Aroldis Chapman

New York Yankees: Takeaways from another perplexing loss mystifying Yankee fans

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New York Yankees, Aaron Boone

The New York Yankees are in a tailspin that is quickly putting their postseason hopes into the rearview mirror. For this writer and Yankee fan, it is totally perplexing how a team can go from the winningest team in baseball just a week ago to a lifeless team that now has a season-high five losses in a row.

Luis Gil is human; after all

New York Yankee pitching prospect sensation Luis Gil was the first pitcher since 1901 to not give up a run in his first three starts as a Yankee. But now, Gil has proved that he is indeed human. Although he started last night’s game allowing a walk, and even though catcher Gary Sanchez allowed a passed ball with the runner advancing, Gil still got out of the inning unscathed. But that walk would be telling.

In the second inning, Gil struck out the side, and it looked like Gil was back into control. Then, in the third, Gil walked two and loaded the bases but showed the guts of a veteran by working into and getting out of a bases-loaded jam scoreless. But in the fourth, everything went south for Gil. He walked two more Jays. At the end of the half, the Rays had scored three runs against the 22-year-old.

At the end of the night, which came after just 3.1 innings for Gil, he had stuck out an impressive 6 Jays, but that was spoiled by walking seven which was his demise. After the game, manager Boone basically said that players and pitchers alike have bad days. However, it should be noted that no matter how well he pitched in his first three starts, in the minors, Gil had one of the worst walk records.

The Yankee’s rollercoaster is scary!

This 2021 baseball season for the New York Yankees has been a rollercoaster that would make Kingda Ka at Six Flags in New Jersey seem like a kiddie ride. Even though the first half for the Yankees was horrible, they did have their moments. But since July 4th, the roller coaster has gone into overdrive. With no hope of reaching the postseason, the Yankees became a new team becoming the winningest in baseball.

At one point, the Yankees won 13 games straight that landed them in the number one wild card berth. Now with losing five consecutive games, a season-high, the Yankees have lost that berth. If they lose again tonight, they will only have the second berth by .5 games.

Last night in an otherwise boring and disheartening game for Yankee fans, there was a bright spot. In the fifth inning veteran, Brett Gardner hit a three-run homer. For those that thought it might spark the Yankees, the bright spot quickly faded.

Chapman still doesn’t have it while the rest of the bullpen is completely worn out

At this point in the season, Aroldis Chapman’s struggles are well known, but his struggles have been systemic for the team. Aaron Boone forced to use other pitchers to close in close games has caused undue stress on a bullpen already struggling with missing members and overworked arms.

The plain and simple fact is that the Yankee bullpen is completely blown out. Overwork has caused normally dependable relievers to be undependable in many instances and many situations. So comparing Mariano Rivera to Chapman is unfair. But to illustrate the problem with Rivera on the mound, you knew the Yankees would win. With Chapman on the mound, you usually know it’s going to be a nailbiter at best.

Last night was no different; Boone called him in in a non-save situation to hold the Jays. He didn’t; he walked two and gave up another run putting the game out of reach for the Yankees before being pulled. The other relievers not named J-Rod also gave up runs. The usually dependable Chad Green and Clay Holmes couldn’t keep the Jays scoreless, just showing how tired the pen is.

The Yankee’s wild card dilemma explained

The dilemma for the New York Yankees is that they are not winning games and slipping back in the AL East. After the winning streak, the Yankees had clawed their way back to just five games out of the AL East lead, but that was then, and this is now. They have slipped back to 9.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays and would be even further back, but the Rays have helped losing a few games recently.

At the end of the winning streak, the Yankees found themselves the number one Wild Card game owner with home-field advantage. Now, after the losing streak that doesn’t seem to be coming to an end anytime soon, they are about to be out of the wild card picture altogether. What is even scarier is that with just 23 games left in the season, the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners are surging while the Yankees are in the dumper.

With this New York Yankee team playing as they are, with only one dependable starter, injured and may miss a start at best, a lifeless lineup, and a worn-out bullpen, the Yankees are going to have to find a way to reverse things and start winning again. But, with time fleeting, they need to do it sooner than later.

New York Yankees Recap: Yankees lose 5 straight, lose wild card advantage

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luis gil, yankees

The New York Yankees, desperate for a win after losing 4 consecutive games, 2 against the Blue Jays, hoped for a win tonight to at least split the series. The Yankees pitted their pitching sensation, Luis Gil, against the Blue Jays’ Alek Manoah. But, the Yankees, more than anything, hoped their powerful lineup would again awaken and score some runs. Other than Brett Gardner to Yankees hitter were Awol. The Yankees lost the game 6-3 for their fifth loss in a row and slipping out of the wild card advantage.

In his first three starts for the Yankees, Luis Gil had not allowed a run, and the Yankees hoped he would continue that trend. In the first inning, he faced the Jays’ Corey Dickerson, who struck out swinging for Gil’s first strikeout of the game. Marcus Semien walked. Semien moved to second on a Sanchez passed ball. Vlad Guerrero Jr. walked as he appeared to be overthrowing. Bo Bichette flew out to Gallo in left, holding the runners. Teoscar Hernandez struck out to end the scoreless half for the Jays. At the bottom, Brett Gardner led off and ground out to first. Aaron Judge, who has been hitless in his last three games, ground out to short. Anthony Rizzo singled to left field. Giancarlo Stanton singled to right with Rizzo going to third. DJ LeMahieu with men on the corners and two outs flew out to right to strand two Yankee runners. No score.

The second inning was led off by Alejandro Kirk, who struck out. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. struck out on a Gil slider. Jake Lamb struck out as Gil struck out the side. At the bottom, Joey Gallo worked a walk. Gary Sanchez hit into a double play to clear the bases. Rougie Odor gave one a ride, but it was caught at the right-field warning track. No score.

Danny Jansen led off the third inning by walking. Dickerson flew out to Gallo in left-center. Semien walked. Guerrero Jr., with two on and one out, singled to left, loading the bases. Bichette, with only one out and the bases loaded, tapped back to Gil; Gil fired and got the out at home. Hernandez, now with two outs and the bases still loaded, struck out to keep the game scoreless as he worked into and out of trouble. At the bottom of the frame, Andrew Velazquez went down looking. Gardner struck out looking. Judge ground out to second to end the inning. No score.

The fourth inning was led off by Kirk, who flew out to Gardner. Gurriel was hit on the helmet and advanced to first. Lamb walked. Jansen walked to load the bases again, and that was his night as Lucas Luetge replaced him. Dickerson, with the bases loaded, a wild pitch by Luetge scored Gurriel. Dickerson flew out to Velazquez holding the runners. Semien, with two outs, flew to left in front of Gallo. Two runs scored, and Gallo fired to second, catching Semien trying to stretch it into a double for the final out. Blue Jays 3 Yankees 0.

At the bottom of the fourth inning, Rizzo led off by popping out to second. Stanton ground out to first. LeMahieu popped out to first for a 1-2-3 inning for Manoah. Jays 3 Yankees 0.

Vlad Guerrero Jr. led off the fifth inning by grounding to Velazquez at short. Bichette walked. Hernandez walked on the 12th Luetge pitch. Kirk singled, but Odor got the force at third for the second out. Gurriel went down on strikes. At the bottom, Gallo singled to right field. Sanchez popped back to the catcher. Odor walked, making it the first time that a Yankee player had reached second base. Velazquez struck out. Gardner hit a three-run homer to tie the game. Judge ground out to first. New York Yankees 3 Blue Jays 3.

The sixth inning was led off by Lamb facing new pitcher Joely Rodriguez and struck out. Jansen struck out. Randal Grichuk pinch-hitting for Dickerson flew out to LeMahieu. At the bottom, Rizzo flew out to the left-field corner. Stanton singled to left for his second hit of the night. LeMahieu struck out. Gallo walked, knocking Manoah out of the game. Sanchez faced the new Jays’ pitcher Trevor Richards and went down swinging, leaving two on base. Yankees 3 Jays 3.

Semien led off the seven with Clay Holmes pitching by the singling and going to second on an E6 as Velazquez overthrew Rizzo. Guerrero struck out. Bichette ground out, but Semien went to third. Hernandez singled, driving in a run for the Jays lead. Kirk flew out to Gardner to end the half. At the bottom, Odor stuck out. Gleyber Torres came in to pinch-hit for Velazquez and walked. Gardner hit into a force out at second. Judge 0 for his last 22 faced the new Jays’ pitcher Adam Cimber and singled up the middle. Rizzo struck out, leaving two Yankees on base. Jays 4 Yankees 3.

The eighth inning was led off by Gurriel against Chad Green and got a triple off the right-field wall. Lamb flew out to center, but Gurriel scored. Jansen struck out. Grichuk singled. Semien struck out, but the Jays tacked on another run. At the bottom, Stanton went down on strikes. LeMahieu singled up the middle. Gallo struck out. Sanchez popped out to shallow center to end the inning. Toronto Blue Jays 5 New York Yankees 3.

At the top of the ninth inning, Guerrero led off facing Yankee closer Aroldis Chapman and homered to the left-field stands. Bichette flew out to Gardner in center. Hernandez walked. Kirk struck out.  Hernandez stole second. Jarrod Dyson singled, and Hernandez reached third on a Chapman wild pitch ending his night. Wandy Peralta came in to face Lamb, who ground out to end the half, but the Jays tacked on another run off Chapman. In the bottom with last licks on the line for the Yankees, Voit pinch hit for Odor and struck out. Torres ground out softly. Gardner flew out with the Yankees going 2-11 and losing the top wild card slot.

The New York Yankees lost their last five runs. The final score was the Toronto Blue Jays 6 and the New York Yankees 3. The winning pitcher was Trevor Richards, the loser was Clay Holmes, and the save went to Gordon Ramano.

 

 

Yankees’ manager says struggling reliever needs to start trusting his fastball again

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New York Yankees, Aroldis Chapman

New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman has had an extremely up-and-down season, with high peaks, like his perfect month in April, and exaggerated valleys, such as his horrendous June. At times, the numbers say he has been improving, but the eye test often tells a different story. He is working his way back to the circle of trust, and has really struggled ever since MLB started to check pitchers for foreign substances.

In recent outings, the Yankees’ closer has gone away from the fastball, his trademark pitch and one that he can dial up to triple digits, in favor of his slider and splitter. Granted, those two are very good offerings for him, but he won’t get 100% right if he doesn’t trust his fastball, which appears to be the problem.

People usually think that sticky substances on the ball are used just to increase spin rate, but in reality, most pitchers use it to get a better grip on the ball and, as a result, improve control and command.

Chapman has apparently lost command of his fastball, and his control comes and goes. As a consequence, he throws too many breaking balls.

The Yankees want Chapman to feature his heater

Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone said that Chapman, at times, has gone away from the fastball a little too much per Bill Ladson of MLB.com.

“Part of that is the confidence he has on his secondary pitches and his ability to strike the breaking ball,” Boone said. “But I think it is important to always make sure that the fastball is a feature for him.

“Usually when he is throwing the fastball well and for strikes … that’s an indication he is in line with his delivery, and the secondary pitches can work off of that.”

Chapman’s ERA is up to 3.72, his worst mark as a major leaguer and a mediocre one for a top reliever. He is improving, though, little by little, as he has a 2.20 ERA after the All-Star break.

 

It hasn’t always been pretty, though.

Yankees news, 9/5: Aaron Boone holds back anger after loss to Baltimore, Chapman implodes again

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aroldis chapman, yankees

The New York Yankees failed to overcome the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday in a game they desperately needed to win, with Tampa Bay continuing to advance in the AL East.

Tampa blasted the Minnesota Twins 11-4 on Saturday, giving them a healthy 7.5 game lead over the Yankees. In the Wild Card, the Bombers have given up a ton of ground, sitting at 0.5 games above Boston and four games above the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics. With the season quickly winding down to an end, the Yankees must walk away with wins against bad teams like Baltimore, which shows a serious kink get their armor.

However, the Bombers entered the ninth-inning tied 3-3 after Joey Gallo smashed a two-run homer in the eighth inning. Unfortunately, closer Aroldis Chapman blew another save, giving up one hit and one run over an inning. His ERA has elevated 3.72 on the season after starting off the year in phenomenal form. He has come crumbling down, and while skipper Aaron Boone is trying his best to remain positive, it was clear that the loss to Baltimore was frustrating.

“These games are super important and we’re trying to win them,” Boone said. “We got held down enough today, so that’s frustrating and unfortunate, but we have a big one tomorrow we have to grab.”

Chapman was able to corral the inconsistencies for a bit, but eventually, he allowed Pedro Severino to lash a sacrifice fly to left fielding driving in Ryan Mountcastle.

“When it started to get a little wobbly there, I felt like he was able to corral it,” Boone said. “And I think that’s important moving forward.”

Boone is grasping at straws here, as one of the best closers in the history of the game should be able to finish off poor teams like the Orioles routinely. However, ever since the MLB crackdown on substances to increase speed rate and velocity, Chapman has seen his numbers and efficiency plummet.

The Yankees have one more game against Baltimore on Sunday afternoon with Corey Kluber on the mound, giving them a solid opportunity to bounce back. Baltimore will have Keegan Akin featuring, and with a 6.90 ERA this season, the Yankees have a solid advantage.

New York Yankees: Takeaways from tough-to-swallow loss to the Orioles

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New York Yankees, Aroldis Chapman

The New York Yankees struggled but finally got a win in their game against the Baltimore Orioles in the eleventh inning on Friday night. Last night they were not that lucky almost being no-hit. The Yankees lost the second game 4-3 when closer Aroldis Chapman failed to hold the Orioles in the top of the ninth. The Yankees could not recover at the bottom of the frame.

Montgomery continues frustrated with no support

Jordan Montgomery is one of the top five pitchers in the American League that has received little or no run support in their starts. Including last night he has 15 no-decisions. Here are the facts: He has 6 games with no support; of 24 starts, he has had 12 starts with 2 or fewer runs of support, and 19 games with 3 or fewer runs in support. Yesterday was the worst yet, he not only got no runs to support pitching into the fifth inning, but the Yankees also couldn’t even boost his confidence with a single hit.

Through all of this, Montgomery, all season long, has been a trooper, not complaining at all about the lack of run support. However, that changed somewhat yesterday in an after-game interview. He indicated that he could pitch more aggressively and throw more fastballs if he had some run support.

Surprisingly, Gerrit Cole actually has received less run support but is a better pitcher being the New York Yankee ace.

Gallo breaks out, but the Yankees still not hitting

Prior to last night, Joey Gallo had gone 0-17, even getting some boos from the Yankee faithful when he would strikeout. Yesterday that all changed. Yesterday Chris Ellis held the Yankees hitless into the seventh inning. In the bottom of the seventh, Gleyber Torres’s pinch-hitting got the Yankees first hit of the game, scoring Anthony Rizzo, who had previously walked. In the eighth inning, DJ Lemahieu got an infield bunt single. Gallo took to the plate and hit a two-run bomb into the right-field stands, his 31st of the season.

The Yankees, for several games now after their 13 game winning streak, are again not hitting the ball well. Yesterday it was the first time since 2018 that the Yankees remained hitless through six innings of play. At the end of the day, the Yankees could only muster up 3 hits in the loss. What is most disturbing is that this is against the worst team in all of baseball.

With the New York Yankees race to be in the postseason, they must win over teams they should beat, and the lowly Orioles is one of them. Their rivals for the postseason are doing that; the Yankees aren’t. When the Rays last met up with the O’s last week, they swept them. The Red Sox outscored the O’s 30-5 in their series. The Yankees must do better. With the loss yesterday, the Yankees are now only 1/2 game ahead of the Red Sox for the first wild card slot.

Aroldis Chapman still has issues

Anyone that watched yesterday’s game knows that Aroldis Chapman still hasn’t figured out his lack of fastball control. Chapman was lights out during the first half of the season with an ERA of 0.00 through May 21st. During July, that ERA rose to 4.00 due to him seemingly losing control of his fastball. August wasn’t much better, but on August 26th, he was dominant, encouraging the Yankees. He followed that up on September 1st with another scoreless close. But last night, the old Chapman showed up in the ninth.

Mountcastle led the ninth inning with closer Aroldis Chapman on the mound for the Yankees; he reached on a wild pitch. Hays got a base hit to left, moving Mountcastle to second. Mancini, with two on and no outs, walked, loading the bases. Urias went down on strikes. Severino got a sac fly to left, scoring Mountcastle. Mateo struck out, but Chapman failed to hold the Orioles. Baltimore Orioles 4 New York Yankees 3.

If the New York Yankees get to the postseason, they will need Chapman to be dependable; as of now, that is not the case.

FUN FACT: Shortstop Andrew Velazquez is the only player in New York Yankees history born and raised in the Bronx, NY., per YES broadcaster Michael Kay.

QUESTION: With the game on the line in the 7th inning, why did manager Aaron Boone take Clay Holmes out of the game after only 18 pitches and striking out all four of the Orioles he faced. Instead, he went with Wandy Peralta, who immediately gave up two runs.

NOTE: Today, the New York Yankees complete the series with the Orioles in a rubber game at 1:05 pm EDT. Corey Kluber will be on the mound for the Yankees and Keegan Akin for the Orioles. The game will be broadcast on MASN and the YES Network.

New York Yankees Recap: Yankees no-hit through 6 lose to the O’s, Chapman taking the loss

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aroldis chapman, yankees

Today, the New York Yankees had their second game with the Baltimore Orioles in a matinee event at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Last night the Yankees won the first game in an exciting 11th inning walk-off win. Today, the Yankees would try to have an easier time with Jordan Montgomery on the mound for the Yankees facing the Orioles Chris Ellis. It was a perfect weather day at the Stadium. No wind, 75 degrees, and not a cloud in the sky. The weather was the only thing that was perfect. The Yankees were no-hit through 6 innings; they clawed their way back to tie the game at three in the eight, but Aroldis Chapman failed the hold, and the Orioles won 4-3.

In the first inning, “Monty” faced the O’s Cedric Mullins, who ground out to Velazquez at short. Ryan Mountcastle went down on strikes. Austin Hays ground out to Rizzo at first for a 1-2-3 inning for Montgomery to start the game. At the bottom, with Ellis on the mound for the O’s DJ LeMahieu led off and flew out to the warning track in right. Joey Gallo lined into the shift for out number two. Aaron Judge doubled to left field. Giancarlo Stanton flew out to left to end the inning. No Score.

At the top of the second, Trey Mancini led off by singling near Judge in right. Ramon Urias singled up the middle, with Gardner holding Mancini at second. Pedro Severino, with two on and no outs, popped out to Rizzo at first. Jorge Mateo popped out. Ryan McKenna flew out to Gardner in center to get out of trouble. Anthony Rizzo led off at the bottom and struck out swinging. Brett Gardner popped out to third. Kyle Higashioka worked a walk. “Higgy” stole second. Andrew Velazquez lined out to second. No score.

Jahmai Jones led off the third inning by going down looking. Mullins ground out to LeMahieu. Mountcastle ground out softly to short to end the half. At the bottom, Tyler Wade led off and drag bunt to the pitcher. LeMahieu tapped out to first. Gallo went down on strikes for a 1-2-3 inning for Ellis. No score.

The fourth inning was led off by Hays, who went down on strikes. Mancini singled up the middle. Urias flew out to Gardner in center. Severino doubled down the left-field line moving Mancini to third base. Mateo walked on a wild pitch that got away from Higgy with Mancini scoring. McKenna struck out, but the Orioles took the lead. At the bottom, Aaron Judge hit one to center field wall that Mullins caught. Stanton flew out to the warning track at right. Rizzo ground out to short right for another 1-2-3 inning for Ellis. Orioles 1 Yankees 0.

The fifth inning was led off by Jones, who singled on a bobbled play by Velazquez. Mullins singled to left with Jones moving to second. Mountcastle struck out swinging. Hays tapped to first with Montgomery getting the assist, but the runners moved up on the play. Mancini, with two outs and a man on second and third, Montgomery loaded the bases ending his day on the mound. Urias faced the new Yankee pitcher Clay Holmes and struck out with Holmes getting out a jam with three inherited runners left on base. At the bottom, Gardner popped out to the infield. Higashioka walked for the second time in the game. Velazquez ground out. Higgy went to second on a wild pitch. Tyler Wade walked. LeMahieu, with two outs and two on, popped out to first to strand two walked Yankees. Ellis had no-hit the Yankees through five innings. Orioles 1 Yankees 0.

Pedro Severino led off the sixth inning against Holmes and struck out. Jorge Mateo struck out. McKenna struck out. Holmes struck out every batter he faced since bailing out Montgomery. At the bottom, with Ellis out of the game, Gallo faced Tanner Scott and ground out to first. Judge struck out when he couldn’t hold up. Stanton struck out for a 1-2-3 inning for Tanner Scott. The Yankees were being no-hit through six. Orioles 1 Yankees 0.

Wandy Peralta was on the mound to start the seventh and allowed a double to Jones. Mullins hit an RBI double past Rizzo, scoring Jones. Mountcastle ground out to a diving Velazquez, saving a run for the first out of the inning, holding Mullins at third. Hays tapped back to Peralta, but Mullins scored a Peralta toss that didn’t give Higgy a chance to tag out Mullins. Hays reached. Mancini singled to right as Hays advanced to second. Urias, with two outs and still only one out, Boone called on Lucas Luetge to replace Peralta. Urias walked to load the bases. Severino struck out. With the bases loaded and this time with two outs, Mateo flew out to Judge to end the half, but the Orioles picked up another two runs.

At the bottom, Rizzo reached on an E4. Gardner walked, ending Tanner Scott’s day. Gary Sanchez pinch hit for Higashioka and against new pitcher Marcos Diplan with two on and no outs and flew out to center, moving Rizzo to third. Torres was brought in to pinch-hit for Velazquez and hit a base hit, scoring Rizzo from third base. Luke Voit came in to pinch-hit for Wade and hit into a double play to end the inning. Baltimore Orioles 3 and the New York Yankees 1.

Ryan McKenna led off the eighth and flew out to Gardner in center. Jones flew out to Judge in right. Mullins flew out for a 1-2-3 inning for Lucas Luetge. At the bottom, the Orioles faced the top of the Yankees lineup. LeMahieu got an infield/bunt single. Joey Gallo faced the new O’s pitcher Jorge Lopez and homed to the right-field stands to tie the game up at 3 apiece. Aaron Judge struck out as he couldn’t hold up. Stanton went down on strikes. Rizzo faced yet another O’s pitcher Cole Sulser and flew out to right to end the inning. New York Yankees 3 Orioles 3.

Mountcastle led the ninth inning with closer Aroldis Chapman on the mound for the Yankees; he reached on a wild pitch. Hays got a base hit to left, moving Mountcastle to second. Mancini, with two on and no outs, walked, loading the bases. Urias went down on strikes. Severino got a sac fly to left, scoring Mountcastle. Mateo struck out, but Chapman failed to hold the Orioles. Baltimore Orioles 4 New York Yankees 3.

At the bottom of the ninth and last licks for the Yankees, Brett Gardner went up against Sulser and ground out to first. Sanchez popped out to second for the second out. With Gleyber Torres as the Yankee’s last hope, he struck out swinging to end the game. The final score was the Baltimore Orioles 4 and the New York Yankees 3. The winning pitcher was Cole Sulser, and the loser was Aroldis Chapman.

 

New York Yankees Recap: Stanton walked off Judge in the eleventh for the Yankee win

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After a disappointing road trip when the New York Yankees went 5-4 and a day off yesterday, tonight they entered a 3 game series with the Baltimore Orioles. With their race to the postseason in jeopardy, the Yankees should win if not sweep a series against a team that will lose 110 games this season. In game one, the Yankees sent Nestor Cortes Jr. to the mound to face the Orioles, John Means. In a game that should have been won easily, it went into the eleventh inning with Giancarlo Stanton walking off Aaron Judge for the Yankee 4-3 win.

Leading off the first inning was the O’s Cedric Mullins, who against Cortes, flew out to Gallo in left. Ryan Mountcastle flew out to Judge in centerfield. Austin Hays went down on strikes for a 1-2-3 inning for Cortes. At the bottom, DJ LeMahiew faced the O’s John Means and ground out to third. Joey Gallo walked. Aaron Judge, who hit over .500 during the road trip, struck out swinging. Giancarlo Stanton went down on strikes to end the scoreless inning.

The top of the second was led off by Trey Mancini, who singled up the middle. Ramon Urias popped out to LeMahieu on the right side. Anthony Santander popped out to catcher Sanchez. Jorge Mateo went down on strike. In the bottom, Anthony Rizzo flew out to the warning track in centerfield. Luke Voit went down looking. Gleyber Torres, in his first at-bat since going on the IL with a thumb strain, struck out. No score.

Jahmai Jones led off the third inning by going down on strikes. Austin Wynns singled in front of Stanton in the right field. Mullins went down on strikes. Mountcastle got the third strikeout of the inning. At the bottom, Rougie Odor led off by striking out. Gary Sanchez ground out to third base. LeMahieu flew out to center for another scoreless inning.

The fourth inning was led off by Hays, who flew out to Stanton in right. Mancini went down on another four-seamer from Cortes. Urias walked. Santander singled, moving Urias to second. Mateo ground out to Odor to end the inning. At the bottom, Gallo led off by going down swinging. Judge flew out in front of the right-field wall. Stanton homered to right (424′). Rizzo followed with a long double to center field. Voit ground out to end the inning. Means had not allowed a Yankee hit until Stanton’s home run. New York Yankees 1 O’s 0.

Jones led off the fifth inning by striking out swinging. Wynn flew out to Gallo in left. Mullins ground out to first with an assist from Cortes. At the bottom, Torres flew out to the warning track in right-center. Odor worked a walk. Sanchez singled with Odor taking third. LeMahieu with men on the corners and one out had a sac fly driving in Odor from third. Gallo struck out, but the Yankees tacked on another run. New York Yankees 2 O’s 0.

The sixth inning was led off by Mountcastle, who walked. Hays hit into a double play. Mancini put the Orioles on the board with a homer off the second deck facing in left, and that was the end of the night for Cortes Jr. Jonathan Loaisiga came in to face Urias, who went down on Loaisiga’s 11th pitch. Aaron Judge led off the bottom by doubling to left. Stanton flew out to shallow left. Rizzo walked. Voit with two on and one out went down looking. Torres flew out deep to center. New York Yankees 2 Baltimore Orioles 1.

Santander led off the seventh inning and ground out to first. Mateo just homered to the left to tie the game up at 2. Stewart pinch-hitting ground out. Wynns flew out to Judge to end the inning. At the bottom, Odor went down on strikes. Sanchez ground out to third. LeMahieu tapped out in front of the plate to end the inning. Yankees 2 Orioles 2.

The eighth inning was led off by Mullins, who ground out to left. Mountcastle ground out to Torres at short. Hays hit a double to left-center. Mancini was intentionally walked. Urias struck out swinging. At the bottom, Gallo struck out. Judge reached on an E6 at short. Stanton flew out to center. Rizzo struck out swinging after putting one into the second deck just foul. Yankees 2 Orioles 2.

The ninth inning saw closer Aroldis Chapman on the mound facing Santander, who went down strikes that David Cone called a forkball. Mateo walked.  Kelvin Gutierrez pinch-hitting went down on strikes. Wynns struck out swinging to end the half, leaving a walk-off win for the Yankees a possibility. At the bottom, Voit went down on the ninth pitch. Torres ground out to third. Odor faced the new O’s pitcher Cole Sulser and went down swinging as the game went into the tenth inning. The game tied at 2.

The tenth inning was started with ghost runner Ryan McKenna at second base. Mullins, with Wandy Peralta pitching, struck out. Mountcastle singled, driving in McKenna for the Orioles lead. Mountcastle went to second on the throw. Hays walked. With two on and one out, Mancini hit into a double play to end the half, but the O’s took the lead. The Yankees, with the last licks going into the bottom, had Tyler Wade as the ghost runner. Sanchez struck out. LeMahieu doubled with Tyler Wade scoring to tie the game at 3. LeMahieu moved to third on a passed ball. Gallo flew out to the infield. Judge faced another O’s reliever in Dillon Tate. Judge ground out to end the inning and bring it into the eleventh. Game tied at 3.

Urias faced Clay Holmes with Mancini as the ghost runner; he got a base hit to right, moving Mancini to third. Santander with two on and no outs popped out. Mateo flew out to right, and Stanton fired into home, preventing Mancini from advancing. Kelvin Gutierrez was called out on strikes giving the Yankees another chance of a walk-off win. In the bottom, with ghost runner Aaron Judge at second. Giancarlo Stanton led off by walking off Aaron Judge with a single up the middle for the New York Yankees win.

The final score was the New York Yankees 4 and the Baltimore Orioles 3. The winning pitcher was Clay Holmes, and the loser was Dillon Tate.

 

 

 

 

 

Yankees: Aroldis Chapman still has control issues, but is slowly turning things around

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New York Yankees, Aroldis Chapman

After a perfect first month and an excellent performance in May (0.75 ERA), New York Yankees’ closer Aroldis Chapman had a rough June, with an 11.42 ERA in 8.2 innings. After MLB started checking pitchers for foreign substances on the ball on June 21, he was never quite the same.

June and July were ugly months for Chapman. We have no evidence to say he was using sticky stuff before the crackdown (lots of pitchers did), but his performance started to dip considerably and his command and control began to disappear.

Yes, some pitchers use foreign substances on the ball to increase spin rate, but others do it for control and command. Sticky stuff provides the hurler with a better grip on the ball, and that’s what Chapman has been failing miserably since June: his walks have skyrocketed, and he was never a control artist to begin with.

He was unusable for a stretch. The Yankees had to endure some ugly outings. But right now, the pitcher seems to be pointing in the right direction, albeit still with some control issues.

The Yankees’ closer has been living on the edge, but is improving

Consider that the Yankees’ stopper has a 6.23 ERA in his last 30 games, a span covering 26 innings. He has handed 24 free passes over those 26 frames, which is simply unsustainable.

However, he has been better in his last 15 games (1.88 ERA with a 9/21 BB/K ratio in 14.1 innings) and in his last seven (2.84 ERA).

He seems to be taking baby steps while he works through his issues in a Yankees’ uniform. For the look of things, he could have a blip or two with walks in this new era of pitching without the help of sticky substances, but at least there have been some positive signs recently.

Some of his recent outings with the Yankees have been hard to watch. He has had to be taken out of the game a couple of times after getting some traffic on the bases via walks. But let’s also consider the fact that he has a 1.76 ERA in 15.1 inning since July 6, when things started to click for the Bombers.

 

Baby steps.

New York Yankees Analysis: Can the Yankees still overtake the Tampa Bay Rays?

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new york yankees

The New York Yankees are going in the wrong direction on the west coast, causing them to drop in the standings on the east coast. Last night, the Yankees entered Angels Stadium hoping to right the ship after losing two straight games against the Oakland Athletics. Instead, they lost game one 8-7 against the Los Angeles Angels, dropping another notch in the AL East standings.

Roughly two weeks ago, the Yankees were 7 games back in the East standings, but they went on a winning tear that lasted 13 games and getting closer to their goal of winning the east. But there was one big problem called the Tampa Bay Rays, which they have no control over. As the Yankees were winning, so were the Rays. With the Yankees losing 3 consecutive games, they have slipped back to where they were two weeks ago. It seems that the winning streak was just a big tease for Yankee fans, raising their hopes that they could still overtake the Rays.

In the last ten days, the Tampa Bay Rays have lost only one game; the Yankees have lost 3, resulting in a 2 game slip in the standings. There are only 30 games left in the 2021 season. Even if the Yankees go on a 30 game winning streak, the Tampa Bay Rays must lose 8 games for the Yankees to come out on top. Neither is likely. The Rays have only lost 6 games during August. It is no longer reasonable to think the Yankees can win the East. The reality is they must start winning again, so they don’t lose out of the wild card slot that they now hold onto by just two games over the Boston Red Sox.

The question right now is, can the New York Yankees return to their winning ways and get another sustained winning streak and become the “Evil Empire” that Yankees fans love and opponents hate? But to make that come true, the Tampa Bay Rays will have to cooperate some by losing more games than the Yankees.

The Yankees, now that they are hitting again and scoring runs, have to figure out how to protect leads with a dependable closer, which they don’t have right now. If pitching coach Matt Blake working with Aroldis Chapman, can get his fastball control back, the problem will be solved. If not, manager Boone will have to continue mixing and matching closers to fit the situation and hope for the best.

Although improbable, the Yankees can still overtake the Tampa Bay Rays; the time to do that is quickly evaporating with only 30 games left in the regular season. To win the division, the Yankees have to win 8 more games than the Rays, 7 more to tie. As long as the Yankees can win each of their remaining series, they will hold on to their wild-card berth. So it will not be a surprise if the division comes down to the last three games of the season when the Rays meet the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

Since the All-Star break, manager Aaron Boone has been doing some of his best managing while with the Yankees during the second half. He has been clicking all the right boxes and making great decisions. If he can continue to do that for the remainder of the season, he will likely be at the top of the heap in line for Manager of the Year. But, of course, this writer is totally biased and hopes he can bring the New York Yankees to their 28th World Championship.

 

New York Yankees Takeaways from 12th win while blowing a 6 run lead

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After winning 11 games in a row, the New York Yankees entered the Oakland Coliseum to face the Athletics with the hope of getting their 12th consecutive win. But at the same time, they also knew that they hadn’t played well at the massive coliseum, winning one game of their last then there. Nevertheless, they went on to blow a six-run lead but still score that 12th win.

A game filled with firsts

Let’ start with the second inning; with Joey Gallo at the plate, home plate umpire Todd Tichenor called Gallo out on strike, on one of the worst calls I’ve seen recently. It was so bad the usually calm Gallo argued. Manager Boone darted from the dugout to save his slugger from getting thrown out, only to get thrown out himself. Again, the call was egregious, being clearly six inches inside in the computer graphic.

The New York Yankees, although blowing a six to nothing lead in the top of the third inning, still found a way to win the game in the ninth inning via pinch-runner Tyler Wade, who scored on an Aaron Judge single that held up. It was the first time the Yankees have won 12 games in a row since 1961. It was also the first time they won 71 games by a 1 or 2 run margin at this point of the season.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, shaky or not, Aroldis Chapman got the 300th save of his career.

Yankees blow a 6 run lead

By the top of the third inning, the New York Yankees had amassed a six-run lead going 6-0 against the Oakland Athletics. Both Giancarlo Stanton and Brett Gardner homered in the second inning. Then, in the third inning, Joey Gallo hit a three-run bomb giving the Yankees the 6 run lead.

But in the third inning starter, Jameson Taillon, who has been stellar, recently gave up back-to-back home runs. Then loaded the bases causing Taillon to be yanked after just 3.2 innings. Walks will usually bit a pitcher in the butt. Taillon got bit and then walked a run in. The usually dependable Albert Abreu came in and reloaded the bases. Starling Marte ground out to second to end the inning and get Abreu out of the jam.

Clay Holmes just off the Covid list, and Jonathan Loaisiga combined for three scoreless innings before the Yankees called in Aroldis Chapman to close it out.

Aroldis Chapman gets the job done

With the score of 6-5 at the top of the ninth inning, Giancarlo Stanton hit a single; he was replaced on the bases by the fast Tyler Wade as a pinch-runner. Wade stole second and, on an errant throw, went to third. Aaron Judge singled to center, scoring Wade for the one-run lead in what was to be the winning run. Fans in the stands and at home saw both Chad Green and Aroldis Chapman warming up. With the fan’s nerves on edge, it turned out to be Chapman who would close. Chapman has been unreliable in close games.

Andrus flew out to Gardner in center. Canha struck out. Marte singled and stole second. Finally, Olsen who had 32 home runs on the season, ground out to second, and Yankee fans could exhale. It was the Yankee’s 12th win in a row, the most since 1961.

Note: Tonight at 9:40 pm EDT, New York Yankee ace Gerrit Cole will take the mound for the Yankees and will face Sean Manaea, as the Yankees got for their 13th win in a row. The game will be televised on the YES Network and NBCSCA.