Game 100. Yanks fall 3-2. Sanchez out 1 month.

The Yanks avoided Nathan Eovaldi, who the Rays traded to Boston before the game, but still fell to Tampa Bay Wednesday afternoon by the score of 3-2.

In talking about Gary Sanchez before the game, GM Brian Cashman said he expects Sanchez to be out a month. He doesn’t expect a catcher to be available and is comfortable going with Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka until Sanchez is available in late August/early September.

Maybe he is comfortable, but I’m not comfortable with Higashioka backing up Romine. Higashioka is now 5 for 33 this season, and 5 for 51 in his MLB career. Granted 3 hits are HR, but 5 for 51 is less than .100. Ugh.

As for the game, the Yanks lost 3-2. They scored in the second when Gleyber Torres, just off the DL (and I didn’t see the corresponding moves, but I would guess Drury to DL? and Gallegos down for Cessa?) walked. Greg Bird singled Torres to second, and a couple of fly outs plated Torres, with Neil Walker getting the SF.

UPDATE: Drury sore but fine after the HBP. No DL. Wade sent down instead.

Luis Cessa was good. He shutout the Rays for five innings, but in the sixth, gave up a single and HR. Jonathan Holder came in and later that inning gave up a HR. 3-1 Rays.

The Yanks narrowed it to 3-2 in the eighth. Gardner walked, and with one out, Didi singled Gardner to third. Giancarlo Stanton hit a SF.

The Yanks had first and second, one out in the ninth, but Austin Romine, PH for Higashioka, popped up, and Brett Gardner struck out.

The Yanks entered the game five behind Boston, but Boston has the Bad News Bears (oops, Baltimore Orioles) tonight. Ugh.

The Yanks hit the 100 game mark at 64-36, .640, a 104 win pace for the season.

Andujar 2 hits.
Walker 1 for 1, SF, 1 RBI.

Cessa (L, 1-2, 3.10) 5 1/3 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 0 W, 3 K.  Gave up 1 HR.
Holder 2/3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K.  1.94  Gave up 1 HR.
Cole 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K.  4.78 (Wash/NYY combined ERA)
Betances 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K.  2.49

Yoenis Cespedes of Mets out for rest of year, needs surgery on heels. Toronto’s J.A. Happ appears on the verge of being dealt (per mlb.com), and rumors are that the Yankees are “heavy in the mix.”

 

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Game 99. Tanaka brilliant in 4-0 Yanks win. Sanchez to DL.

Masahiro Tanaka was brilliant, pitching a three-hit, complete-game shutout, as the 64-35 Yankees shut out the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-0, Tuesday night.

Austin Romine drove in two runs, and earlier in the day, was awarded an award for hustle. Wow. Take that, Gary Sanchez.

Sanchez was placed back on the DL (with Kyle Higashioka coming back up), with an MRI showing he re-injured his groin injury. You can choose to believe that or not. A lot of people don’t. The problem is, with Sanchez’ past history, he doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt. Maybe the Yanks did rush him back too soon from the injury and he is injured again. And maybe, as a lot of people suspect, it’s a way to “suspend” Sanchez without embarrassing him more publicly. Whatever. When he does come back, hopefully Sanchez learns his lesson, gets his head out of his you-know-what and becomes what we know he can be.

The Yanks gave Tanaka the only run he needed in the first inning when Gardner and Judge singled, both moved up on a WP and Didi got an RBI ground-out.

In the fifth, with one out, Drury was HBP. He would have to leave the game but fortunately, X-rays showed a contusion, no break. Neil Walker singled Drury to third, where Tyler Wade PR for Drury. Austin Romine’s RBI ground-out made it 2-0.

With Torres due off the DL, it’d be a simple replacement. Torres for Drury.

In the seventh Andujar singled and Bird doubled Andujar to third on a ball that hit the catwalk. That park the Rays play in is a joke. Remember the ball Clint Frazier hit earlier this season? Anyway, a SF by Romine made it 3-0.

To the ninth, Andujar doubled, and with two out, Walker singled to make it 4-0.

Andujar 2 hits.
Bird 2 hits.
Walker 2 hits, RBI
Romine 2 RBI

Tanaka (W, 8-2, 4.09) 9 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 1 W, 9 K. Complete game victory.

With Boston’s loss, the Yanks are five back.

 

Game 98. Sanchez’ lack of hustle costs Yanks, 7-6. Yanks fall 6 back.

Maybe Gary Sanchez needs a benching to light a fire under his butt. Twice he didn’t hustle and it cost the Yanks in a 7-6 loss to the Rays that dropped the 63-35 Yanks six back of Boston, who beat the Bad News Bears (sorry, I meant the Baltimore Orioles) last night.

Maybe he is taking his batting average (.188) into the field now, or maybe he is just a player that you have to stay on top of and keep lighting that fire under his butt, but there is no excuse for those two plays. None.

Luis Severino was not his ace-like self for the third consecutive outing, and you wonder about that.

In the first inning, with two out and a runner on second, Severino and Sanchez crossed signals and there was a PB. But the ball scooted away from Sanchez and went toward the third base coaching box. Sanchez seemed to jog after the ball. The runner meanwhile, rounded third and headed for home. Maybe Severino was a little late getting to the plate, maybe Miguel Andujar at third needed to go after the ball, but there was no doubt in watching Sanchez’ lackadaisical effort in retrieving the ball that more hustle was needed there.

And this is after Sanchez did NOT hustle on a groundball out in his first game back off the DL on Friday night.

But he wasn’t done. We will get to that later.

In the second, the Yanks tied the game at one apiece on an RBI single by Andujar.

But in the fifth, Severino gave up a 3-run HR. 4-1 Rays.

The Yanks got two back in the top of the sixth. With two out, Stanton, who went 4 for 4, singled and went to third when Hicks reached on an error. A PB made it 4-2, and Sanchez singled to make it 4-3.

But Severino gave runs right back. HR, double, single and Seve was gone. Chad Green in, and he gave up a single that made it 6-3. He got out of the inning but not before another run scored, 7-3.

The Yanks got three back in the seventh. With one out, Walker, Gardner and Judge all walked to load the bases. Didi got an RBI groundout and Stanton singled in two runs.

To the ninth. Gardner reached on an infield single. Judge walked. Didi sacrificed the runners over, and Stanton, unsurprisingly, was intentionally walked to load the bases as Tampa Bay hoped for the game-ending DP. Hicks bounced into a 5-2 force at home. Sanchez then hit a hard grounder up the middle, that the second baseman, playing on the SS side of the bag, what with a shift on, fielded. He flipped to the SS covering, but the hustling Hicks beat the throw. The SS threw to first, and got Sanchez for the final out. Sanchez, thinking his grounder was an easy forceout, did not hustle out of the box. He only turned on the jets when he saw Hicks was safe at second. Too late.

Inexcusable. If Sanchez can beat it out, Judge scores the tying run, the bases are still loaded and maybe the Yanks get a hit to win the game.

Instead, they fall six back and are 13-13 since June 22.

Sanchez needs the riot act read to him.

Not surprisingly, all media outlets are calling out Sanchez after that poor display last night, and deservedly so.

Stanton 4 for 4 , 2 RBI
Andujar 2 hits, RBI

Severino (L, 14-3, 2.63) 5+ IP, 7 R, 6 ER, 11 H, 0 W, 8 K. Gave up 2 HR. Very unlike Sevy.
Green 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.  2.63
Warren 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 3 K.   1 HBP.   2.39
Cole 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.   0.87 as a NYY.

Game 97. Yanks escape with 7-6 win.

I just about had a heart attack, along with 47,000 or so other fans, at Yankee Stadium yesterday.

Aroldis Chapman came into the game with a four-run lead, threw 19 pitches, only 3 of which were strikes, and Chasen Shreve, of all people, had to come in with the bases loaded and no one out to save a 7-6 Yankees’ win over the Mets.

The win for the 63-34 Yanks, combined with Boston’s loss to the Tigers, moved the Yanks 4 1/2 back of Boston.

The Mets scored first when Sonny Gray gave up a HR to Michael Conforto on his first pitch in the second inning.

The Yanks got four in the fourth. Stanton reached on an infield dribbler. Gregorius tripled him in. Andujar doubled on a ball that would have been a double anyway, but some jackass leaned over the fence and caught it. Security was there soon thereafter to escort him from the Stadium. 2-1 Yanks. Bird doubled, 3-1. After a flyout, Romine singled in Bird to make it 4-1 Yanks. The Mets CF had a tough time that inning, diving for a couple of balls and coming up just short on the balls hit by Didi, Bird and Romine.

In the sixth, Gray walked a couple of batters and in came Robertson. He got out of the inning but not before giving up an RBI single and then by giving up another run on a boneheaded play. With two out and runners on first and third, he tried to pick off the runner at first. The ball hit the runner and ricocheted back toward the pitcher’s mound. As the ball was ricocheting back, the runner on third (Jose Bautista) scored to make it 4-3. Robertson then struck out the batter for the last out. Concentrate on, and do that first, especially with two out, just concentrate on getting that batter out, and that other run doesn’t score.

The Yanks got the run back in the bottom of the sixth on a double by Andujar and single by Bird. 5-3.

Aaron Judge homered in the seventh (26) to make it 6-3 Yanks.

To the eighth, Andujar singled and went to third when Drury singled, Drury advancing on the throw, which hit Andujar. Romine’s RBI groundout made it 7-3.

In came Chapman with a 4-run lead. Because of the All-Star break, he hadn’t pitched in a week, and my friend Larry was worried that Chapman may not have his command. He was right. Shreve was warming with Chapman in the eighth but sat down when Chapman came into the game. So no one was warming up when Chapman did come in.

Note to Boone: never assume.

Chapman was all over the place. At one point he threw 11 straight balls. Walk. Infield single. Walk. Walk to make it 7-4. HBP to make it 7-5. Now Shreve is rushed in with the bases loaded and no one out, and very little if any warmup time after the original warmup. Chapman was booed (he has had a great year, but for this outing, ugh) and the confidence level that the Yanks could get out of this wasn’t too high.

But Shreve got a DP, runner on third scoring, to make it 7-6. Two out, tying run on third, and Shreve got a little nubber back to the mound to end the game.

Whew.

Sanchez still doesn’t look right at the plate, and goodness, how many teams with .600 or better winning percentages have a .188 hitting cleanup hitter?

Judge 3 hits, solo HR. Triple shy of cycle.
Andujar 3 hits, 2 of them doubles
Bird 2 hits, 2 RBI.
Romine 2 RBI

Gray (W, 7-7, 5.34) 5 1/3 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 H, 3 W,  6 K. Gave up 1 HR, 1 HBP
Robertson (H, 15) 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K. Made one huge error.  3.05
Holder (H, 5) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  1.76
Betances (H, 16) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K.  2.55
Chapman 0 IP, 3 R, 1 H, 3 W, 0 K. 1 HBP.  2.03  All 5 runners reached. 19 pitches, 3 strikes.
Shreve (S, 1) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K.  4.25

It was Shreve’s 2nd MLB save (he had one in 2016). I think he’ll remember this one better than the first one.

Once again, whew.

Update: Chapman said he feels fine and that it wasn’t the knee.

Game 96. Yanks blow chances in 7-5 loss. German sent down after poor outing, Cessa up.

A poor outing by Domingo German resulted in him being sent down after the Yanks lost to the Mets, 7-5, on Friday night.

The Yanks had their chances, stranding 14, and going 2 for 13 with RISP.

Luis Cessa, who pitched a good game for AAA last night, will come up to take his place.

Before the game, the Yanks activated Gary Sanchez off the DL and sent down Kyle Higashioka. They also brought up Brandon Drury.

German’s first inning woes continued as he gave up three runs. His first inning ERA is 9.00. You can’t just keep putting your team in a hole like that.

It’s becoming more and more apparent how much the Yanks miss Jordan Montgomery. Either Cessa has to step up and step in where German failed, or the Yanks have to make a deal. The loss dropped the Yanks to 62-34, and with Boston’s 1-0 win, put the Yanks now 5 1/2 behind Boston in the AL East. You can’t catch them if the now demoted German, and today’s starter, Sonny Gray, keep pitching as poorly as they have been.

Hopefully Gray has a good outing today. I’ll be at the game.

In the bottom of the first, the Yanks had first and third, two out, but Hicks grounded out. There was one chance of many to get something back. There would be many more failures.

In the third, Yoenis Cespedes, just off the DL, homered off the left field foul pole to make it 4-0, Mets.

The Yanks got a run on the third when Gardner and Judge singled and Stanton got a SF.

Three walks by Adam Warren in the fifth helped lead to two Mets runs. 6-1, Mets.

In the sixth, Sanchez and Bird singled, and Walker doubled in two runs. 6-3.

The Yanks loaded the bases with two out in the seventh but Andujar flied out.

In the eighth, with one out, Gardner reached on an error and Judge singled. Didi doubled in one run to make it 6-4, and a Stanton RBI groundout made it 6-5. But with first and third, two out, Sanchez struck out.

It seems like on those sliders down and away, Sanchez is either not recognizing the slider or trying to pull everything. Or both. He needs to shoot for RCF more often. He’s strong enough to take advantage of the porch. He’s way better than the .191 he’s at now. Embarrassing.

A WP helped lead to a Mets’ run in the top of the ninth. With two out in the bottom of the ninth, Walker walked, but Gardner, as the tying run, grounded out to end the game.

Judge 3 hits.
Didi 3 hits, RBI
Stanton 2 RBI
Andujar 2 hits.
Walker 2 RBI

German (L, 2-6, 5.68) 3 2/3 IP, 4 R, 5 H, 2 W, 3 K. Gave up 1 HR. To AAA after game.
Warren 1 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 3 W, 2 K.  2.49    Couldn’t hold them
Shreve 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K.   4.37
Green 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 0 K.  2.68
Holder 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.   1.80
Cole 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.  0.92 as NYY   1 WP

Brad Hand, a lefty reliever the Yanks were interested in acquiring, was dealt to Cleveland instead. SD had asked for Andujar.

 

Minor League Report. Sanchez HRs again on rehab. Cortes dominant.

In the All-Star Game, Aaron Judge will start, play LF and bat 6th. Severino will not start but will be the second AL pitcher after Sale.

AAA: SWB (49-43) won 5-0. Gary Sanchez solo HR on rehab. In two rehab games, he is 2 for 8 with 2 HR. CF Billy McKinney triple, 2 RBI. 2 Hits RF Ryan McBroom. LF Mark Payton 2 hits, 2 hits, RBI, 2B L.J. Mazzilli.

Cortes (W, 4-3, 3.11) 6 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 10 K.
Espinal 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K.  2.20
Kahnle 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  2.81

AA: Trenton (51-42) lost 4-2. SS Kyle Holder 2 hits. CF Jeff Hendrix 2 RBI.

Acevedo (L, 2-2, 2.84) 6 2/3 IP, 3 R, 5 H, 4 W, 7 K.
Foley 1 1/3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 3 W, 1 K.  3.43

High A: Tampa (47-47) lost 15-4. LF Ben Ruta 3 hits.

Green (L, 6-4, 3.41) 3 IP, 11 R, 7 ER, 7 H, 4 W, 0 K.
Kamplain 2 IP, 4 R, 7 H, 0 W, 2 K.  4.40
Wivinis 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 W, 3 K.  2.05
Surum 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 0 K.  0.00

Low A: Charleston (45-46) lost 4-2. 2B Oswaldo Cabrera 2 hits. LF Carlos Vidal 2 hits. RF Frederick Cuevas 2 hits. 3B Welfrin Mateo 2 RBI.

Sanmartin (L, 0-3, 4.30) 4 2/3 IP, 3 R, 5 H, 2 W, 2 K.
DeCarr 2 1/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 W, 3 K.  4.32
Vargas 2 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 0 W, 2 K. Gave up 1 HR.  4.56

 

 

Minor League Report. Sanchez homers on rehab, Cessa solid.

Justus Sheffield pitched in the Futures game on Sunday, and in 1 2/3 IP, gave up 2 runs (inc. a HR) on 2 hits.

AAA: SWB (48-43) won 3-1. Gary Sanchez, starting rehab, was 1 for 3, striking out twice but also hitting a HR. CF Billy McKinney had a solo HR.

Cessa (W, 2-0, 2.08) 7 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 1 W, 5 K.
Gallegos (S, 2) 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  3.97

AA: Trenton (51-41) lost 4-3. LF Devyn Bolasky 3 hits. 2B Bruce Caldwell 2 hits. DH Wendell Rijo 2 RBI.

Stephan (L, 2-6, 4.81) 5 1/3 IP, 1 R, 6 H, 2 W, 4 K.
Diehl 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K.  0.00  (24, LHP, 1st game up from High A, was 2-2, 3.14 there)
Lail 1 2/3 IP, 3 R, 2 H, 2 W, 2 K.  6.10

High A: Tampa (47-46) lost 5-4. 3B Angel Aguilar 2-run HR.

Lehnen (L, 0-1, 2.45) 5 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 H, 4 W, 3 K. (spent most of year at Charleston)
Weissert 1 2/3 2 R, 0 H, 5 W, 2 K.  4.32
Ort 1 1/3 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 4 K.  3.38
Schwaab 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K   6.46

Low A: Charleston (45-45) lost 8-7. 2B Wilkerman Garcia 2 RBI. DH Frederick Cuevas 2 hits, 2 RBI.

Mauricio 4 2/3 IP, 6 R, 9 H, 3 W, 6 K.  11.57
Ramos 2 1/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 3 W, 0 K.  3.40
A. Severino (BS, 5; L, 2-2, 3.34) 1 1/3 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Zurak 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  2.70