The Yanks had their first spring training game today, which they lost to the Pirates, 4-3, but first a couple of transactions.
P Domingo German was placed on the 60 day IL because of shoulder soreness.
Luke Voit was traded to San Diego for a 20 year old pitching prospect, Justin Lange. Lange is a former first round pick who has just 9 minor league games under his belt, but who apparenlty hit 102 MPH while in his senior year of high school. A project. One bit of trivia: Lange was born on 9/11/01.
In the game, newcomer SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa had 2 hits and minor league C Rodolfo Duran hit a HR.
Pitching:
Wesneski 3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 W, 4 K. Gave up HR. A top pitching prospect. Bristo (L, BS) 1 2/3 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 1 W, 4 K. Gave up HR. Milam 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K. Marinaccio 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 2 K. Nittoli 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 0 K. Spence 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 0 K.
Of note: Greg Allen, who was with the Yanks for 15 games last year, hit a 2-run HR in the game for Pittsburgh.
The Yanks placed 4 minor leaguers on the top 100 prospect list. #8 SS Anthony Volpe, #60 SS Oswald Peraza, #61 OF Jasson Dominguez, and #96 C Austin Wells.
The Yankees have brought back Anthony Rizzo on a 2 yr/$32MM deal with an opt-out after the first year. It appears that Luke Voit is now on the trading block.
Rizzo’s lefty bat helps balance out a predominantly righty hitting lineup. He’s better defensively than Voit, having won 4 Gold Gloves. With Rizzo and Kiner-Falefa as new acquisitions, along with LeMahieu, there are Gold Glovers in the infield as the Yanks seem to be prioritizing improving the infield defense.
Between the Cubs and Yanks last year, Rizzo hit .248-22-61, OPS+ 111. He has dropped off a bit from his prime. Rizzo, 32, has had MVP consideration 5x with three of those times being top-10 finishes. He has topped 30 HR 4x and also 100 RBI 4x. He has led the majors in getting HBP 3x.
Rizzo is a .268 career hitter with a 162 game average of .268-29-94, OPS+ 127. He won the WS with the Cubs in 2016. In 40 postseason games, Rizzo has hit .207-7-19.
Now to see what happens with Voit. More trades coming.
The Yankees are thisclose to a playoff berth after beating Toronto 6-2 Thursday night. That, coupled with Boston losing to lowly Baltimore again, gave the Yanks a little cushion in the wild card standings.
WILD CARD STANDINGS
YANKEES 91-68 — Top wild card as of now, game would be at home. Boston AND Seattle 89-70 -2 (if tied, Game 163 in Boston) Toronto 88-71 -3; 1 game behind Boston and Seattle.
Hey, as Blondie sang, Dreaming is Free. We can dream the Yankees get the top seed, and that there is a tie for the other wild card game and that that game wears out whoever the Yanks have to play. Nothing wrong with dreaming, right?
The AL has their division winners. The wild cards are unknown. The winner of the wild card game takes on Tampa Bay in an ALDS. The other ALDS is Chicago vs. Houston. The NL has the Cardinals taking on either the Giants or the Dodgers in the wild card game, winner faces Giants or Dodgers. Atlanta faces Milwaukee in the other NLDS.
I ain’t going into wild card tie scenarios, especially if the AL comes down to three or four-way ties.
Just win, Yanks.
The Yanks hit five home runs in their 6-2 win. Aaron Judge got the Yanks on the board right away in the first inning with a 455 ft. HR, his 38th of the season. 1-0 Yanks, and Judge wasn’t finished.
Thorn-in-the-Yankees-side Bo Bichette started a Blue Jays rally and scored in the second inning to tie the game. Judge made a diving catch for the third out to save another run. Toronto went up 2-1 in the fifth, when Vlad Guerrero’s RBI double just missed being a 2-run HR.
In the top of the sixth, the Yanks dropped the hammer. With one out, Anthony Rizzo and Judge homered back-to-back to put the Yanks up 3-2. For Rizzo, HR #21 (Cubs/NYY) and #250 of his career. For Judge, #39, this one a 441 ft. HR. Giancarlo Stanton then walked, and Gleyber Torres joined the HR party with #9, a 425-ft. blast, to give the Yanks a 5-2 cushion.
Brett Gardner made it 6-2 in the top of the ninth with his 10th HR of the season.
Before the game, Luke Voit to the IL, Albert Abreu brought up. X-Rays on Joey Gallo were negative and he entered the game late as a defensive replacement.
D.J. LeMahieu had to leave the game with a hip injury.
Rizzo solo HR (21; Cubs/NYY) #250 of his career Judge 2 solo HR; 2 RBI (39) and a fine diving catch to save a run Torres 2-run HR (9) Gardner solo HR (10)
Kluber 4 2/3 IP, 2 R, 7 H, 1 W, 2 K. 3.83 King (W, 2-4) 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K. 3.14 Severino (H, 1) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 0.00 Green (H, 18) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 3 K. 3.16 Chapman 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K. 3.42
King and Severino could really be weapons out of the bullpen.
Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole didn’t have it last night as the Yankees’ 7-game winning streak was snapped by Toronto, 6-5.
A few starts ago, Cole had to leave the game early with tightness in his hamstring. The Yanks have not said anything since, but Cole hasn’t been the same since. I wonder if there is a correlation, and if it is still bothering him. Cole could be forced to start Sunday on three days rest if the Yankees need to win Sunday to make the postseason.
It is a 4-team scramble for the two wild card spots. Oakland has been eliminated.
Wild Card Standings:
YANKEES 90-68 — top wild card for now, four games to go Boston 89-69 -1 2nd wild card for now Seattle 89-70 – 1 1/2 just 1/2 game behind Boston Toronto 88-70 -2 1 game behind Boston
By the way, Houston still hasn’t clinched the AL West. Their magic # is 1 over Seattle. And how would you like to be San Francisco or the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West? 104 wins for SF, 102 for LAD so far. One will have to host a one-game, sudden-death wild card game despite winning more than 100 games!
If the Yanks do make the postseason, here is hoping no one on the Yanks does what P Devin Williams of Milwaukee did in celebrating. He punched a wall and broke his throwing hand. No postseason for him, and a big loss for the Brew Crew.
Bo Bichette has killed the Yanks this year, hitting seven HR. Last night he hit two in Toronto’s win.
Cole gave up a 2-run HR in the first inning to Marcus Semien. Semien’s 44th HR of the season set a new record for second basemen in a season.
Cole gave up a run in the second. Bichette hit his first HR of the game in the third. After three, it was 4-0, Toronto.
With two out in the top of the fifth, the Yanks got two runs when Gleyber Torres doubled, Gio Urshela singled in Torres, and Brett Gardner doubled in Urshela. Torres was the first Yankee to reach base.
Cole gave up another run in the fifth, and on one double, wasn’t helped by his defense, especially Joey Gallo. 5-2, Toronto.
The Yanks got a run in the top of the sixth to cut it to 5-3. D.J. LeMahieu led off the inning with a double, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on a SF by Aaron Judge.
The Yankees tied it at five in the top of the seventh, but not without injury cost. Gallo led off the inning by getting HBP and had to leave the game later. Torres singled. After an out, Luke Voit PH and struck out but on a WP, both runners advanced, and Voit got injured. Kyle Higashioka singled to tie the game.
Gallo had to go for x-rays, and had to be PH for in the ninth inning. No word yet. Voit may be day-to-day.
In the bottom of the eighth, Bichette hit his second HR of the game, this one off reliever and losing pitcher Clay Holmes, and it was the game-winning blow. 6-5 Toronto.
Before the game, Jonathan Loaisiga activated of the IL, and Andrew Heaney optioned down.
Torres 3 hits Higashioka 2 RBI
Cole 6 IP, 5 R, 9 H, 0 W, 6 K. Gave up 2 HR. 3.23 Loaisiga 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 2.22 Holmes (L, 8-4) 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K. Gave up 1 HR. 3.71 (Pit/NYY stats).
In an ideal world, you wouldn’t want your starting pitcher, in the middle of a pennant race and with 14 games to go, to be a rookie making just his sixth major league start. Nor would you want his reliever to be another rookie, nor the reliever after him to be someone who may be the one pitcher on your staff struggling the most (see the stat below).
But as we know, it isn’t an ideal world, and injuries to the Yankees’ pitching staff forced that scenario yesterday as the Yankees got clobbered by Cleveland, 11-3. The loss was painful because both Boston and Toronto won.
Wild Card Standings.
Boston 85-65 top seed as of now. Toronto 83-65 2nd seed as of now. -1 from Boston NYY 83-66 -1 1/2 from Boston, – 1/2 from Toronto Oakland 81-67 -3 from Boston, -2 from Toronto (- 1 1/2 from Yankees) Seattle 79-69 -5 from Boston, – 4 from Toronto.
So as you can see, the loss not only has (temporarily we hope) knocked the Yanks out of a wild card spot but don’t look back, Oakland is gaining on you.
Just win, baby.
Starter Luis Gil pitched ok for four innings, giving up a HR in the second. Entering the fifth, the Yanks were losing 1-0. Ok, still in the ballgame.
In the meantime, Yankees’ LF Joey Gallo had to leave the game with a neck problem.
An elephant in the room has to be addressed. In each of the Yankees’ last three losses, crucial defensive mistakes by catcher Gary Sanchez have helped the Yankees lose those games. With Gerrit Cole starting for the Yankees today, expect Kyle Higashioka to catch. But the Yankees should consider catching Higashioka full-time from here out, because of Sanchez’ defense over the past week.
With one out in the fifth, losing 1-0, Sanchez dropped a foul popup that should have been out #2, with no one on base. Instead, it opened the floodgates for Cleveland to put up a seven-run inning and the game was basically over. This after the phantom tag in the Mets game and the WP that Sanchez couldn’t catch in the Orioles’ loss. If the Yanks want to make the playoffs, those plays can’t happen.
Still in all, when Gil left the game, there was two on and one out. Hopefully Albert Abreu could get a DP ball and get out of the jam. Nope. Instead, the dam broke. Double, HBP, double, single. Four runs in. A second out (should have been the third if Sanchez catches the pop up). Then the killer, a 3-run HR that made it 8-0.
The struggling Andrew Heaney came in for the sixth. D.J. LeMahieu made an uncharacteristic error, and Heaney, prone to giving up homers (see below), gave up a 2-run shot that made it 10-0.
Giancarlo Stanton homered (30) in the bottom of the seventh to put the Yanks on the board, but Heaney gave up a HR in the top of the eighth to make it 11-1.
Luke Voit hit a 2-run HR (11) in the bottom of the eighth and the final was 11-3 Cleveland.
LeMahieu 2 hits. Voit 2-run HR (11) Stanton solo HR (30) Sanchez 2 hits but the crucial error.
Gil has great stuff, but needs control. 6 K in 4 1/3 good, but 4 walks and a HBP aren’t.
In just 35 2/3 IP as a Yankee, Heaney has given up 13 HR. Ouch.
Gil (L, 1-1) 4 1/3 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 H, 4 W, 6 K. 1 HBP. gave up 1 HR. 3.07 First MLB loss. Abreu 2/3 IP, 5 R, 3 ER, 4 H, 0 W, 0 K. 1 HBP. Gave up 1 HR. 4.75 Heaney 3 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 W, 4 K. Gave up 2 HR. 5.76 (LAA/NYY) Rodriguez 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 4.64 (Tex/NYY)
Gil was sent down after the game. We will see what move comes next (German? Severino?)
The Yankees hit 5 HR in a 7-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles Tuesday night and in so doing are in the middle of a 3-way virtual tie for the two wild card spots.
Here is how it looks right now.
Yanks and Toronto both 81-64 .559 — Boston 82-65 .558 —- virtual tie, .001 back Seattle 78-67 -3 Oakland 77-67 – 3 1/2
(Forget the division, Tampa Bay is up by 9 and their magic # to clinch is 9).
Gerrit Cole returned to the mound after leaving early last time because of tightness in his left hamstring. He got his 15th win, but had to leave after five innings due to a high pitch count (108).
The Yanks got on the board right away. D.J. LeMahieu led off the game with a single and Aaron Judge followed with a 2-run HR (34).
With one out in the third inning, Anthony Rizzo was HBP and Giancarlo Stanton followed with a 2-run HR (28). Luke Voit made it back-to-back HRs with #10 and the Yanks were up 5-0.
Cole had settled down after getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning. Baltimore touched him for a run in the fifth, but with two on and two out, Cole ended his night with a strikeout.
Michael King replaced Cole and threw three scoreless innings. King’s career numbers are better in relief than as a starter.
Joey Gallo made it 6-1 in the eighth with a HR (34) and LeMahieu homered (10) in the ninth to make it 7-1.
Sal Romano, who turned down a DFA assignment to SWB and elected to become a free agent, re-signed with the Yankees (lot of head scratching there) and the Yanks then turned around and DFA’d Brooks Kriske. Romano started the ninth for the Yankees. He got a K, but a single walk and single made it 7-2, and Romano got injured on that RBI single, so Aroldis Chapman came in. Chapman got a K, then threw a WP, putting runners on second and third, so things got a bit hairy, but another K by Chapman ended the game.
Besides the Romano/Kriske DFA switch, Clarke Schmidt went back to SWB after his Sunday start, so that freed that spot for Romano. Domingo German was sent to SWB to start a rehab assignment.
On a day when the Yanks got more bad news pitching-wise, the Yanks (78-62) lost their sixth game in a row, and tenth in their last twelve, to Toronto, 6-4.
Toronto has won eight in a row and has turned the wild card race into a crapshoot.
Before the game, besides the uncertainty on ace Gerrit Cole and his tight hamstring, the Yanks had to put Jameson Taillon on the 10 day IL due to a partially torn tendon in his ankle. They are holding out hope he still might make a start this season, but it doesn’t look good. Sal Romano was called up. OF Jonathan Davis was DFA’d , and expect Michael King up soon.
Also, Zack Britton, already done for this year, will in most likelihood miss ALL of 2022. Besides a bone chip being removed from his elbow, he also went TJ surgery.
Now for the game. Bo Bichette, the first batter of the game, hit a HR (22) off of Yankees’ starter Nestor Cortes, Jr. to give the Blue Jays a 1-0 immediate lead.
Cortes pitched well, giving up another solo HR, this one to Randal Grichuk (22) in the fifth, and the Blue Jays were up 2-0. That is all “Nasty Nestor” gave up. But he got little run support.
But the state of the Yankees bullpen is such that in a big game in September, Sal Romano and Andrew Heaney had to pitch.
The Yanks did tie the game in the bottom of the sixth when Aaron Judge singled and Anthony Rizzo followed with a 2-run HR (19).
But Toronto scored in the top of the seventh and never looked back. An error by Tyler Wade led to Toronto getting another run in the eighth and Vlad Guerrero Jr. hit HR #42 in the ninth off of Heaney to put the Blue Jays up 5-2. Toronto got another run off Heaney later in the ninth and it became 6-2.
In the bottom of the ninth, Gary Sanchez (21) and Luke Voit (9) hit back-to-back HRs, Voit as a PH, to make it 6-4, which would be the final score.
Judge 3 hits Rizzo 2-run HR (19; Cubs/NYY) Sanchez solo HR (21) Voit solo HR (9)
Cortes, Jr. 6 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 0 W, 5 K. Gave up 2 HR. 2.70 Romano (L, 0-2) 2/3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 W, 1 K. 1 HBP 5.84 (Combined Reds/Brewers and NYY) Peralta 1 1/3 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 3 W, 2 K. 3.86 (Combined SF/NYY) Heaney 1 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 0 W, 1 K. gave up 1 HR. 5.86 (Combined LAA/NYY)
The Yanks are 10 behind Tampa Bay, 3rd in AL East, with 22 games to go.
Now for the wild-card picture.
Bos 80-62, top wild card seed NYY 78-62 -1 from Boston. At present, the second wild card. Tor 77-62 -1 1/2 from Boston and only 1/2 game behind the Yanks. Oakland AND Seattle each 76-64, 3 behind Boston and both just 2 1/2 behind the Yanks.
An ace can get you rolling, keep you rolling and stop losing streaks.
Gerrit Cole did #3 last night, and we will see if it starts a new winning streak for the Yankees.
The Yanks entered the game with a four game losing streak, right after winning thirteen in a row. Thanks to Cole’s 15 strikeout dominating performance last night, the Yanks came away with a 4-1 victory over the Angels. They have an off day today before a weekend series against the putrid Orioles.
The Yanks got two runs in the top of the third inning. With two out, D.J. LeMahieu walked, Anthony Rizzo singled, and Aaron Judge walked. Luke Voit’s single then scored two runs.
With one out in the fourth, Rougned Odor bunt singled his way on base. He moved up on a groundout and scored on a single by Brett Gardner. 3-0.
The Angels got a run off of Cole in the bottom of the sixth. Cole was done after 116 pitches and 7 innings. Who knows, if, with two more innings, he could have matched or surpassed Ron Guidry’s Yankee record of 18 strikeouts in a game set back in 1978?
Judge hit a HR, his 30th of the season, in the top of the eighth for the final run of the game. 4-1, Yankees.
Gio Urshela hurt his hand in the game before this one and will have an MRI.
Yanks 7 back on Tampa Bay in AL East. 29 games to go.
Yanks 2 up on Boston for top wild card spot. Boston has other wild card spot for now. A’s 2 back of Boston. Seattle 3 1/2 back of Boston. Toronto 4 1/2 back of Boston.
UPDATE: From NY Post: Rosters expanded from 26 to 28 on Wednesday, and the Yankees recalled OF Estevan Florial and right-hander Brooks Kriske from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The Cole Train was supported by 4 HR in an 8-2 Yankees win over Oakland on Friday night. The win was the 13th in a row for the Yankees, matching their longest winning streak since 1961. The team record is 19, set in 1947.
The Yankees are now 76-52, and are 21-4 in the month of August. Since being at .500 at 41-41, they have gone 35-11.
Giancarlo Stanton homered (24) leading off the top of the fourth to get the scoring underway. His HR was a 472 foot blast. One out later, Luke Voit homered (8) to make it 2-0.
The next inning, the Yanks got singles by Kyle Higashioka and D.J. LeMahieu to start the inning off. After a strikeout, Aaron Judge homered (28) to make it 5-0.
Yankees’ starter Gerrit Cole got out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the fifth. He struck out the side in the sixth, and left after six shutout innings. His last batter of the night was strikeout #200 for the season.
The A’s got two runs in the bottom of the seventh to cut the Yankees’ lead to 5-2.
In the top of the ninth, Andrew Velazquez led off the inning with a double, then HIgashioka homered (9) to make it 7-2. After the HR by Higashioka, singles by LeMahieu, Anthony Rizzo, and Judge made it 8-2, the final score.
Cole (W, 13-6) 6 IP, 0 R, 6 H, 2 H, 9 K. 2.80 Rodriguez 1/3 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 W, 0 K. 5.25 (Combined Tex/NYY ERA) Green (H, 17) 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 3 K. 2.96 Luetge 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 3.09
The Yankees remain 4 back of Tampa Bay for the AL East Division lead.
They are 3 up on Boston for the top wild-card spot and 6 1/2 up on Oakland for a playoff spot. Seattle is one back of Oakland, and Toronto 3 back of Oakland.
The Yankees won their 9th game in a row, beating the Twins 7-1 on Saturday afternoon. Sunday’s game has been postponed until Monday afternoon, Sept. 13, because of a hurricane coming up the East coast.
With the win, the Yanks are 31-11 in their last 42 games after being 41-41 just after the midway point.
With Brett Gardner banged up, before the game the Yankees brought up Estevan Florial and sent down Brody Koerner.
Yankees’ starter Gerrit Cole got out of a second and third, two-out jam in the top of the second inning.
The Yanks struck first, getting a run in the bottom of the second inning. Rougned Odor led off the inning by getting HBP. Luke Voit singled. After a lineout and a forceout, Tyler Wade singled to make it 1-0.
In the top of the fifth, Cole got back-to-back strikeouts to get out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam.
The Yanks then put the game away, scoring five runs in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Wade doubled, and D.J. LeMahieu singled him to third. Anthony Rizzo was HBP, loading the bases. A WP moved the runners up, scored Wade, and made it 2-0. Aaron Judge walked to re-load the bases. After a pitching change, Giancarlo Stanton doubled in two runs to make it 4-0. Judge was out at home on a fielder’s choice, but Luke Voit doubled in two runs to make it 6-0.
The Yanks missed out on three runs in the bottom of the seventh when with two on, Odor called time milliseconds before a pitch was thrown. Neither player, pitcher or hitter, could stop their action, even though time was called. Odor hit the ball over the fence, but since time was just called, the “homer” didn’t count. Odor struck out instead. Rougny lost one there.
In the top of the eighth, Lucas Luetge gave up a HR to Jorge Polanco. 6-1.
But in the bottom of the eighth, Andrew Velazquez did get a HR—his first MLB homerun. The Bronx-born lad did it in front of a very happy group of family members. 7-1, the final score.
Stanton 2 hits, 2 RBI. Voit 2 hits, 2 RBI Velazquez solo HR. FIRST MLB HR. Wade 2 hits, RBI
Cole (W, 12-6) 6 IP, 0 R, 5 H, 1 W, 6 K. 2.92 Luetge 2 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K. Gave up 1 HR. 3.14 Abreu 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 3.91
If you can take away the one bad outing Abreu had in Tampa Bay (where Abreu gave up six runs without recording an out), his ERA would be 1.78.
At 72-52, the Yanks are 4 games back of Tampa Bay in the AL East, in second place. The last three games of the season are at home vs. Tampa Bay. Could those games decide the division?
But they did expand their wild card lead yesterday.
NYY 72-52 (1st WC), 38 games to go A’s 70-54 -2 (2nd wc) BOS 70-55 – 2 1/2 from Yankees, 1/2 GB from A’s Sea 66-58 -6 from Yankees, -4 from A’s Tor 64-57 -6 1/2 from Yankees , -4 1/2 From A’s
The Sommer Frieze 
