Game 41. CC stops Rays behind Gardner HR, Judge catch, 3-2.

The Yankees struck out 17x on Sunday, but found a way to win 3-2 behind CC Sabathia, the bullpen, Didi Gregorius’ 4 hits, a Brett Gardner HR, and a game-saving catch by Aaron Judge.

CC gave up a run in the first when Gary Sanchez made a throwing error trying to pick off a runner from first base.

All the Yankees’ runs came in the second inning. Ellsbury doubled, and after an out, Gregorius, 4 for 4 for the day, singled him in to tie the game. After another out, Brett Gardner hit a 2-run HR (8) to make it 3-1 Yanks.

CC gave up a HR to Derek Norris in the fifth that cut the score to 3-2, and that was the final.

But in the sixth, Aaron Judge saved the day. With no one out and a man on first, he made a diving catch on what appeared to be a game-tying double or triple by Evan Longoria and turned it into a DP, doubling up the runner on first. The next batter made out and the Yanks won the game 3-2.

It made up for a rough day at the plate for Judge and other Yankees.

Judge 0 for 4, 4 strikeouts.
Holliday 0 for 4, 4 strikeouts, and I believe he was 0 for 3, 3 strikeouts on Saturday, meaning 0 for his last 7, all strikeouts.
Castro 0 for 4, 3 strikeouts.
Gardner (2) and Gregorius (4) had six of the Yanks’ seven hits.

Sabathia (W, 4-2, 4.62) 5+ IP, 2 R, 1 ER,   4 H, 1 W, 6 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Green (H, 1) 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 0 K. 0.00
Clippard (H, 4) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 w, 2 K. 1.45
Betances (S, 2)  1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K. 0.66

The win puts the Yankees back in first by 1/2 a game at 25-16 as we hit the quarter pole.

Game 40. Yanks lose 3rd straight, 9-5. Concerns after Tanaka bombed again.

If I were the Yankees, I’d make Masahiro Tanaka take an MRI. For if he isn’t hurt, he’s certainly lost right now.

But maybe we need to know if he is hurt.

Tanaka can opt out of his contract at the end of the year, but the way he’s pitching now, no one would take him.

Tanaka didn’t make it out of the fourth inning, and gave up 3 HR. In his last two starts, he has pitched less than six innings combined, and has given up 14 runs and seven HR.

That is just not him. Neither is that unsightly 6.56 ERA.

You wonder if he’s ok. You wonder if that partially torn UCL is a fully torn one now, and if Tanaka isn’t saying anything but hiding something.

You don’t have to wonder if he is lost out there right now. He is.

He gave up a HR right away, on his third pitch of the game.

The Yanks came back in the top of the second and tied it at one on Aaron Judge’s 15th HR of the year, but Tanaka gave up a run in the bottom of the second. 2-1 Rays.

Evan Longoria homered off Tanaka in the third. 3-1 Rays.

The Yanks tied it in the fourth on a two-run double by Chase Headley, but Tanaka gave up a 3-run HR to Corey Dickerson in the bottom half of the inning. 6-3 Rays and Tanaka was out of there.

Gary Sanchez hit his fourth HR of the year to make it 6-4 in the top of the fifth, but Tommy Layne, who has been struggling badly himself, gave up three runs in the bottom half of that inning.

Headley got an RBI groundout in the sixth for the final run of the game. 9-5 Rays.

Both manager Joe Girardi and pitching coach Larry Rothschild were ejected by the HP umpire. Hearing about the ejections and what the HP umpire, Scott Barry, did or didn’t do, Barry deserves a reprimand. Hey buddy, people don’t come to see YOU. For example, Rothschild was ejected just for saying “you missed a few”. Touchy, touchy, snowflake. Then, when Girardi was ejected just for demanding an explanation of Rothschild’s ejection, Girardi spread dirt over the plate, ala Billy Martin, that Barry left there. He didn’t dust off the plate for the pitcher afterward, and it stayed there for several pitches until Sanchez cleaned it off. Totally unprofessional.

Sanchez 2 hits, solo HR. Now at .303. The Kraken has awoken.
Matt Holliday was 0 for 3, 3 strikeouts. Played 1B.
Aaron Judge 2 hits, double, solo HR, was HBP which forced the ejection of the Rays’ starter, Andariese, who hit two batters. No, Judge didn’t charge the mound. What a sight THAT would have been! Judge DH’d.
Headley  3 RBI

Tanaka (L, 5-3, 6.56) 3+ IP, 6 R, 9 H, 3 W, 4 K. Gave up 3 HR.
Layne 1 1/3 IP, 3 R, 2 H, 1 W, 0 K. 8.18. 1 HBP.
Gallegos 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 W, 1 K. 5.06
Shreve 1 1 /3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K. 0.00
Holder 1 IP, 0 r, 0 H, 0 w, 1 K. 1.93

The Yanks need to either get Tanaka straightened out or find out if he is hurt.

As for Layne, I wouldn’t be surprised if a move is made regarding him, like maybe replacing him with Tyler Webb, who is now at SWB.

But something needs to be done about both of them. Both have to get their mojo back.

The loss drops the Yanks to 24-16. It’s their third in a row, and they’ve lost seven of the last 10. It dropped them out of first place, into second, 1/2 game behind the Orioles.

Game 39. Rays edge Yanks, 5-4.

Joe Girardi was attending his daughter’s graduation. Bench coach Rob Thomson filled in as manager, and Thomson made a couple of moves that have Yankees’ fans scratching their heads after a 5-4 Yankees loss to Tampa Bay that dropped their record to 24-15.

Luis Severino gutted out five innings, giving up just one run and leaving with a 2-1 lead. The Yanks got a run in the first when with one out, Ellsbury singled, Holliday doubled and Castro got an RBI groundout. Judge singled Holliday to third and stole second, but the Yanks couldn’t add on; Didi struck out. It would cost them later.

The Rays tied the game in the bottom of the first. In the third, Gardner got a bunt single and went to second on an error by Evan Longoria. It’s about the only thing Longoria did wrong all night. He had four hits against the Yankees, including the GW RBI. Ellsbury doubled Gardner home.

Jonathan Holder pitched a scoreless sixth and after that, the Yankees’ bullpen, which has been so great this year so far, let the game get away.

Thomson brought in Warren to pitch the seventh. I hate when managers go “by the book” or “by the formula.” If a pitcher is doing well, leave him in. Change for changes sake, I hate. Seventh inning guy, eighth inning guy, etc. Phooey. Too many cooks (or pitchers) spoil the soup (or game). Holder gave up a double in the sixth, but no runs and had two strikeouts. Why not leave him in? If a guy is doing well, and is smoking, use your own eyes and gut and go with the hot hand. Leave him in.

That over managing, seventh-inning guy, eighth-inning guy, etc., is a change to the game I grew up with that I do not like. A change for the worse. I’m old school, remembering the days when a Gossage or Lyle would come in in the seventh and really close a game out, going 2 1/3 scoreless or so. People older than me may remember Joe Page…

I miss those days.

The move to Warren, who has been great and probably was due for a clunker, backfired. Warren gave up 3 runs in the seventh. Rays 4-2. The key blow was a double that 3B Ronald Torreyes couldn’t come up with, shortly after it appeared Warren Shreve was squeezed on a pitch by the home plate umpire.

In the top of the eighth, Matt Holliday hit a two-run HR (8) to tie it, 4-4.

But Tyler Clippard gave up a run and the game in the bottom of the eighth.

In the bottom of the ninth, with two out, Thomson let Austin Romine hit for himself instead of pinch-hitting Gary Sanchez for him. This is a move, or non-move if you will, that has Yankees’ fans scratching their heads. Even the Yankees’ broadcasters on WPIX, Ken Singleton and John Flaherty, were a bit surprised by the non-move. Sanchez has a far greater chance of tying the game up with a HR than Romine did or does, and you are just PH-ing catcher for catcher. Why Sanchez wasn’t up there, who knows. Romine tapped back to the pitcher, game over. Not only that, Romine (0 for 4) has been slumping lately (0 hits in at least his last 16 at bats) and is down to .247.

So that’s that.

Ellsbury 2 for 4, RBI; Holliday 2 hits, HR, 2 RBI. Castro 2 hits, RBI (.352).

Chris Carter was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts. Tyler Austin’s start of his rehab was rained out.

Severino 5 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 3 W, 7 K. 3.64
Holder (H, 3) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K. 2.04
Warren (BS, 2) 2/3 IP, 3 R, 3 H, 0 W, 1 K. 2.31
Shreve 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K. 0.00
Clippard (L, 0-2, 1.53) 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 2 W, 3 K.

 

Game 37. Yanks blast KC, 11-7.

Aaron Hicks hit a 3-run HR (7), and Starlin Castro (.351) had three hits as the Yanks beat KC 11-7 Wednesday night.

With the win, the 24-13 Yanks have a 1 1/2 game lead in the AL East.

In the first, Gardner singled and scored on a two out double by Castro.

The Yanks got five in the fourth. With one out, Castro doubled again, and Judge walked. After Headley flied out for the second out, and Didi Gregorius singled in a run. Hicks then hit his 3-run HR to make it 5-0. Carter singled, and Gardner tripled to make it 6-0.

Yankee’s starter Michael Pineda gave up a 2-run HR in the bottom of the inning that cut the Yankee’s lead to 6-2.

The Yanks came right back with four in the fifth. Castro singled and Judge walked again. Headley singled in one run and Gregorius singled in another. Hicks walked to load the bases. Carter grounded into a force out that brought one run home and Gardner hit a SF to make it 10-2. Sanchez then singled but Carter was thrown out at the plate for the last out of the inning.

Pineda gave up another HR in the bottom of the fifth that made it 10-3. KC got another run in the seventh to make it 10-4.

The Yanks made it 11-3 in the eighth. Sanchez and Holliday singled and Castro walked. After Judge struck out, Headley got an RBI on a forceout.

Giovanny Gallegos ran into trouble in the bottom of the ninth, giving up three runs before Dellin Betances came in to get the final out. 11-7 Yankees.

Chase Headley’s defensive problems resurfaced. Two errors, and he has nine this year and we haven’t hit the quarter-pole yet.

Gardner 2 hits, 2 RBI (.285)
Sanchez 2 hits, .293 (heating up)
Holliday 2 hits, .272
Castro 3 hits, rbi. .351
Headley 2 RBI
Gregorus 2 hits, 2 RBI (319)
Hicks 2 hits, 3-run HR (7) .326

Pineda (w, 4-2, 3.42) 6+ IP,  4 R, 3 ER, 6 H, 2 W, 5 K. Gave up 2 HR.
Layne 1/3 IP, 0 r, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 6.52
Warren 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 1.19
Gallegos 2/3 IP, 3 R, 5 H, 0 W, 1 K. 6.75
Betances (S, 1) 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 0.73

 

Game 36. CC back on track. Yanks win 7-1 behind Sanchez, Carter HRs.

CC Sabathia got off the tracks the last few starts, but righted himself tonight in the Yanks’ 7-1 win over KC.

In his first 3 starts of the season, CC had an ERA of 1.47. But in his next four starts, he went 0-2 with an ERA of 9.58, raising that ERA from 1.47 to 5.77.

Good to see him get back on track tonight with 6 2/3 shutout innings.

Gary Sanchez gave him all the runs he would need with a 3-run HR (3) in the third inning.

The struggling Chris Carter made it 5-0 in the fourth with a 2-run HR (2).

In the seventh, singles by Castro, Judge and Ellsbury made it 6-0.

In the eighth, Didi walked and Carter singled. With one out, Sanchez walked to load the bases. A run scored on a forceout by Holliday.

KC scored a run in the bottom of the ninth to avoid the shutout.

Chase Headley made a couple of tough grabs off some liners that were smoked.

Sanchez 2 h, HR, 3 RBI.
Castro 2 hits, .340
Judge 2 hits, .320
Gregorius 2 hits, .313
Carter 3 hits, HR, 2 RBI. Good to see him finally break out. The way he was going, his job was on the line, be it being replaced by Tyler Austin, or Ji-Man Choi even with Greg Bird coming back from injury, whenever that could be.

Austin may begin rehab games this weekend.

Sabathia (w, 3-2, 4.93) 6 2/3 IP, 0 R, 5 H, 2 W, 4 K.
Clippard 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K. 1.08
Holder 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 W, 1 K. 2.16

Gee, after cutting down Dellin Betances in arbitration, now Yankees president Randy Levine is praising him saying he could do the job for Chapman as the closer now that Chapman is hurt. What a disgusting hypocrite. Chop him up and shoot your mouth off bragging about winning arbitration in February, and kiss his ass now.

Shut up and go away, Randy.

Game 32. Nemesis Keuchel beats Yanks as Ellsbury gunned down at plate to end game, 3-2.

Sometimes you have someone who owns you. Years ago, Frank Lary of the Tigers was known as the Yankee Killer.

Dallas Keuchel of Houston can wear that motto now. The Yanks have had trouble touching him the past few years, and he is 4-2, 1.41 against them lifetime. That doesn’t include him shutting out the Yankees in the wild card playoff game two years ago.

Michael Pineda pitched well for the Yanks, making one big mistake, but had the misfortune to go up against Keuchel.

Still, the Yanks almost pulled it out. Down 3-1 with two out and two on in the ninth, Gary Sanchez singled for one run, but Jacoby Ellsbury, attempting to tie the game, was gunned down at the plate to end the game.

Pineda gave up a 2-run HR to Carlos Correa in the first inning, and the way Keuchel owns the Yanks, you knew that may just be enough.

Houston went up 3-0 in the fifth.

The Yanks got one in the fifth on a bases-loaded catcher’s interference call. Ellsbury was at the plate and it was the 28th time in his career he reached on catcher’s interference—one short of the all-time record held by Pete Rose.

The Yanks got 1st and 3rd with no one out in the sixth but couldn’t score.

That set up the ending.

The Yanks struck out 14x in the game.

I’m not the only one down on Chris Carter. Reading some Facebook and Twitter posts, I’m disappointed and down on him, but some of those posts are quite vicious.

I just hope Tyler Austin is healing well and can come back soon. Also that when Greg Bird is healthy, we see the real Greg Bird.

Lots of rumors about maybe the Yanks dipping into their prospect base to go after Pirates’ ace Gerrit Cole at the deadline?

Pineda (L, 3-2, 3.27) 6 2/3 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 1 W, 7 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Warren 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 W, 0 K. 0.47
Holder 2/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K. 1.98
Shreve 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 0.00

The move when Chad Green was returned to the minors was that the Yanks brought up reliever Giovanny Gallegos.

We’ll see how the rest of the weekend pans out. Houston (now with McCann and Beltran) has been playing well and is 24-11 with the win. The Yanks are now 21-11.

Game 31. Reds snap Yanks’ win streak at 6, win 5-3.

CC Sabathia had one bad inning, but that one bad inning cost him 5 runs and the ballgame as the Yanks’ six-game winning streak came to an end, 5-3, at the hands of the Reds.

Gary Sanchez put the Yanks up 1-0 in the first with his second HR of the season. Remember he missed a month.

Didi Gregorius, who also missed a month or so, hit his first HR of the year in the second to put the Yanks up 2-0.

Then CC gave up 5 in the bottom of the second. Reds’ star Joey Votto had 2 of the RBI.

Didi singled in a run in the fourth to make it 5-3 but there was no scoring after that.

I have to ask this question. Ronald Torreyes has done a decent job filling in, esp. when Didi was out. But there is a big flaw in his game. After tonight, in 84 plate appearances, Torreyes, who is small, 5’6″ or so, has only one walk. One. He needs to develop better plate discipline.

He came up with the bases loaded in the sixth. Foul, groundout. Only two pitches. You’d think with his small size, he’d crouch a little and try to draw a walk.

Just kidding as far as crouching, but you know what I mean. 1 walk in 84 plate appearances isn’t good, even if Torreyes is hitting .305. A mild criticism, but a legit one.

Sanchez came up in the ninth with two on and one out and hit a bullet, but the liner was caught and Hicks was doubled off of second. That’s baseball. He hit it hard, but….

Chad Green made his season debut.

CC struggled, and his ERA has gone from 2.70 to 5.77 in his past few starts. You can say he is the weak link in the rotation. He has to be fine and perfect. He can’t get away with stuff like he could have five years ago. He had only one bad inning but it cost him. He doesn’t have much of a margin for error with what he has right now.

Sabathia (L, 2-2, 5.77) 6 IP, 5 R, 7 H, 2 W, 2 K.
Betances 1 IP, 0 r, 0 H, 2 W, 3 K. 0.77. Walked the first two, struck out the next three.
Chad Green 1 Ip, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K. 0.00

Didi was 3 for 4, HR, 2 RBI.

Hopefully Chris Carter wakes up soon and doesn’t keep hitting like Jimmy Carter. I still don’t know why Ji-Man Choi wasn’t brought up for a couple of weeks to platoon w/Carter at 1B while Bird is out. Choi is hitting like .350, playing 1B for SWB.

The Yanks are off Wednesday, then a four-game set against AL West leader Houston (inc. Beltran and McCann). Houston is playing well, so this will be a test. Sunday night’s game (Mother’s Day) is an ESPN night game, and the Yanks will be retiring Derek Jeter’s #2 that night.