corey kluber

New York Yankees Report Card: A look at players that could be impactful in the postseason

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New York Yankees, Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres, Giancarlo Stanton

The New York Yankees have certainly had a roller coaster 2021 season. It’s actually a tale of two different teams when you look at the first half and the last half. If the Yankees don’t make the postseason, they can look back on the first half of the season as the primary reason why.

The Yankees starting pitching other than ace Gerrit Cole was average, although the bullpen was stellar in the first half. The real culprit was the Yankees’ lineup itself. Outside of Aaron Judge trying to carry the team on his back, the rest of the lineup was awol for the most part. The games were boring as the Yankees seemed just to be going through the motions. Fans looked for who to blame, as no one seemed to be able to motivate the team.

Then in two series between the Red Sox and the Phillies in late July when they won four games in a row, a new team seemed to be emerging. So much so that in August, the Yankees were the winningest team in baseball. Since then, they have put themselves in jeopardy, possibly losing a place in the playoffs. But in the past week, the Yankees may be turning things around. But yet their last two games are a microcosm of the whole season; a shut out of the Indians only to be annihilated by them the following night. So here’s a look at how some of the Yankees are playing.

Gerrit Cole: A

Without question, Gerrit Cole has been the best Yankee starting pitcher all season long. He is actually much better than his 15-7 record would suggest. His ERA or 2.75 and 224 strikeouts show that. But suffering from only 3.81 runs of support in his games, he has lost or had no-decisions in games that could have been won.

Corey Kluber: B

After not pitching for nearly two years, Corey Kluber got off to a slow start with the Yankees but gradually got better to the point he had a no-hitter.  But then Kluber went to the IL with a shoulder strain that would keep him out for three months. Since his return, he struggled. . Last night, he showed a huge improvement. He looked like an ace, pitching six full innings only allowing 4 hits in his scoreless outing.

Jordan Montgomery: B

Montgomery is not Gerrit Cole, and because of that, his lack of run support has been more impactful on his record. He has pitched better than his 5-6 record would suggest. He has a respectable 3.63 ERA with 149 strikeouts.

Nestor Cortes Jr.:  B+

Cortes Jr. has been a Godsend for the Yankees; taking over for Kluber when he was on the IL, Cortes did nothing but impress.  The Yankees have won 5 of his 8 starts since August. He has a 2.00 ERA for September.

Luis Gil: B-

The Yankee prospect Gil has been beneficial starting games that the Yankees had no one to start. In his first three starts, he was magnificent, not allowing a single run. But in his last two starts, he has stumbled. First, in a start against Toronto, he lasted only 3.1 innings giving up three runs. Then, against the Twins, he gave up 5 runs, but the Yankees won in extra innings. As Aaron Boone said, Gil may have a bright future, but right now he is not the finished product.

Chad Green: C –

Most recently, the wear and tear of a 162 game season and being overused Green has become undependable in the late going. The transition from a 60 game season to a 162 game season and being overused has been unkind to him through no fault of his own. (see Wandy Peralta).

Lucas Luetge: B

After not pitching in the bigs for nearly six years, the Yankees bet on Luetge to help the bullpen. He has done that and more. The Yankees hit gold in employing him. He has been one of the Yankees’ most dependable relievers, even finishing 13 games for them with one save. He has a .667 winning percentage.

Wandy Peralta: B+

On April 27, 2021, the Giants traded Peralta to the Yankees for outfielder Mike Tauctman. Peralta has been an asset replacing Justin Wilson and Zack Britton. He is the guy Boone goes to most frequently when Chapman fails. He has pitched in 51 games and has five saves. One has to wonder how much better he and Chad Green could have been had the Yankees not traded Luis Cessa away. Cessa was a workhorse and doing marvelously with the Reds with a 2.35 ERA in 48 games.

Aroldis Chapman: C

Aroldis Chapman has been one of the Yankee’s greatest disappointments this season, somewhat of an enigma for the Yankees. After starting the season stellar, his second half has been anything but. Fans cringe when he has to enter a close game. He has lost control of his firebrand fastball. C is not a very good rating for a supposed championship team’s closer.

Aaron Judge: A+

Aaron Judge, for the most part, has carried the team on his shoulders, he has been the best performer in the lineup all season with consistent hitting. He has a .288 batting average, is second in home runs, and leads with 85 RBIs.

Joey Gallo: A-

After being acquired before the trade deadline, Joey Gallo got off to a slow and spotty start with the Yankees. But, most recently, he has really heated up, leading the Yankees with 37 home runs. Last night he hit two home runs; it was the second time he managed the feat this month. He has 7 home runs in 13 games during September.

Giancarlo Stanton: A-

Outside of Aaron Judge, Stanton has been the most dependable hitter this season. He had a .327 average in August and .281 this month. He is third in home runs with 30 and, for a change, doesn’t lead the team in strikeouts. In addition, his excellent play in the outfield has given manager Boone more options.

Brett Gardner: B+

Gardner’s first half was disappointing, to say the least, making the Yankees wonder if resigning him was a wise decision. But his second half has been significantly better. More recently, he, as in past years, has really heated up in the postseason run. This month he has hit two multi-run homers. In addition, his baserunning and excellent defense have made him an everyday player.

Gleyber Torres: D-

Torres has been a disappointment all season long. He has never regained the power that he showed off in 2018 and 2019. But the biggest disappointment is his team-leading number of errors. The Yankees even rearranged the infield for him so he could return to second base. Unfortunately, that hasn’t worked out well either, and he has had two significant errors at second base.

Anthony Rizzo: B-

Anthony Rizzo has been hot and cold since joining the Yankees. He started gangbusters but then cooled off. He has had two home runs during September, but his biggest asset to the Yankees is his excellent defense at first base.

Gary Sanchez: C+

Gary Sanchez has had a somewhat better season than last year. Other than Gleyber Torres, Sanchez is the team’s most controversial player. Although he shows hints of greatness with the fireball arm and powerful home runs far into the stands, he also makes bone head plays, running mistakes, and passed balls. Sanchez has trouble staying focused at some critical times.

I hesitate to rate Luke Voit, mostly because he had had so many injuries that he could never regain the form he had in 2020 when he led all of baseball in home runs. Last night he hit a two-run homer in a failed effort to sustain a rally when the Yankees lost to the Indians. I also have not rated DJ LeMahieu mostly because I don’t know what to make of the second baseman that will be a Yankee for the next five years. His performance this year is certainly average but not close to what Yankee fans expected of him.

There are also several pitchers and relievers that have not been rated, mostly because their injuries have not allowed them to be impactful this season, one way or the other.

 

Yankees News: Great injury news for Luis Severino, Corey Kluber dominates in slug-fest

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corey kluber, new york yankees

The New York Yankees executed a dominant performance against the Cleveland Indians on Friday evening. It was a home run festival for the Bombers, who saw Joey Gallo hit two, Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner, and Giancarlo Stanton all go deep to tie their season-high with five home runs in a single game.

However, the most impressive performance of the evening was starting pitcher Corey Kluber, who lasted 6.0 innings, allowing just four hits and zero runs. He struck out for batters and walked two over 95 pitches, lowering his ERA to 3.68 on the season.

Great injury news for the Yankees:

There is primarily good news for the Yankees in their most recent victory over Cleveland, as Kluber displayed one of his best performances of the year aside from his no-hitter before suffering a shoulder strain several months ago. The offense was on point as well, collecting 11 hits and striking out just eight times.

Aside from the win, the Yankees are nearly ready to call up Luis Severino for the first time this year after suffering an injury setback with a groin issue a few weeks back. Severino has missed extensive time trying to re-join the team, pitching just 12 innings over the past two seasons.

“Not being able to help the team for a couple of years has been really bad,” Severino said. “I’m looking forward to joining the team. If they want me to hit, throw, catch, whatever. I don’t really care right now.”

With just a few more rehabilitation sessions left to execute, the Yankees are excited about the prospect of adding him to the rotation, especially with Domingo German still fighting his way back and inconsistencies plaguing the team at times.

“We’re not going to get him built up to start or anything like that, but I can [see Severino pitching in the Majors],” Boone said. “We’ll see what the next step is, getting him into a game in a couple of days, but I could envision him being with us pretty soon if everything goes well.”

New York Yankees 9/18: 3 Major takeaways from a powerful win over the Indians

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New York Yankees, Corey Kluber

Last night after a disappointing loss to the Baltimore Orioles and falling out of a wild-card berth, the New York Yankees entered a new series with the Cleveland Indians. The Yankees had a new urgency and a mission to get back into wild-card contention; they did that and, in a big way, shutting out the Indians 8-0. The Yankees can take away several positives in the win.

Corey Kluber returning to form?

After not pitching for nearly two years, Corey Kluber got off to a slow start with the Yankees, but gradually got better and better to the point he had a no-hitter, the Yankees first since David Cone’s perfect game 22 years ago. But then Kluber went in the IL with a shoulder strain.

Kluber ended up nursing that shoulder for three months before he returned to the team, missing half of the season. Since his return, he struggled. In his second to the last start, he showed some early improvement. Last night he showed a huge improvement. He looked like an ace, pitching six full innings only allowing 4 hits in his scoreless outing. Last night Kluber showed he could be impactful as a number two starter should the Yankees reach the postseason.

Michael King for two innings and Lucas Luetge were masterful in relief.

The nail-biting disappeared for once

The New York Yankees have been winning games all season long by just a run or two, creating nail-biting win after nail-biting, many not decided until the ninth inning or beyond. The Yankees have won 84 games this season, 72 of them by 1 or two runs.

Last night that changed in a big way; the Yankees shut out the Indians, hitting five home runs in the game; it was the second time in a week that they beat their opponent by five or more runs. This is encouraging as the Yankees are starting to look like the Bronx Bombers again. Last night the hot Brett Gardner homered. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton hit homers. However, Joey Gallo topped them by hitting two long balls. For Gallo, it was his fifth homer in as many games.

Yankees looking forward to the postseason

Last night the Yankees got back a wild card berth as they won big over the Cleveland Indians while the surging Toronto Blue Jays lost to the Minnesota Twins. This is good news but make no mistake about it; the Yankees have much more to do. The first step is getting back the home-field advantage in the wild card. To do that, they must keep winning games. With only fourteen games left in the regular season, they have to win all of their remaining series at least.

The Yankees have reasons to believe this can happen. First, they have found that ace Gerrit Cole is not injured, and the second starter in the rotation, Corey Kluber, seems to be returning to form. Although still inconsistent, there are signs that the Yankee’s powerful lineup is again becoming powerful. Also, on the pitching front, it appears that ex-ace Luis Severino will be ready to be supportive in the bullpen by the postseason. There are also pitching arms Domingo German and Clarke Schmidt who could help shore up a fatigued bullpen. Jonathan Loaisiga is still a question mark.

 

New York Yankees Recap: Bronx Bombers shut out the Indians 8-0

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joey gallo, yankees

The New York Yankees had fallen out of a walk card berth and, tonight, entered a new series, with a new urgency to get back into one of those postseason spots. Tonight the Yankees took on the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium with that goal in mind. Corey Kluber took the mound for the Yankees facing the Indians’ Zach Plesac.

In the first inning, Kluber faced Myles Straw; he flew out to Gallo in left. Brad Zimmer struck out when he couldn’t hold up. Jose Ramirez singled and immediately stole second. Franmil Reyes tapped back to Kluber to end the half. At the bottom, DJ LeMahieu led off with a single up the middle. Anthony Rizzo flew out to right. Aaron Judge singled to left, moving DJ to second base. Giancarlo Stanton hit into a 4-3-6 double play to strand two batters. No score.

Bobby Bradley led the second inning, who reached on an E3 when the hit tipped off Rizzo’s glove. Harold Ramirez flew out to Judge, and Judge fired in getting Bradley out at first. Two outs. Owen Miller flew out to center to end the half. In the bottom, Joey Gallo led off by hitting his 36th home run of the season into the second deck in right. Gleyber Torres ground out to second. Gio Urshela ground out to first. Brett Gardner ground out to third base. New York Yankees 1 Indians 0.

Leading off the third inning was Robert Perez, who singled to center field. A pitch hit Andres Gimenez. Straw with two on and no outs struck out. Zimmer flew out to Judge in right with the runners, not challenging Judge. Jose Ramirez lined out to second, assisted by Kluber to end the half. At the bottom, Kyle Higashioka led off by going down on strikes. LeMahieu popped out to second. Rizzo flew out to right to end the inning. Yankees 1 Indians 0.

Franmil Reyes led off the fourth by striking out. Bradley struck out. H. Ramirez singled up the middle. Miller popped out to Rizzo to end the half. Aaron Judge led off the bottom and homered the other way for his 35th of the season. Stanton went down on strikes. Gallo, who homered in the second, flew out to left. Torres stuck out swinging, but the Yankees picked up another run off of Judge’s home run. New York Yankees 2 Indians 0.

The fifth inning was led off by Perez, who worked a walk. Gimenez singled up the middle. Straw with two on and no outs hit into a double play with Perez moving to third. Zimmer ground out to second to end the half stranding Perez at third. Urshela led off the bottom of the fifth by singling up the middle. Gardner went down on three pitches. Higashioka gave one a ride, but it was caught at the right-centerfield wall. LeMahieu ground to first to end the inning. Yankees 2 Indians 0.

Jose Ramirez was at the plate for the sixth inning with Kluber still on the mound and walked. Reyes hit into a double play. Bradley flew out to Gallo to end the half. At the bottom, Rizzo ground out to first. Judge struck out. Stanton tipped back into the catcher’s glove, and that was it for the sixth. Yankees 2 Indians 0.

Harold Ramirez led off the seventh by facing new Yankee pitcher Michael King and went down on strikes. Miller ground out to third. Perez lined out directly to Torres at second. At the bottom, Gallo led off by singling to first. Torres walked. Urshela singled to center field, scoring Joey Gallo for the Yankee’s three run lead. With one in, two on, and no outs, Gardner hit a two-run homer to the short porch at the stadium. Higashioka struck out. LeMahieu ground out to center. Rizzo was out on a slow roller to second. New York Yankees 6 Indians 0.

The eighth inning was led off by Gimenez going down looking. Straw struck out. Zimmer flew out to Gardner, almost having a collision with Gallo. At the bottom, Judge led off by flying out to the warning track in right. Stanton homered into the left-field stands. Then Gallo had a back-to-back home run to right-center into the bullpen. Torres singled to center. Urshela, with still only one out, flew out to center. Gardner walked. Higashioka went down on strikes. New York Yankees 8 and the Cleveland Indians 0.

With the last licks on the line for the Indians in the top of the ninth, the Indian’s best player took to the plate and ground out to Urshela. Reyes flew out to Gallo in left. Yu Chang pinch-hitting for Bradley struck out to give the Yankees the shut out.

The final score was the New York Yankees 8 and the Cleveland Indians 0. The winning pitcher was Corey Kluber, and the loser was Zach Plesac.

 

 

 

New York Yankees meet the Cleveland Indians in weekend series, here’s the preview

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corey kluber, new york yankees

The New York Yankees start a three-game series with the Cleveland Indians tonight at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees, with a loss to the Orioles last night, have fallen out of a wild card berth; every game is so crucial to the Yankees while Cleveland’s postseason hopes have been dashed.

The Indians started their road trip by taking two out of three from the Twins but have lost seven of their last ten games. But that doesn’t mean the Yankees will have an easy time of it with the Indians. Jose Ramirez leads the Indians with 33 homers, and this season has gone 5 for 13 against the Yankees. Still, the Yankees lead their season play against the Indians, winning 3 of 4 games back in April.

Unfortunately for the Yankees, they are not playing as they did during their 13 game winning streak. The Yankees are 4-6 in their last ten games and are coming off a loss to the lowly Baltimore Orioles. For Giancarlo Stanton’s part, he is an Indians killer with a .308 average off of them. This series will be the second time that the Indians will face their ex-two-time Cy Young winner Kluber. In their matchup in April, Kluber struck out 11 Indians in his win. Luckily for the Yankees, they will not be facing Shane Bieber, who is out with a bad shoulder.

Tonight, September 17, 7:05 pm EDT

In the first game, the Indians will have to face their old Cy Young award winner Corey Kluber. Kluber was with the Indians for nine years, racking up a record of 98-58 and an ERA of 3.06. This will be Kluber’s fourth start since coming off the IL for a strained shoulder. Unfortunately for the Yankees, in his first three starts, he gave up 11 earned runs. However, he does have the Yankee’s only no-hitter this season. He is 4-3 with an ERA of 4.02 and 72 strikeouts.

Kluber will be facing the Indian’s Zach Plesac, who is 10-5 with an ERA of 4.45 and 88 strikeouts. The Yankees did not face Plesac when they faced them in April. He is coming off a loss to the Milwaukee Brewers when he gave up three runs over six innings. Both DJ LeMahieu and Gary Sanchez have batting averages of .333 against him in the past.

Saturday, September 18, 1:05 pm EDT

In the Saturday matinee, the Indians will face pitching sensation Luis Gil, a righty with a 1-0 record, an ERA of 2.88, and 32 strikeouts in 5 games. In his first three starts in August, he didn’t give up an earned run. But there have been a few cracks in the armor in his last two starts giving up eight runs over the two games. He is coming off a win against the Twins in his previous outing. However, none of the Indians have seen him pitch.

Gil will ace Aaron Civale, a righty that is 10-4 with an ERA of 3.76 and 85 strikeouts in 17 starts. He is coming off two losses in a row, one to Milwaukee and one against Minnesota. He also lost his game with the Yankees back in April when he gave up three runs. Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres have Civale’s number hitting .400 and .333 off of him, respectively. But don’t sell Kye Higashioka short; he has one hit off of him in 2 at-bats.

Sunday, September 19, 1:05 pm EDT

The New York Yankee ace Gerrit Cole will take the mound in the matinee game on Sunday. Cole is 15-7 with an ERA of 2.75 and 224 strikeouts, the 3rd most in baseball, but with two fewer games pitched than the two leaders.  He is coming off his 15th win of the season against the Orioles when he gave up one run in five innings of work. None of the Indians have hit well off of Cole. Jose Ramirez, in 10 at-bats, has a .200 average. Cole won his first outing over the Indians, going seven innings of 3 hit ball.

Cole will face the Indians’ Eli Morgan, a righty that is 2-7 with an elevated 6.03 ERA with 70 strikeouts. Morgan has lost his last two starts against the Brewers and Red Sox, giving up eight runs. Not a single Yankee player has seen him pitch, except in videos.

Notes: Tonight’s game will be on WPIX and its affiliates in the New York area and Bally Sports Great Lakes. Saturday will be on the YES Network in addition to Bally Sports Great Lakes and MLBN out of market. Sunday will be on the YES Network and Bally.

After this three-game series with the Indians, the Yankees will host the Minnesota Twins for a three-game series at Yankee Stadium before going on their last road trip of the season with the Red Sox at Fenway and the Blue Jays at Rogers Center.

New York Yankees: 3 Takeaways from the Yankee’s return to winning

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New York Yankees, Kyle Higashioka

It’s just one game, but last night the New York Yankees returned to their winning ways, giving glimpses of the 13 game winning streak. From July 4th to the end of August, the Yankees won more games than any baseball team. But then, unexplainably, they just as quickly returned to the team that played the first half of the season, losing 8 games and playing and pitching poorly. But last night, with new urgency, the team rose to the occasion and started what may be another winning streak. It wasn’t easy, but the Yankees pulled out an 8-7 win over their crosstown rival New York Mets.

It was a bit of a roller coaster event in a day and night that baseball, particularly in New York, remembering those lost in the 9/11 attacks on our country. There were ceremonies at Citi Field, and the players of both teams wore FDNY ball caps. In the second inning, the Yankees burst out of the doldrums scoring five runs and looking like they were going to have a laugher. But the Mets clawed back to lead at one point, but the Yankees answered with 3 runs in the eighth for a lead that would hold.

Corey Kluber continues to build for the postseason

Corey Kluber, who had been on the IL for three months, had his third start since his return. It wasn’t always pretty, but it was one more step to him returning to form that saw him pitch the Yankee’s only no-hitter this season.

Kluber went four innings striking out six Mets hitters but giving up four earned runs. However, he showed signs of better control and poise on the mound. Kluber pitched a scoreless first. After the Yankees put five runs on the board in the second. At the bottom, Kluber issued a walk to Javier Baez walked. Jeff McNeil struck out, but Baez stole second. Kevin Pillar got an RBI double driving in the lead-off walk. James McCann tripled driving in Pillar. Taijuan Walker singled, driving Pillar. Villar struck out swinging. Lindor ground out to second. New York Yankees 5 New York Mets 3. Kluber gave up another run in the third inning, a Baez homer.

Lucas Luetge, Chad Green, and Clay Holmes in relief of Kluber, all gave up a run in their inning. Albert Abreu although waking two, didn’t give up a run in the eighth. Aroldis Chapman walked one, gave up a hit, but preserved the Yankee win, getting his 26th save of the season.

The home run is again king

It is often said that when the New York Yankees homer, they win games. It certainly was true last night. Of the 8 runs scored, 7 were scored off the home run. Kyle Higashioka homered driving in two. Brett Gardner homered driving in two. Aaron Judge hit two homers in the game, scoring three.

A tail of two catchers

There are glaring differences in the Yankees’ two catchers. Last night Kyle Higashioka made some excellent plays and called a good game. He also hit a 2 run homer in the second inning. Unfortunately, this was in comparison to Gary Sanchez’s passed balls and boneheaded play at home plate. In the first game that the Yankees lost Sanchez backed off the home plate to allow a run scored instead of blocking the plate.

Higashioka often doesn’t get the praise he deserves. “Higgy” is a professional behind the plate that calls great games and seldom makes errors. He, for the most part, is Gerrit Cole and Cory Kluber’s personal catcher. But still, he doesn’t get a lot of playing time.

Those who support the idea that Sanchez is the Yankees’ catcher of the future always say that, yes, Higashioka is a good catcher, but he is not the power hitter that Sanchez is. If you look a little deeper, that is not true; the fact is that Higashioka is right up there with the best Yankee home run hitters considering at-bats this season. He has 10 long balls in 58 games. Sanchez has 21 in 101 games. Kyle’s drive-in rate is almost identical to Sanchez.  Higgy leads the AL in range factor (putouts + assist per games played).

Except for a few, catchers are notoriously poor hitters with low batting averages and don’t run the bases well. The whole point of this conversation is that Kyle Higasioka is well-focused and is a much better player than many fans would think.  He could be even better if he had more playing time.

New York Yankees Recap: Yankees get a big win in the 9th to end the skid

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New York Yankees, Aaron Judge

Tonight was the second game of a three-game set between the New York Yankees and the crosstown New York Mets. After losing seven consecutive games, the Yankees hoped to preserve their first series win with a win tonight after losing four in a row. The Yankees sent Corey Kluber to the mound to face Taijuan Walker, hoping to finally right the ship. Putting sloppy play and lack of urgency behind them, they hoped to turn a new leaf and show they still hoped for a wild card berth. It was a squeaker but the Yankees pulled off the 8-7 win.

Taijuan Walker, who was once a Yankee consideration, took to the mound against DJ LeMahieu, who had a leadoff walk. Brett Gardner flew out to center. Aaron Judge struck out swinging. Then, Giancarlo Stanton singled up the middle. Anthony Rizzo tapped back to Walker for the final out. At the bottom, Jonathan Villar against Corey Kluber struck out. Francisco Lindor flew out to Stanton in left field. Michael Conforto singled in front of Judge in right field. Pete Alonso struck out to end the inning. No score.

Gleyber Torres led off the second inning by singling to left field. Gio Urshela was retired on a line drive to first. Kyle Higashioka got a two-run homer to the left-field stands for his 10th of the season. Corey Kluber ground out to first. LeMahieu singled to right. Brett Gardner got a two-run homer to center. Aaron Judge got the third homer of the inning. Giancarlo Stanton ground out to short to end the half, but the Yankees picked up five runs. At the bottom, Javier Baez walked. Jeff McNeil struck out, but Baez stole second. Kevin Pillar got an RBI double driving in the lead-off walk. James McCann tripled driving in Pillar. Taijuan Walker singled, driving Pillar. Villar struck out swinging. Lindor ground out to second. New York Yankees 5 New York Mets 3.

The third inning was led off by Rizzo, who ground out to first. Torres struck out looking. Gio Urshela struck out to end the half. At the bottom, Conforto struck out swinging. Alonso ground out to short. Baez homered to the left-field stands. McNeil ground out to second, but the Mets got another run. New York Yankees 5 New York Mets 4.

Kyle Higashioka led off the fourth inning by striking out. Kluber struck out. LeMahieu struck out to strike out the side. At the bottom, Pillar led off by striking out swinging. McCann walked. Walker bunted and was out, but the runner moved up. Villar hit a long one, but it was coraled by Judge to end the inning. Yankees 5 Mets 4.

The fifth inning was led off by Brett Gardner, who struck out. Judge ground out, and Stanton struck out. In the bottom, Lindor, against new Yankee pitcher Lucas Luetge struck out. Conforto singled to left. Alonso flew out to Judge in right. Baez lined out to third. Yankees 5 Mets 4.

Anthony Rizzo led off the sixth inning by grounding out for the eleventh put down by Walker. Torres flew out to the right-field wall. Urshela struck out. At the bottom, Mc Neil walked, with Pillar coming up, Boone brought in Chad Green. Pillar, after a delay due to balls on the field, struck out. McCann hit a homer to left, giving the Mets the one-run lead. Dominic Smith pinch-hitting for the pitcher walked.  Villar struck out. Lindor flew out to Rizzo in foul territory. Mets 6 Yankees 5.

Higashioka led off the seventh inning and lined out to short. Tyler Wade pinch-hitting struck out upstairs. LeMahieu ground out. In remembrance of 9-11, the Mets had a moving rendition of “‘God Bless American.” At the bottom, Conforto went down against Clay Holmes. Alonso fouled one off his foot, delaying the game a bit, but then struck out. Baez singled on review. McNeil singled to left with Baez going to third. Pillar got a base hit to left driving in Baez. McCann ground out to short to end the inning, but the Mets tacked on another run. Mets 7 Yankees 5.

Brett Gardner led off the eighth by singling to center. Judge hit a two-run homer into the left-field stands to tie the game, his second long ball of the game. Stanton singled to right. Velazquez replaced Stanton as a pinch-runner. Rizzo faced the new Met’s pitcher Aaron Loup and flew out to right. Torres sent a rocket to Lindor that he couldn’t handle. Urshela was pinch-hit by Luke Voit, who singled to left on a failed double play by Baez as he airmailed one past first with Velazquez scoring. Higgy struck out, but the Yankees took the lead in the game. At the bottom, Guillaume pinch-hitting with Albert Abreu on the mound ground out to second. Villar ground out to Rizzo. Lindor walked. Conforto walked. Alonso flew out to Gardner in center to preserve the Yankee lead. New York Yankees 8 the Mets 7.

The ninth inning was led off by Tyler Wade, who ground out to second. LeMahieu ground out to second. Gardner struck out. At the bottom of the ninth Yankee closer, Aroldis Chapman came to the mound to face Javier Baez, who lined out on a Judge diving catch. JD Davis pinch-hitting for  McNeil hit a ground-rule double that bounced into the right-field stands. Pillar was out at first with a magnificent play by Higashioka. Davis went to third. McCann flew out to Judge in right field to end the Yankees slide.

The final score was the New York Yankees 8 and the New York Mets 7. The winning pitcher was Clay Holmes the loser was Trevor May. The save went to Aroldis Chapman (26).

 

 

 

 

 

New York Yankees: Yankees meet the crosstown Mets, here’s the preview

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The New York Yankees start a critical weekend series with the crosstown New York Mets tonight. The Yankees are 2-8 in their last ten games and have just been swept by the Toronto Blue Jays in a four-game embarrassing series where they only got 8 runs in the series to the Jays 25. The Mets have been playing a bit better, going 6-4 in their last ten. They are 5 games out of first place in the NL East.

For the Yankees, this weekend series will tell if they stay in wild-card contention. As of this writing, the Yankees lost their home field advantage and slipped to the number two spot in the standings. The surging Blue Jays are now just .5 games out. Also, the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics are just 2 games out. So weekend play will be very telling.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a commanding lead in the wild card standings in the National League, being 13 games ahead. The Mets are 5 games out, but with 22 games left to play, they still have a chance of getting a wild card berth. However, if they are swept by the Yankees this weekend, any hope for them is out the window. These two situations make it a must-win for both teams.

Tonight, September 10, 7:10 pm EDT

Tonight when the New Yor Mets take the field, Tylor Megill will be on the mound for the Mets. He is a lefty that is 2-4 with a 4.20 ERA and 78 strikeouts over 14 games. The 6′ 7″ 230 pounder started his season well, but the Mets have lost five of them over his last seven starts. No Yankee has ever faced Megill.

The New York Yankees will have Jordan Montgomery on the mound. “Monty” is 5-5 with a 3.47 ERA and a very respectable 131 strikeouts. Although Montgomery has pitched much better than his numbers suggest, he has gotten little run support in his games. If Franciso Lindor is in the lineup, Monty will have to be very careful with him as he has been successful off him to the tune of .571 in seven at-bats.

Tonight’s game will be on the YES Network, SNY, and MLBN out of market.

Saturday, September 11, 7:45 pm EDT

The New York Mets will send Taijuan Walker to the mound in the second game. Walker is a righty that is 7-9 with an ERA of 4.15 and 129 strikeouts. Walker, who was acquired in the offseason, has been spotty for the Mets. Unfortunately for the Mets, his last win came on July 3rd. At one point in the season he the Mets lost seven of his starts in a row. He didn’t get the win in his last start, but the Mets did. Walker gives up home runs, lots of them. In his career, Giancarlo Stanton has hit better off him than any other Yankee.

Corey Kluber will take the mound Saturday night for the Yankees. Kluber is 4-3 with a 3.69 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 12 starts. Kluber, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, had not pitched in nearly two years when he signed with the Yankees when the Yankees signed him. He got off to a slow start but eventually got better to the point that he had a no-hitter on May 19th. But after a few starts, he came down with shoulder tightness and was on the IL for 3 months. In his last two starts since coming off the IL, he has been rusty. He gave up 5 earned runs in his last outing against the Angels. This game will be on the FOX Network.

Sunday, September 12, 8:08 pm EDT

Sunday evening, the Mets will have Carlos Carrasco on the mound. He is a righty with a 1-2 record and an elevated ERA of 5.88 with 32 strikeouts. The Mets acquired Carrasco in the offseason, but due to a hamstring injury, he didn’t pitch the first game until July 30th and only got his first win of the season this past Tuesday off of the Marlins. Rizzo, Gallo, and Odor have been every successful off him, all hitting over .300. Rizzo, in 4 at-bats, has three hits off him.

As of this writing, the New York Yankees have no idea or are not saying who will pitch Sunday night’s game. The normal rotation would have Jameson Taillon on the mound, but he is on the IL. After that, it could be Gerrit Cole if his hamstring issue is resolved. After that, if the Yankees trust Andrew Heaney, it could be him. But more likely, it will turn out to be a bullpen game. Sunday’s game will be on ESPN.

 

New York Yankees: 4 takeaways from a game and series they should have won

by
andrew heaney, yankees

The New York Yankees are in a race to the postseason; with time running out, the Yankees are going in the wrong direction. And yesterday was strong evidence of that. Gary Sanchez knocked in a season-high 6 RBIs, but the Yankees couldn’t pull out a win as they lost their second series in a row. What was so damaging about this series loss is that it was against the worst team in baseball.

What makes this so discouraging is the Yankees against the team with the worst pitching ERA; the Yankees could only muster up 16 hits across the 3 games. By comparison, the Tampa Bay Rays swept the O’s in their last meeting, and the Boston Red Sox outscored them 30-5. Over the last ten days, both the Rays and the Sox have winning records; the Yankees have a losing record making it almost a mathematical impossibility to win the East and putting their place in the wild card standing in jeopardy.

Kluber is still not where he needs to be

Corey Kluber had his second start after coming off the IL yesterday, and it wasn’t real pretty. Like his first start, he was hit often and couldn’t find that pitch to get hitters out. He gave up two runs and walked three in 3.2 innings. This is not totally unexpected after not pitching for nearly two years and more recently for the last three months. Nevertheless, the Yankees have to build up Kluber if they wish to have him available for the postseason.

After acquiring the 2 times Cy Young Award-winning pitcher in the offseason, Kluber got off to a slow start with the Yankees but eventually got much better even pitching the Yankees only no-hitter this season, their first in the last 22 years. The Yankees hope by the end of this month he will return to form.

Oh no, Heaney instead of Green

Yesterday morning I commented on Aaron Boone’s Friday night decision not to bring Clay Holmes back in to pitch the seventh inning after throwing only 18 pitches and striking out all four hitters he faced. Instead, he brought in Wandy Peralta, who allowed two runs and a loss in the game.

Yesterday Boone committed an even more egregious decision, bringing in Andrew Heaney in the seventh inning with the Yankees 7-4. Heaney has been nothing but undependable, and there is no way he earned the trust to be put in that situation. His ERA during August was 6.43. He only recorded one out, giving up four runs and the Yankee lead. He took the loss in the game. Boone, who finally used Chad Green in the eighth and ninth, proved my point by not allowing a hit. But Heaney’s damage was already done, causing them to lose the game and the series. Mr. Boone, you make decisions on the situation, not the inning.

Same ole Gleyber Torres

With the exciting energic play and superb defense of Andrew Velazquez, many New York Yankee fans weren’t all that happy to see Gleyber Torres return off the IL. Torres has been criticized for his less than energetic defense at short. Yesterday, that criticism came front and center when Gutierrez beat out Torres’s double-clutch throw for a single in the sixth inning. Mullins homered to right-center driving in two runs, making Torres’s bad throw even more egregious.

Gutierrez should have been thrown out; it would have been the third out of the inning, and Mullins wouldn’t have followed with two runs that may have cost the Yankees the game. All season long, coaches had been telling Torres that he has to charge the ball. Not only did he not do that, he actually took a step back then double-clutched the ball before tossing it to Rizzo, but it arrived late as Gutierrez just was safe. At least Torres took responsibility in an after-game interview, unfortunately, the Yankees cant’ afford excuses in a postseason run.

Wow, Mr. Sanchez

One of the Yankees’ most controversial players, Gary Sanchez, has been criticized for just about everything, from lack of hustle to far too many passed balls and striking out too often. In the shortened 2020 season, the catcher has a disastrous season hitting only .147. However, 2021 has been kinder to Sanchez; he is hitting .216 with 20 home runs.

Yesterday for at least one day, he was the Yankees’ MVP, bathing in the adulation of Yankee fans at Yankee Stadium. Sanchez, in the second inning with the bases, loaded hit a Grand Slam. Sanchez was not done. Gary Sanchez faced the new Orioles pitcher Marcos Diplan in the sixth inning and got his second homer of the game, a two-run shot. Unfortunately for Sanchez, his 6 RBIs on the day weren’t enough to save the Yankees from losing the game and the series.

 

New York Yankees Recap: Gary Sanchez’s six RBIs couldn’t save the Yankees from another loss

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Today was the rubber game between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees won the first game in the 11th inning and lost yesterday’s game 4-3. To come away with the series win, the Yankees sent Corey Kluber to the mound to face the Orioles’ Keegan Akin. Being only a half a game ahead of the Red Sox for the first spot of the wild card, the Yankees really needed the win. Unfortunately, Gary Sanchez’s six RBIs couldn’t save the Yankees from an 8-7 loss.

To start, the first Kluber faced Cedrick Mullins, who worked a walk. Mullins stole second and, on a bad throw by Sanchez, advanced to third. Anthony Santander went down on strikes. Trey Mancini struck out swinging. DJ Stewart struck out; that was three strikeouts in the inning for Kluber. At the bottom, DJ LeMahieu faced Akin and singled to center. Joey Gallo struck out looking. Aaron Judge struck out swinging. Giancarlo Stanton struck out. No score.

The top of the second inning was led off by Austin Hays, who solo homered to right-center. Ramon Urias worked a walk. Pedro Severino struck out as Kluber got a strike em out throw em out. Jorge Mateo struck out to end the half. Anthony Rizzo led off the bottom by grounding out to second. Luke Voit walked. Gleyber Torres got a base hit to left, moving Voit to second. Rougie Odor was hit by a pitch loading the bases. Gary Sanchez, with the bases loaded and one out, hit a Grand Slam. LeMahieu flew out to center. Gallo walked. Aaron Judge ended the inning by striking out. New York Yankees 4 Orioles 1.

Kelvin Gutierrez led off the third by chopping to third. Mullins singled to right. Santander popped out to short. Mancini walked, moving Mullins to second. Stewart flew out to Judge in right to stand two. At the bottom, Stanton led off by who flew out to center. Rizzo ground out to second. Voit tapped back to pitcher Akin. New York Yankees 4 Orioles 1.

The fourth inning was led off by Hays, who flew out to Judge in center. Urias singled to right. Severino doubled down the left-field line, moving Urias to third. Mateo flew out to Gallo, but Urias scored on the throw, with Severino holding at second. Gutierrez was hit by a pitch ending Kluber’s day. Mullins faced the new Yankee pitcher Joely Rodriguez and went down on strikes leaving two on base. In the bottom, Torres went down on strikes. Odor ground out to second. Sanchez flew out to center to end the inning. Yankees 4 Orioles 2.

Anthony Santander led off the fifth by flying out to Gallo in left. Mancini walked. Stewart walked, ending J-Rods day. Manager Boone argued with the home plate umpire and was thrown out of the game. Hays faced the new Yankee pitcher Albert Abreu and ground out with the runners moving up. With a man on second and third and two outs, Urias ground out to first, with Abreu making the assist. LeMahieu led off the bottom against new pitcher Conner Greene by working a walk. Gallo walked. Judge flew out to center. Stanton went down on strikes. Rizzo faced the new O’s pitcher Fernando Abad and singled, driving in LeMahieu. Voit flew out to right to end the inning. New York Yankees 5 Orioles 2.

The sixth inning was led off by Severino, who struck out. Mateo popped out to Rizzo at first. Gutierrez beat out Torres’s double-clutch throw for a single. Mullins homered to right-center driving in two runs, making Torres’s bad throw even most egregious. Santander hit a long one, but Stanton made a long run and diving catch to end the half. Torres led off the bottom by singling to center. Torres went to second on a wild pitch. Odor flew out to left field. Gary Sanchez faced the new Orioles pitcher Marcos Diplan and got his second homer of the game, a two-run shot. LeMahieu flew out to center. Gallo popped out to end the inning. New York Yankees 7 Orioles 4.

Mancini led the seventh inning, who faced new pitcher Andrew Heaney and got hit by a pitch. Stewart singled to left. Hays, with two on and one out, singled, loading the bases. Jahmai Jones, as the go-ahead run, singled, driving in two runs and bringing the O’s within one. Severino popped out for the first out of the inning. With two on and one out, Mateo got a bloop single, tying up the game at 7. Gutierrez faced new Yankee pitcher Wandy Peralta and singled to give the O’s the lead in the game. Mullins, still with only one out, popped out. Santander flew out to left to finally end the half.

At the bottom of the seventh, with the game tied at 7, Aaron Judge walked to the plate and flew out to the warning track in right. Stanton worked a walk. Rizzo faced new O’s pitcher Tanner Scott and walked. Voit with two on and one out went down on strikes. Torres ground out to end the inning. Baltimore Orioles 8 New York Yankees 7.

The eighth inning was led off by Mancini, who against the new Yankee pitcher Chad Green and flew out to Stanton at the right-field wall. Stewart went down on strikes. Hays struck out to end the half as Green put down the O’s in order. At the bottom, Odor lined a rocket for an out in right. Sanchez ground out to second. LeMahieu reached on a ball off the pitcher. Gallo went down on strikes. Orioles 8 Yankees 7.

Leading off the ninth inning was Jones, who struck out against Green. Severino lined out right at Urshela at third. Mateo popped out to catcher Sanchez to end the half. With last licks on the line for the Yankees in the bottom, Aaron Judge came to the plate facing new O’s pitcher Tyler Wells and flew out to far-right. Stanton popped out to second. Rizzo flew out to left to end the game.

The final score was the Baltimore Orioles 8 and the New York Yankees 7. The winning pitcher was Marco Diplan, the loser was Andrew Heaney, and the save went to Tyler Wells.