Minor League Action. SWB’s tragic # is 1.

AAA SWB lost the completion of a suspended game, and that coupled with a win by Durham, dropped SWB’s tragic # for being eliminated to 1. SWB did win the regularly scheduled game.

But SWB (82-66) is now 2 games out with 2 games left in the season.

COMPLETION OF SUSPENDED GAME--Lost 5-4 in ten innings. Was suspended at 1-1 in the sixth inning on August 7.

Since then, Peraza and Cabrera now with Yankees, Andujar now with Pirates.

PR/SS Tyler Wade solo HR (2)
C Josh Breaux 2-run HR (5) #22 prospect Overall .219-19-50

Spence 5 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 1 W, 3 K. Gave up 1 HR. 2.79
Rich Rodriguez 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K. 8.31
Mujica 2 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 0 W, 1 K. Gaveup 2 HR. 4.37
Shreve (BS, 1) 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K. 9.00
Bard (L, 0-1) 1 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K. 4.68

REGULAR GAME–Won 8-7 in 11 innings.
SS Anthony Volpe 2 hits, solo HR (3) #1 prospect Overall .248-21-65, 49 SB
DH Ryan LaMarre 2 for 2, 3 walks.
1B Ron Guzman 2 RBI. 2-run HR (16)
3B Armando Alvarez 3 hits, 2 RBI. Solo HR (18)

Spence 4 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 2 W, 6 K. gave up 1 HR. 1 HBP 3.86 (remember game listed above he started Aug 7)
Albert Abreu 2/3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K. 3.86 REHAB
M. Gomez (BS, 1) 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 0 K. 4.92
Deivi Garcia (H, 1) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 7.96 #26 prospect. Overall: 4-5, 6.89
Barnes (H, 2) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 2 K. 2.70
Cordero (BS, 1) 1 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K. Gave up 1 HR. 2.15
Bristo (W, 3-3) 2 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 W, 3 K. 4.56

Minor League Action. 4-1 win for SWB as Castro, Abreu rehab. SWB 1/2 game out with days to go.

AAA SWB (80-64) beat Lehigh Valley 4-1.
CF Estevan Florial 2 RBI #15 prospect .290-15-45, 36 SB
LF Blake Perkins 3 for 3
2B Tyler Wade 3 hits, RBI, SB

Boyle (W, 4-1) 5 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 1 W, 3 K. Gave up 1 HR. 1 HBP 4.04
Miguel Castro (H, 2) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K. 0.00 REHAB
Albert Abreu (H, 1) 2/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 W, 2 K. 0.00 REHAB
Bristo (H, 3) 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 4.73
Shreve (H, 1) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 0 K. 0.00
Cordero (S, 4) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K. 1.77

SWB is in second place, 1/2 a game out. There are five games left in the season, as well as the completion of a game started on August 7 in which the score is tied 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth.

Minor League Action. AA Somerset wins Game 1 of playoff series.

AAA: SWB (78-63) won 4-3 over Lehigh Valley.
1B Ron Guzman grand slam (15)

Spence 5 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 0 W, 5 K. Gave up 1 HR. 3.80
Shreve (W, 1-0) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 0.00
Miguel Castro (H, 1) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 0.00 REHAB
Zack Britton (H, 2) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K. 0.00 REHAB
Cordero (S, 3) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 1.82

AA: Somerset won Game 1 of their best-of-3 Semifinal Series for the Eastern League Championship, 9-4.

SS Trey Sweeney 2 hits, 2 RBI. #6 prospect.
C Austin Wells 2 RBI #4 prospect
LF Elijah Dunham 4 hits, 2 RBI #21 prospect
2B Jesus Bastidas 3 hits

Randy Vasquez 5 2/3 IP, 3 R, 5 H, 0 W, 6 K. Gave up 2 HR. #16 prospect
Minnick 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K.
McGarity 1 2/3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 3 K.
Espinal 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 0 K.
Coleman 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K.

Minor League Action from 9-16-22. Rehab stints for Britton, Castro.

AAA: SWB (76-62) won 8-2.
1B Armando Alvarez 2 hits, 2 RBI
2B Chris Owings 2 hits, 2 RBI 2-run HR (7)

Brito 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K. 3.11
Mujica 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 4.14
Krook (W, 9-7) 3 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 0 W, 3 K. 4.28
Rich Rodriguez 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 4.43
Britton 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 0 K. 0.00 REHAB
Shreve 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 0.00
Barnes 1 1/3 IP, 0 r, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 2.45

AA: Somerset (82-52, 1st half division winner) won 2-1.
RF Jeisson Rosario 2 hits, RBI. Solo HR (11)

Clayton Beeter 5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 W, 7 K. 2.13 #9 prospect. Overall: 0-3, 4.56 129 K in 77 IP
Miguel Castro (BS, 1) 1/3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 W, 1 K. 10.80 REHAB
Espinal 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 3.11
Myatt (W, 4-2) 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 4.08
Jennings (S, 5) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 4.19

Minor League Action. The Martian at AA, Bader and Chapman continue rehab.

AAA: SWB (74-61) won 5-4.
3B Armando Alvarez 2 RBI
2B Phillip Evans 2 hits, 2 RBI

Chi Chi Gonzalez 3 1/3 IP, 3 R, 7 H, 2 W, 3 K. 1 WP 4.54
Chasen Shreve 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 0.00
Mujica 2 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K. Gave up 1 HR 4.17
Banda 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K. 0.00
Barnes (W, 1-1) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K 2.79
Cordero (S, 2) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 1.97

AA: #2 prospect Jasson Dominguez was promoted to AA. Dominguez is still only 19 years old.
Overall this year, 3 levels: .277-15-58 with 36 SB

Somerset (81-50; won 1st half division title) lost in 11 innings, 10-9.
DH Dominguez 0 for 5, R, struck out 2x
CF Harrison Bader 0 for 3, R, struck out 2x REHAB
LF Oliver Dunn 2 for 2, RBI
C Austin Wells solo HR (11) #4 prospect. Overall .280-19-62, 15 SB C of future?
SS Trey Sweeney 2 hits. #6 prospect .243-15-54, 30 SB. Just promoted to AA. SS? Needs new position?
With Volpe and Peraza, and also Sweeney, some need to find a new position. All can’t play SS.
1B Andres Chaparro 2 hits, 4 RBI. 2 HR (Solo & 3-run HRs) (18)
LF/CF Brandon Lockridge Solo HR (14) #28 prospect .227-14-49, 16 SB

Yoendrys Gomez 3 2/3 IP, 5 R, 8 H, 2 W, 4 K. 4.50 Gave up 1 HR #12 prospect, Overall: 1-0, 2.53
Minnick 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 1.86
Chapman 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 2 K. 0.00 REHAB
Jennings (BS, 2) 1 1/3 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 0 W, 2 K. 4.25
McGarrity 1 2/3 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 4 K. Gave up 1 HR. 2.63
Coleman 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 2.95
Myatt (L, 3-2) 2 IP, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 W, 0 K. 4.39

High A Hudson Valley and Low A Tampa seasons are over. Neither made the playoffs.

Games 102 & 103. Yanks come back to salvage DH Split. What’s wrong with Seve? Shreve, Gallegos traded.

After yesterday’s day/night DH split, the Yanks made a move to get the recently acquired J.A. Happ on the roster. With the recent acquisition of Zack Britton, it was a given that Chasen Shreve was gone. Shreve, along with Giovanny Gallegos, was traded to St. Louis for 1B Luke Voit.

Voit, 27, a righty hitter, was 2 for 11 in 8 games with the Cardinals this season. 1 HR, 3 RBI. For his MLB career, he has played in 70 games, 125 at bats, and has hit .240-5-21, OPS+ 93.

Shreve was 2-2, 4.26, 1 save, ERA+ 102 for the Yanks this season, and Gallegos 0-0, 4.50, ERA+ 99. For Gallegos, it was in just four games.

The Yanks had to come from behind to win the second game of a day/night DH to salvage a split of that DH. At 66-37, they are now 5 1/2 behind Boston.

In the first game, a 10-5 loss, you have to be concerned about Luis Severino. After being brilliant against Boston on July 1, he was 13-2, 1.98. In his four starts since then, he is 1-2, 8.84(!) and his ERA has gone from 1.98 to 2.94. What’s wrong?

Seve gave up a two-run double in the third, then in the fifth, gave up a two-run single and 2-run HR. Yanks down 6-0.

They tried to come back. In the bottom of the fifth, Hicks singled and Stanton hit one to the moon (24) to make it 6-2.

In the sixth, singles by Torres, Bird and Walker (who had a big DH) scored one run, and another scored on a GIDP. 6-4.

In the seventh, Didi singled and Torres doubled him home, but Torres was thrown out at third on the play. Ouch. Never make the first or last outs of an inning at third.

But here is where David Robertson let the game get away, as he gave up a 3-run HR in the 8th. The Royals got another run off of Shreve (in his last Yanks’ appearance) in the ninth.

10-5 KC.

Hicks 2 hits, 2 walks
Stanton HR (a bomb) 2 RBI
Torres 2 hits, RBI
Bird 2 hits
Walker 3 hits, RBI

Severino (L, 14-4, 2.94) 4 1/3 IP, 6 R, 8 H, 1 W, 5 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Warren 2 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  2.70
Robertson 1 IP, 3 R, 2 H, 1 W, 2 K. Gave up 1 HR.  3.50
Shreve 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 0 K.  4.26   (traded after game 2)

The Yanks scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth for a come-from-behind 5-4 win in Game 2.

The Yanks got two in the first when Gardner and Stanton singled, Didi flied out, moving up both runners. Andujar got an RBI single (Torres was the cleanup hitter in Game 1, Andujar in Game 2—two rookies) and after Bird was HBP (what is it with KC plunking batters this series? Judge fractured wrist, Romine got hit in Game 1, now Bird here) Walker got a SF to make it 2-0.

CC gave up a HR to Salvador Perez in the third, 2-1 Yanks.

Shane Robinson got his first HR of the season to make it 3-1 Yanks in the fourth.

KC got a run off CC in the fifth, when a couple of walks helped to walk a run in, and he had to be pulled before he could qualify for the win. Holder got out of a bases loaded jam.

Holder got into trouble in the sixth, and Chad Green came in but couldn’t get out of the inning without yielding the tying run. 3-3.

Zack Britton got the first two outs in the top of the seventh, then fell apart, giving up a double, infield single, then two walks to force in a run and put KC up 4-3 before finishing the inning.

But in the bottom of the eighth, Greg Bird led off with a HR (9) to tie the game. Walker doubled and Romine, PH for Higashioka, reached on a bunt single. Torres walked to load the bases and Hicks got a SF to put the Yanks up 5-4.

Chapman ran into trouble in the ninth, but escaped.

Bird solo HR
Robinson solo HR
Walker 2 hits, RBI

Sabathia 4 2/3 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 2 W, 8 K. Gave up 1 HR.  3.53
Holder 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K.  2.11
Green 1/3 IP, 0 R 1 H, 0 W, 0 K.  2.61
Britton 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 2 W, 1 K.  3.57 (Balt/NYY comb. ERA)
Betances (W, 2-3, 2.44) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Chapman (S, 27) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 2 K.   1.98

At 66-37, with a .641 winning pct., the Yanks have the second-best record in baseball, and are on course to go 104-58, their best record since 1998, but of course, we know who has the best record in baseball right now (drat!)

HR watch: With 166 HR in 103 games, the Yanks are on pace for 261 HR, which would fall 3 short of the 1997 Seattle Mariners record. The losses of Judge and Sanchez really hurt the Yanks here.

Game 101. Yanks win game, trade for Happ, but lose Judge for 3 weeks.

Because there is so much Yankees news major-league wise, between the game, a trade and a major injury, there will be no minor league report today (no time before I have to leave for work).

Before the game, the Yanks made a trade with Toronto, getting J.A. Happ for Brandon Drury and Billy McKinney.

Happ, 35, made his first All-Star team this year, and is 10-6, 4.18, ERA+ 101 in 20 starts. He hasn’t been that good lately. Through June 13 he was 8-3, 3.48, but he has gone 2-3, 6.03 since. Hopefully he turns it back around for the Yanks. Happ, like the just-acquired Zack Britton, can become a free agent at the end of the season, he and Britton may just be rentals. Happ broke in nicely, and after just a little bit of MLB experience in 2007 and 2008 (he got in 8 games, 4 starts for the 2008 WS Champion Phillies), finished second in ROY in 2009, when he went 12-4, 2.93 in 35 games, 23 starts, for the NL pennant-winning Phils that year. Who knows, if he would have started for the Phils in the WS that year instead of Pedro Martinez (who was at the end of his career and who lost two WS games), maybe the Yanks don’t win that 2009 WS but lose it to the Phillies. Pedro never pitched again after that WS.

Happ then went 38-48, 4.56, ERA+ 86 between 2010-2014, bouncing from the Phils to Houston to Toronto. He upped his game in 2015, going 11-8, 3.61 for Seattle and Pittsburgh. He went back to Toronto in 2016 and was a 20 game winner, finishing sixth in CYA voting. Last year he was 10-11, 3.53. For his career he is 102-82, 3.95, ERA+ 104. 162 g. average 13-11, 3.95.

For Happ, the Yanks gave up Brandon Drury, who was expected to be their starting 3B this year, but migraines put Drury on the DL, and sent him to the minors. Meanwhile, Miguel Andujar took Drury’s job. Drury got into just 18 games with the Yanks, going 9 for 51 (.176) with 1 HR and 7 RBI, OPS+ just 47. In 61 games at SWB, he was .292-6-32. Drury turns 26 in a few weeks.

Also going to Toronto is OF/1B Billy McKinney. McKinney got into just 2 games with the Yanks at the beginning of the season, going 1 for 4. Soon to be 24, McKinney was hitting .228-13-35 for SWB in 63 games this year.

Now for the game. First, Judge’s injury.

Aaron Judge was HBP by a ball in the first inning. He stayed in the game and got an infield single in the third but was removed. An X-Ray, MRI and CT scan were all done and the final showed a a chip fracture of the right wrist (ulnar styloid bone). No surgery is recommended but Judge will miss at least 3 weeks.

Ouch, WAR has Judge as the Yanks’ best player (Severino is second).

The Yanks won the game 7-2 over KC, a bittersweet victory what with the Judge injury, and at 65-36, the Yanks picked up a game on Boston, who lost 2-1 to the Twins. The Yanks are now 4 1/2 back.

In that first inning, with one out, Judge was HBP. Didi doubled Judge to third. Stanton hit a SF which scored Judge and moved Didi to third. After Hicks walked, Torres reached on an error which allowed Didi to score. 2-0 Yanks.

The Yanks got 4 in the fourth. With one out, Walker singled and Romine doubled him in. After an out, Andujar, pinch-hitting for the injured Judge, reached on an error, and Didi Gregorius made KC pay for the error by hitting a 3-run HR (18).

In the fifth, Hicks singled, then Torres singled Hicks to third. Bird drove in the run with a SF. 7-0.

Adam Warren gave up a 2-run HR to Salvador Perez in the sixth, 7-2.

Britton made his Yankees’ debut in the eighth with a 1-2-3 inning.

Judge 1 for 1, HBP, Fractured wrist, Out at least 3 weeks.
Gregorius 2 hits, 3-run HR.
Hicks 2 hits, threw out a runner at the plate to end the game.
Walker 2 hits

Gray (W, 8-7, 5.08) 5 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 2 W, 5 K.
Warren 1 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 0 W, 2 K. Gave up 1 HR.  2.96
Robertson 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 3 K.  2.98
Britton 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 3.24 (combined Balt/NYY; NYY debut)
Shreve 1 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 0 W, 1 K.  4.14

Vaughn Eshelman, who pitched for Boston 1995-1997, going 15-9, 6.07, ERA+ 81, died at the age of 49.

Yanks deal 3 prospects to O’s for Britton.

The Yanks upgraded their bullpen, and the probable casualty is Chasen Shreve. The Yanks acquired Zack Britton from Baltimore for three prospects.

Britton, 30, is a lefty reliever coming back from an injury. He is 1-0, 3.45, 4 saves, ERA+ 122 in 16 games this year.

Since being converted from a starter to a closer in 2014, Britton is 12-5, 1.72, 139 saves, ERA+ 242. He led the league in games finished in 2015 and 2016, and his 47 saves led the AL in 2016. He is a 2x All-Star who finished 4th in CYA voting and 11th in MVP voting in 2016, when his ERA was a miniscule 0.54. He had 37 saves in 2014, 36 in 2015.

A definite upgrade over Shreve as a second lefty in the bullpen behind Chapman, Britton now joins Betances, Holder, Warren, Robertson, Green and Chapman to form perhaps baseball’s best bullpen. If Britton gets back to what he’s been since 2014, 1.72 ERA, wow.

Britton is a free agent after the season, so you wonder if this is only a rental.

But if there is no really good starting pitcher on the market, the Yanks just improved an already great bullpen to shorten games considerably.  With this bullpen, starters may only need to go five innings.

Going to Baltimore are:

Dillon Tate, 24, RHP, #9 prospect. 5-2, 3.38 at AA Trenton. Yanks got him in the Beltran deal. Scratched from tonight’s start b/c of the trade.

Josh Rogers, 24, LHP. 6-8, 3.95 for AAA SWB this year.

Cody Carroll, 25, RHP. 3-0, 2.38, 9 Saves for SWB this year. But he was stuck behind all those bullpen arms, and remember, Tommy Kahnle is stuck at AAA. There is no room right now for Kahnle. Think about that.

Tate, Rogers and Carroll are all players who would have had to go on the 40 man roster after the season. The Yanks also have Sheffield, Abreu, Loaisiga and Acevedo, who as starters, are probably rated higher than Tate or Rogers. There are only so many guys you can keep and who can make a rotation or a team.

Houston was another team interested in Britton. I don’t know if Britton is just a two month rental or if he’ll sign with the Yanks as a free agent after the year. But as for now, the Yanks upgraded an already powerful bullpen. We’ll see if those prospects develop, but for now, Tate was a 2 levels away from the majors, and Carroll was blocked by several outstanding relievers.

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.