit two homers and drove in 4 runs as the Yanks won 6-2 to even the series up. Game 3 is in the Bronx Monday night.

David Price started for Boston, and he has had a couple of problems lately. #1, he has trouble against the Yankees. #2, he has trouble in the postseason (0-9 record in 10 starts). #3 Gary Sanchez owns him. Not a good combination.

So Aaron Judge, the second batter of the game, hit a 445-ft. HR to give the Yanks a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Judge has homered in all three postseason games so far.

Sanchez came up in the bottom of the second and continued his mastery of Price by hitting a HR to make it 2-0 Yanks. With two out, Price proceeded to walk Gleyber Torres and Brett Gardner. Gardner was starting in CF for Aaron Hicks, who has a tight hamstring. Hicks was available for pinch-hitting duty and the hammy won’t keep him out for the rest of the series (if it did, he wouldn’t be available again until the World Series–no ALCS).

Andrew McCutchen then singled off of the green monster to make it 3-0 Yanks and give Price an early shower.

Meanwhile, Masahiro Tanaka was on, and was his postseason bulldog self. (He is now 3-2, 1.50 in five postseason starts). He gave up a HR in the bottom of the fourth, but it was a solo one, and went five innings giving up just that one run.

In the seventh, the Yanks broke the game open. Judge singled and Voit walked. Stanton, who is struggling—so much so that lots of people are comparing him to A-Rod and A-Rod’s postseason struggles—hit a topper that at first it appeared as if Nunez’ throw hoping for a force pulled the fielder off the bag. But Boston reviewed and the call was overturned. Forceout. Hmm. The fielder must have kept his big toenail on the bag because it didn’t look that way. Nunez’ throwing was shaky all night long. He almost made 3 errors instead of the one he did make. But then again, when he was a Yankee, he had the nickname of Nun-E.

Hopefully Stanton comes around. Aim for RF in the Bronx, Giancarlo. You are strong enough to hit it out anywhere, especially there. Stay back.  No need to pull everything.

So it was first and third, one out, and here is where Sanchez hit his second HR of the game, a 479-ft. bomb that left everything and went out on the street. 6-1 Yanks.

Dellin Betances gave up a run in the bottom of the seventh to make it 6-2, but that was it. Yankees’ pitchers limited Boston to 2 runs and 5 hits. Good job.

I am a bit concerned yet about the Yanks’ hitting w/RISP. 2 for 10 last night (the Yanks had 8 hits and drew 7 walks, so they could have scored more runs than 6). Hopefully that picks up.

Judge 2 hits, solo HR.
Voit 0 for 2 but drew 3 walks.
Sanchez 2 HR, 4 RBI
Gardner 0 for 2 but drew 2 walks.

Tanaka (WIN) 5 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 W, 4 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Betances (H) 2 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Britton 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 0 K.
Chapman 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 1 K.

In the other ALDS series, Houston beat Cleveland 12-1 behind Gerrit Cole’s 7 innings and 12 K. Houston is up 2 games to 0.

The NL was off. Milwaukee is up 2-0 on Colorado and the Dodgers are up 2-0 on the Braves.

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Yanks set for tonight. Severino starting. Colorado eliminates Cubs.

In the NL wild card game last night, Colorado eliminated the Cubs in the wee hours of the morning, 2-1 in 13 innings. The Rockies advance to face the Brewers.

The Yanks and A’s meet tonight in the AL wild card game.  (8 PM, TBS). Luis Severino will start for the Yanks. Here is hoping he is dominant, but the Yanks also could say throw as hard as you can for as long as you can, even if it is only three or four innings and then turn it over to the bullpen.

Here is also hoping no passed balls from Sanchez, and that his .186 bat wakes up and he hits a homer or two.

The roster could change after the game. But for this game, besides the starters, C Sanchez, 1B Voit, 2B Torres, SS Didi, 3B Andujar, OF of McCutchen, Hicks and Judge and DH Stanton, the backups are OF Gardner, C Romine, C Higashioka, INF Walker, INF Hechevarria, INF/OF/PR Wade.

Backing up Severino are Happ, Lynn, Tanaka, Green, Chapman, Betances, Robertson, Britton and Holder. Should the Yanks advance, expect CC to replace Wade. As for Higashioka next round or Bird (or another pitcher) that’s up in the air.

The A’s are going with 11 pitchers, 10 of them relievers, and one guy for extra-innings protection. So the Yanks could be facing a new pitcher every inning or every other inning. Strange scenario but it is what it is. Hopefully, for the Yanks’ sake, too many cooks spoil the soup and eventually the A’s put a pitcher out there who doesn’t have it. Eventually, if you use too many pitchers, you may find the rotten egg.

In a one and done scenario, you never know who might wind up being the hero… or goat.

The Twins fired manager Paul Molitor. So Texas, the Angels, the Twins, the Blue Jays, probably the Orioles, others? looking for new managers. Surprisingly, Joe Girardi isn’t rumored for any of these open positions.

 

Game 162. Yanks fall, 10-2, finish 100-62. Wild Card game next.

The Yanks lost the season finale, 10-2, to finish the season at 100-62, 2nd in the AL East, 8 behind Boston. They now prepare for the sudden death wild card game at the Stadium on Wednesday night vs. the 97 win A’s.

Not a good day for a tweener, Cessa, or two rookies in Loaisiga and Sheffield.

Luke Voit got two of the Yanks’ four hits, and his 2-run HR (15, 14 as a Yankee) accounted for both of the Yankees’ runs. So the record is 267 HR in a season by one team, the 2018 Yankees.

The Yanks made 3 errors in this game.

Miguel Andujar got his 47th double of the season tying Fred Lynn’s record for most by an AL rookie.

Gary Sanchez finished at .186, the lowest batting average in Yankees’ history for someone with, say, 300 plate appearances.  1970 Jerry Kenney was the previous low.

Cessa (L, 1-4, 5.24) 1/3 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 5 H, 0 W, 0 K.
Robertson 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  3.23
Loaisiga 2 IP, 3 R, 0 ER,  4 H, 0 W, 2 K. gave up 1 HR.   5.11
Sheffield 1 1P, 3 R, 2 H, 2 W, 0 K.  Gave up 1 HR.  10.13
Tarpley 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 W, 4 K.  3.00
Cole 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 2 K.  6.14 (Wash/NYY)
Adams  1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K.  7.04

 

Game 160. Yanks beat Boston, get the wild card game at home, tie for all-time single season HR record.

The Yankees (99-61) beat Boston 11-6 Friday night to ensure that they will play the wild card game against Oakland next Wednesday night in the Bronx.

They denied Boston a 110 win season, and there are only (I think) five teams in MLB history who have accomplished that. One being the 1927 Yankees, another the 1998 Yankees.

The Yanks hit 4 HR in the game and by doing that, have 264 on the season, tying the 1997 Seattle Mariners for the most in one season by a team. They have two games left to hit one HR to break the record.

Gary Sanchez started the scoring in the the top of the third with his 18th HR of the season. With two out, Aaron Judge walked, and singles by Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton made it 2-0 Yanks.

The Yanks got six in the fourth inning. With one out, Miguel Andujar doubled. Gary Sanchez walked and Gleyber Torres doubled in two runs to make it 4-0. Andrew McCutchen singled in Torres to make it 5-0. After Aaron Judge singled, Hicks hit a 3-run HR (27) to make it 8-0.

In the sixth, manager Aaron Boone made a mistake. With two out and men on second and third, Yankees’ starter J.A. Happ walked Xander Bogaerts to load the bases. Up came Steve Pearce, who has killed the Yanks this year.

Not only that, but Pearce had 5 career HR off of Happ.

Make that six. Grand slam. 8-4 Yanks. Boone never should have let Happ pitch to Pearce there.

The Yanks came right back with two in the seventh. With two out, Luke Voit homered (14, and his 13th as a Yankee) to make it 9-4. Didi Gregorius, playing for the first time since injuring his wrist, singled. Andujar walked and Sanchez reached on an error, Didi scoring. 10-4.

Didi looked good tonight in his first game back from the injury. Very encouraging. That cortisone shot to help him recover from torn cartillage in his right wrist seems to be helping.

In the top of the eighth, Aaron Judge homered (27). It was his first HR since coming off the DL from the broken wrist, and that HR not only made it 11-4, but also was #264 of the season, enabling the Yanks to tie the 1997 Seattle Mariners for the all-time single season record.

Of course, there was no DH before 1973, so the 1961 Yankees, who hit 240, didn’t have that luxury (also, Death Valley at the old Stadium killed a lot of potential HR balls).

Things then got sloppy. Boston scored a run in the bottom of the eighth and left the bases loaded.

In the bottom of the ninth, Didi made an error, Boston scored another run to make it 11-6, and they once again left the bases loaded.

Judge 2 hits, HR
Hicks 2 hits, HR, 3 RBI
Stanton 2 hits, RBI
Voit HR
Sanchez 2 hits, HR
Torres 2 RBI

Happ (W, 17-6, 3.65, Tor/NYY) 6 IP, 4 R, 4 H, 2 W, 7 K. Gave up grand slam. (7-0 as NYY)
Green 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.   2.50
Betances 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 2 W, 1 K.   2.70
Britton 1 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 3 W, 0 K.    3.10 (Balt/NYY)

Game 158. Yanks’ comeback falls short. Lead over A’s 1 1/2.

The Yanks (97-61) opened and closed the game strong offensively, but didn’t do anything in between as a furious ninth inning comeback came up just short in a 8-7 loss to Tampa Bay Wednesday night.

The A’s won, so the Yanks’ magic # over the A’s to clinch home field for the wild card game next Wednesday remains at 2. The Yanks lead the A’s by 1 1/2 games.

Neil Walker hit his 11th HR of the season, a 3-run shot, to give the Yanks a 3-0 lead in the top of the first.

But Masahiro Tanaka had nothing, giving 3 right back to the Rays in the bottom of the first.

In the third, Tanaka gave up a HR, 4-3 Rays. If this was an audition for starting the wild card game, Tanaka didn’t help himself.

The Yanks loaded the bases in the fifth with one out, but Giancarlo Stanton GIDP.

In the bottom of the eighth, David Robertson came in and had nothing, giving up 4 runs, and yes, Gary Sanchez committed another passed ball. 8-3 Rays.

The Yanks scored four in the top of the ninth. Sanchez walked and with one out, Brett Gardner singled. Andrew McCutchen singled to load the bases. Aaron Judge singled in a run. Luke Voit singled in two runs. Giancarlo Stanton singled in a run. But Tyler Wade flied out and Miguel Andujar popped up to end the game.

Injury report: Didi Gregorius has been cleared to play. He didn’t Wednesday, but the cortisone shot in the wrist is helping. Aaron Hicks didn’t play because of the turf and a tight hamstring. Gleyber Torres didn’t start (tight hip/groin) but did come into the game later.

McCutchen 2 hits
Judge 2 hits, RBI
Voit 3 hits, 2 RBI
Walker 3-run HR

Tanaka (L, 12-6, 3.75) 4 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 6 H, 1 W, 4 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Holder 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 0 K.  2.88
Green 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K.   2.53
Chapman 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K.   2.49
Robertson 1/3 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 H, 1 W, 1 K.   3.26
Sheffield 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K.  0.00

Sheffield made a costly error on a pickoff attempt that enabled the final run to score.

Game 157. The Kraken wakes up. Yanks win 9-2, lead A’s by 2 1/2.

This is the Gary Sanchez Yankee fans want and need to see. Not the .180 hitting imposter we have seen all year.

Sanchez homered, had two hits, and drove in four runs as the Yankees (97-60) beat Tampa Bay 9-2 on Tuesday night.

No passed balls by Sanchez, either.

Meanwhile, late in Seattle, the Mariners, down 8-5, scored two in the bottom of the eighth (thanks to two WP by Fernando Rodney. Stick that in your quiver, Rodney.), tied the game with two out in the ninth (thanks to an error), and PH Chris Herrmann hit a 2-run HR in the bottom of the 11th. Seattle 10, Oakland 8. The Yankees’ lead over Oakland is 2 1/2. The A’s loss also means that Houston now officially clinched the AL West. The A’s face the Yankees. There was a small chance the A’s could have caught Houston and that the Yanks might have to face the Astros next Wednesday night, either in NY or in Houston. Not so.

Meaning the Yankees’ magic # to host the wild card game against Oakland Wednesday October 3 is TWO. Any combination of Yankees’ wins and A’s losses equaling 2 and the Yanks host the wild card game.

The Yanks exploded for seven runs in the third inning.  Adeiny Hechevarria led off the inning with his sixth HR of the year, second as a Yankee. Brett Gardner tripled and Andrew McCutchen walked.

Aaron Judge then hit a 108 MPH rocket right back at the mound that was caught by Rays’ P Jake Faria. If Faria didn’t catch that, and it would have hit him in the head, ….. you shudder to think…. a very scary moment. He was taken out after that .

So a new pitcher. Luke Voit doubles in a run. 2-0 Yanks. Giancarlo Stanton is intentionally walked to load the bases. Neil Walker walks to force in a run. 3-0. Miguel Andujar hits a SF. 4-0. Sanchez then put the icing on the cake with a 3-run HR (17) to make it 7-0.

Maybe the long inning affected Luis Severino for he wasn’t right in the bottom of the third, giving up two runs. A bad base running decision cost Tampa Bay another run and a chance for more. The Rays hit the ball hard that inning.

In the fifth, a Stanton double and RBI single by Sanchez made it 8-2 Yankees.

Miguel Andujar hit his 26th HR in the ninth for the final tally of 9-2 Yankees.

Andujar HR, 2 RBI
Sanchez HR, 4 RBI
Hechevarria HR

The 3 HR give the Yanks 255 on the year. Nine behind the all-time single season record of 264 by the 1997 Seattle Mariners, with five games to go.

Severino (W, 19-8, 3.39) 5 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 3 W, 7 K.
Kahnle 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K.  6.45
Tarpley 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  4.05
German 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 4 K.  5.55

Yankees pitchers combined for a five-hitter, with 15 K.

Angels’ rookie P/DH Shohei Ohtani will be undergoing Tommy John surgery and will Not be able to pitch in 2019. He may be able to return to hit.

Lee Stange, a pitcher for the Twins (1961-1964), Indians (1964-1966), Red Sox (1966-1970) and White Sox (1970) from 1961-1970, died on Sept. 21, age 81. He was a member of the 1967 Red Sox which won the AL Pennant.

Stange was a spot starter/long reliever who was 62-61, 3.56 (ERA+ 103) in his MLB career, 125 starts, 234 relief appearances. He was 8-10, 2.77, ERA+ 127 for those 1967 Red Sox (24 starts, 11 relief appearances). He got into one WS game that year, giving up 1 unearned run in two innings pitched. As a hitter, he hit .079 in his career. His 162 g. average was 50 games, 18 starts. 9-9, 3.56.

 

 

Game 156. Yanks win “bullpen” game, 4-1. Use 8 pitchers who 2-hit Rays.

In order to give some starters more rest, and to set up a playoff rotation, manager Aaron Boone went to a “bullpen” game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night, using 8 pitchers who two-hit the Rays in a 4-1 Yankees’ victory. They walked six but struck out 13.

The win improved the Yanks’ record to 96-60 and kept them 1 1/2 games ahead of the A’s for the top wild card spot. The Yanks’ magic # for getting that wild card game against Oakland at home is 4.

One reason Boone did this is that it appears more and more likely that the games in Boston this upcoming weekend will mean a lot to the Yankees as far as holding off Oakland to secure home field advantage for the wild card game. It could come down to the final game.

Boone will have a lot of decisions to make, and one that has been made is controversial. He has said that Gary Sanchez will be the catcher in the wild card game, despite Sanchez committing two more passed balls yesterday and hitting .180. He might be hoping for lightning in a bottle, since a normal Sanchez could give you a 2-HR, 5 RBI game. But the Sanchez of this season has many thinking that Boone should start Austin Romine instead.

Didi Gregorius felt better but it remains to be seen whether that torn cartillage in his wrist will allow Didi to play anymore this season. Meanwhile a tight hamstring forced Aaron Hicks out of last night’s game. His replacement, Brett Gardner, got an RBI and made a game-saving catch.

The Yanks scored first when Andrew McCutchen homered in the third inning. It was his 20th of the season, and fifth as a Yankee.

Tampa Bay, who was eliminated from the playoffs with the loss, scored in the fourth to tie the game. They were helped by one of the two passed balls Sanchez had on the night.

In the fifth, Aaron Judge walked, moved to second on a passed ball, and scored on Gardner’s single. 2-1 Yanks. Giancarlo Stanton doubled Gardner home, 3-1, but was thrown out at third on the play.

The Yanks got the final run of the game in the seventh when McCutchen and Judge hit back-to-back doubles.

There has been a considerable number of likes on the Lehigh Valley Yankee Fan Club Facebook page recently, and a lot are from people outside of the Lehigh Valley. I don’t know how you heard of us, but welcome. Check out the website, http://lvyankeefanclub.org/ for information about our 2019 bus trips.

McCutchen 2 hits, HR.

Now for the pitching, this is going to look like a spring training game.

Holder 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 W, 1 K.  2.92
Tarpley 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  4.50
Gray (W, 11-9, 4.98) 2 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 W, 2 K.
Green (H, 13) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K.   2.57
Robertson (H, 21) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 W, 1 K.  2.88
Chapman (H, 1 ) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 2 K.   2.54
Betances (H, 20) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K.  2.60
Britton (S, 7) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K.  3.18 (Balt/NYY)