gerrit cole

New York Yankees 9/20: 3 Major takeaways from the Yankees’ 11 run bashing

by
New York Yankees, Gio Urshela

After the New York Yankees blew out the Indians with a shutout in the first game, and an embarrassing loss in the second game hoped to at least salvage a game to take the series in the rubber game. Instead, the Yankees played a sloppy game resulting in another 11 run bashing.

Ace Cole bombs out big time

The last thing any New York Yankee fan would have thought going into yesterday’s matinee was that Yankee ace Gerrit Cole would give up seven runs and lose the game for the Yankees. After a disastrous loss on Saturday, Yankees fans were looking to exhale and watch their ace cruise to a win of both the game and the series with the Cleveland Indians, but the exact opposite happened.

Yankee fans woke up Sunday morning bright and cheery as they would watch a game against the poor hitting Cleveland team with their ace on the mound facing a rookie pitcher with an ERA over 6. Unfortunately, that cheery feeling disappeared pretty quickly in the first inning when Cole, right off the bat gave up two runs in the first inning. He hit the first batter he faced; that should have been telling for what was about to unravel the Yankees into a shameful 11-1 loss.

In an after-game interview, Cole seemed to indicate that he thought he didn’t have that bad of a game but was unlucky. However, he did admit that he had trouble finding that put-out pitch. To anyone watching Cole pitch, it was evident that Cole didn’t have control of his pitches. In the end, Cole only went 5.2 innings using 98 pitches, ten of which were hits and giving up 7 runs. Cole, when he is on, gets better and better as the game progresses. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen yesterday; Perez knocked him out of the game when he homered off Cole in the sixth inning.

Where have all the hitters gone?

In the first game of the Cleveland series, the New York Yankees looked like the Bronx Bombers of old, hitting five home runs in the game and getting 11 hits while leaving only one player in scoring position. It was a game that the Yankees shut out the Indians. But in game two, a different team arrived on the field. The Yankees could only bring 3 runs across home plate, and the Yankee pitching failed miserably, with Luis Gil, Albert Abreu, and Andrew Heaney giving up 11 runs between the trio. Gil was rewarded by being demoted to the Rail Riders.

Yesterday, against a mediocre rookie pitcher at best, the Yankees could only plate one home run by Gio Urshela. The Yankees had 8 hits but couldn’t generate them into runs. The Yankees could only score one run against a crummy pitcher. The Yankees showed no urgency in winning as they played sloppy baseball, scoring more errors than runs.

Yankees need to thank the Red Sox, the Wild-Card story

The Yankees are holding on to dear life the hope of reaching the postseason, not winning the division but securing a wild card spot. For ten games, the Yankees held on to home-field advantage securing the number one spot. But then they started to play 5-5 baseball as the Red Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays surged. Many fans don’t realize that the only reason the Yankees have any chance of a wild card berth is because of the Red Sox collapse during August when they went 7-20.

Right now, the Yankees are 1.5 games out of a berth, looking in at the Toronto Blue Jays and the leading Boston Red Sox. Even more unnerving is that the Oakland Athletics are just one game away from taking the Yankees position. During a soft period in the Yankee schedule, they have only gone 5-5, when they should have dominated. The Yankees have just one more chance of dominating, and that starts today over the Texas Rangers, another team under .500 (.369).

It is a near must for the New York Yankees to sweep the Rangers. After that, they face teams that are ahead of them. They play three against the Boston Red Sox and three against the Toronto Blue Jays, all six away. Then the best the Yankees can hope for is to return to Yankee Stadium for the last three games of the season against the Tampa Bay Rays still in contention.

Last night after the embarrassing second loss to the Indians, manager Aaron Boone who has spent the entire season boasted about the Yankees’ potential, uttered the truest words to come from his mouth.

“We’ve got to get better in a hurry. Period.”

New York Yankees Recap: Gerrit Cole bombs, Yankees lose again to the Indians

by
Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees

The New York Yankees continued their roller-coaster season today at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees shamed the Cleveland Indians in game one of the series by shutting them out 8-0, only to be shamed in game two with an 11-3 loss. Today was the rubber game of the three-game series with ace Gerrit Cole on the mound for the Yankees and Eli Morgan for the Indians. This was a must-win game for the Yankees, as with yesterday’s loss, they slipped out of a wild card berth. In a complete shock, Cole gave up 7 runs, and the Yankees lost 11-1.

Cole faced Brad Zimmer leading off in the first inning. Zimmer didn’t get a chance to hit the ball as a pitch hit him. The game was delayed as he tried to walk it off. Oscar Mercado struck out swinging. Jose Ramirez walked. With two on and one out, Bobby Bradley singled, loading the bases for Harold Ramirez, who singled past a diving Rizzo scoring two runs. Yu Chang with men on the corners and still only one out hit into a double play, getting Cole out of further trouble.

DJ LeMahieu led off in the bottom of the first against Eli Morgan and struck out. Anthony Rizzo flew out to right. Aaron Judge ground out to short. Cleveland Indians 2 Yankees 0.

The second inning was led off by Roberto Perez, who ground out softly to second. Andres Gimenez struck out. Ernie Clement flew out to Stanton in right. At the bottom, Giancarlo Stanton went down swinging. Luke Voit ground out to short. Gleyber Torres hit a double off the center-field wall. Brett Gardner ground back to the pitcher to end the inning. Indians 2 Yankees 0.

It was the top of the lineup for the Indians in the third. Zimmer singled up the middle. Mercado flew out to Judge in center. Ramirez singled to center, moving Zimmer to second. Bradley struck out. H. Ramirez singled to the left-center. Gardner and Judge converged, and neither caught the ball, scoring another two runs for the Indians. Chang singled up the middle, moving H Ramirez to third. Perez, with men on the corners and two outs singled, bring in another Indian’s run. Gimenez ground out to second, but the Indian tacked on three more runs.

At the bottom of the third, Gio Urshela led off and homered into the centerfield wall, with Ramirez crashing into the wall; following a delay, it was determined that he couldn’t throw and was taking out of the game. Higashioka gave one a ride to the warning track in center for out number one. LeMahieu got a base hit to left. Rizzo singled to right, with DJ moving to second. Judge with two on and only one out flew out to center. Stanton flew out to the warning track in right-center. Cleveland Indians 5 Yankees 1.

The fourth inning was led off by Clement, who ground out to left. Zimmer stuck out, and Mercado ground out to third. At the bottom, Voit flew out to the center. Torres flew out to right. Gardner flew out to left for the first quick inning of the game. Indians 5 Yankees 1.

Jose Ramirez led off the fifth inning with his 35th home run of the season into the second deck at Yankee Stadium. Bradley struck out swinging. Myles Straw hitting for Ramirez that was taken out of the game, singled to center. Yu Chang at the base, Straw was caught off first for the second out, and Chang struck out. At the bottom, Urshela singled up the middle. Higashioka hit into 4-6-3 double play. LeMahieu flew out to left. Indians 6 Yankees 1.

The sixth inning Yankee crowd was stunned when Gerrit Cole gave up his seventh run to Perez, a homer into the left-field bullpen. Gimenez struck out. Clement lined out to left. Cole was taken out of the game to boos from the Yankee faithful. Zimmer faced the new Yankee pitcher Lucas Luetge and ground out to first. At the bottom, with Morgan still in the game, Rizzo singled to left. Judge struck out. Stanton ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. Indians 7 Yankees 1.

Oscar Mercado led off the seventh inning by grounding out to short. Ramirez singled to left. Bradley struck out. Myles Straw reached on an E5, with Ramirez moving to second. Chang singled, driving in Ramirez as the Indians tack on another run. Perez stuck out. In the bottom, Luke Voit struck out against new pitcher Trevor Stephan. Torres went down on strikes. Gardner also stuck out. Indians 8 New York Yankees 1.

The eighth inning was led off by Gimenez, who singled to left off new Yankee pitcher Clarke Schmidt. Clement walked. Zimmer singled, both runners moved up on a passed ball by Higashioka. Mercado walked. Ramirez came to the plate with the bases loaded and only one out and singled out to right, allowing two more runs to score. Bradley struck out, and Straw struck out, but the Indians picked up another two runs. At the bottom, Urshela flew out to right. Higashioka doubled to right. LeMahieu singled into right field. Rizzo struck out. Judge with two on and two outs struck out, stranding two. Indians 10 Yankees 1.

At the top of the ninth, Chang singled to left. Perez struck out. Chang moved to second on a passed ball. Gimenez singled with Chang moving to third. Gimenez beat out Schmidt to the base. Clement reached on an E3 sloppy play by Rizzo as another Indian run scored. Zimmer ground out. Mercado ground into a force out. Stanton came to the plate and struck out at the bottom, with last licks on the line for the Yankees. Voit struck out. Torres also struck out to end the game.

The final score was the Cleveland Indians 11 and the New York Yankees 1. The winning pitcher was Eli Morgan, and the loser was Gerrit Cole.

 

 

 

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

by
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.

 

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

by
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 Major takeaways from Yankees powerhouse win over the Orioles

by
New York Yankees, Michael King

The New York Yankees entered last night’s game with the Baltimore Orioles with an urgency to win over a team they should win over. The Yankees have a relatively easy next 9 games with the O’s, the Indians, and the Rangers. These are all games the Yankees should win before facing a difficult end of the season against the Red Sox, Jays, and Rays. They need to at least win these 3 upcoming series to stay in contention for a wild-card berth. Last night they took the first step toward that goal by besting the Orioles 7-2.

Gerrit Cole wasn’t great, but it didn’t matter

New York Yankee ace Gerrit Cole’s night did not start well. Cole had the luxury of first stepping to the mound with a two-run lead, but he almost blew it. Cedrick Mullins faced Cole and doubled to the left-field wall. Ryan Mountcastle popped out to first. Anthony Santander ground out, but Mullins advanced. Trey Mancini, with two outs and a man on third, walked. Austin Hays walked to load the bases. Ramon Urias struck out to get Cole out of a bases-loaded jam. New York Yankees 2 Orioles 0.

It was evident from the start that Cole did not have his best stuff working. After the first inning, Cole was pretty much what a Yankee ace is supposed to be. Cole managed five innings of shaky ball, giving up just one run, walking three while striking out seven Oriole’s batters. He lowered his ERA and got the win in the game. The only thing he didn’t accomplish was helping out the bullpen by going deep into the game. He had 108 pitches, 62 for strikes in his 5 innings of work.

The real Yankee pitching hero of the night was Michael King. With Cole only going 5 innings, it might have taken four or five relievers from an already overworked bullpen to close out the game. But King came in and pitched a brilliant three innings in relief, not allowing a single hit. Some might question why Aaron Boone did not allow King to close out the game as he was a stretched-out reliever with only 47 pitches. Boone brought in Sal Romano, who only lasted one out, giving up a run on two hits, requiring Boone to bring in Aroldis Chapman to close out the game.

Home runs power the Yankees

1-2-3-4-5, count ’em five home runs power the Yankees to a win in the first game of a 3 game set against the Baltimore Orioles. Aaron Judge started the power assault with a two-run homer in the first inning, driving in DJ LeMahieu. The third inning was devastating for Orioles’ starter Alexander Wells. Giancarlo Stanton stepped to the mound and crushed one into the left-field stands, scoring another two runs. To add insult to injury, Luke Voit then got a solo back-to-back shot, putting Wells into a five-run hole.

But the New York Yankees were not done. In the eighth inning, Joey Gallo got his 34th homer of the season. Finally, in the top of the ninth, DJ LeMahieu deposited a long ball into the left-field stands for his 10th homer of the season and giving the Yankees nine players with double-digit home runs.

Torres moved, but the same result

The New York Yankees rearranged the entire infield for one player, Gleyber Torres. The main reason was to relieve stress on Torres that they thought his excessive errors at short might be affecting his poor hitting behind the plate. Manager Boone even announced that the change would be for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, the experiment didn’t work. Torres possibly made his worst performance error at his new position when he bobbled an easy double-play ball.

Torres’s move to second also meant that Gold Glover DJ LeMahieu was moved off of second base to the hot corner. That move caused stellar third baseman Gio Urshela to move to shortstop. Both of these players proved earlier that they could handle their new positions. In the remaining days of the season, we will have to see how this experiment works out, but it didn’t look good for Torres last night.

Notes: Sal Romano earlier yesterday was awarded a Major League contract from the Yankees. The contract was worth $583K after earning just $47K in 2020. Luckily for the Yankees, the contract is for only one year. Last night on the first night of that contract Boone called him out to close the game, he pitched horribly lasting only 1/3 of an inning, requiring Chapman to close out the game.

Tonight the Yankees will face off with the Orioles in game two at Camden Yards. Nestor Cortes Jr. will be on the mound for the Yankees and John Means for the Orioles. The 7:05 pm EDT game will be televised on the YES Network and MASN.

New York Yankees Recap: Homers are king as Yankees win over the Orioles

by
New York Yankees, Aaron Judge

The New York Yankees entered a three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles tonight at Camden Yards in Baltimore. After a win against the Minnesota Twins last night, the Yankees hoped to continue with another win tonight. The Yankees had a dramatic come-from-behind win, and that same energy was hoped to propel them to another winning streak against the Orioles, who will lose at least 110 games this season. Gerrit Cole was on the mound for the Yankees and Alexander Wells for the Orioles. The Yankees homered their way to a 7-2 win over the Orioles.

DJ LeMahieu led off the first with Wells on the mound and singled to left. Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer for his 34th of the year. Anthoney Rizzo singled to center. Giancarlo Stanton struck out swinging. Luke Voit lined out to short. Joey Gallo flew out to left, but the Yankees picked up two runs in the half. At the bottom, Cedrick Mullins faced Cole and doubled to the left-field wall. Ryan Mountcastle popped out to first. Anthony Santander ground out, but Mullins advanced. Trey Mancini, with two outs and a man on third, walked. Austin Hays walked to load the bases. Ramon Urias struck out to get Cole out of a bases-loaded jam. New York Yankees 2 Orioles 0.

At the top of the second inning, Gleyber Torres stuck out. Gio Urshela singled to right. Gary Sanchez flew out to right-center. Higashioka ground out to second. LeMahieu flew out to Mullins. At the bottom, Pedro Severino ground out. Pat Valaika ground out. The bottom was scoreless off of Cole. New York Yankees 2 Orioles 0.

In the third inning, Stanton, with one on, hit a two-run homer to left. Luke Voit followed him with a homer of his own, a solo shot for his 10th of the season. At the bottom, the Baltimore Orioles remained scoreless. New York Yankees 5 Orioles 0.

The Yankees had a scoreless fourth inning. DJ Stewart ground out to lead off the fourth inning. Austin Hays stuck out. Urias singled to Stanton in left field. Urias struck out. Pedro Severino ground out to end the inning. New York Yankees 5 Orioles 0.

Stanton, against new pitcher Erick Handhold in the fifth inning, singled up the middle. Voit ground out for a double play to left. . Joey Gallo ground out to center. Cole at the bottom faced Valaika, who got a single in front of Stanton in left. Gutierrez popped out to center. Mullins went down swinging. Mountcastle doubled down the left-field line to drive in Valaika, getting the Baltimore Orioles on the scoreboard. Santander walked on Cole’s 103rdd pitch. Stewart, with two on and two outs, stuck out to end the inning. New York Yankees 5 Orioles 1.

The sixth inning was led off by Gleyber Torres, who ground out to short. Urshela singled up the middle. Higashioka singled to right field. LeMahieu hit into a double play to end the half. Austin Hays led off the bottom against new Yankee pitcher Michael King and walked. Urias singled. Hay made second on a double bobble from Torres and Urshela. With two on and no outs, Severino hit into the double play with Hays moving to third. Valaika flew out to Stanton in left to keep the Orioles scoreless in the sixth. Yankees, 5 Orioles 1.

Aaron Judge led off the seventh inning by walking. Rizzo hit into a double play. Stanton walked. Brett Gardner was brought in to pinch-run for Stanton. Voit struck out on the 10th pitch at-bat. At the bottom, Gutierrez flew out to Gardner in left. Mullins lined out directly to Judge. Mountcastle went down swinging. Yankees 5 Orioles 1.

The eighth inning was led off by Joey Gallo, who homered to right-center. Torres gound out. Urshela flew out to right field. Higashioka flew out to left field to end the half. Anthony Santander led off the bottom by flying out to a running Aaron Judge in right. Stewart flew out to Gardner in left field. Hays struck out looking for a 1-2-3 inning for Michael King. Yankees 6 Orioles 1.

DJ LeMahieu led off the ninth inning for the Yankees and homered into the left-field stands. Judge ground out to third. Rizzo singled up the middle. After taking over for Stanton at left, Brett Gardner flew out to the warning track at center in his first at-bat. Voit flew out to right-center to end the half, but the Yankees picked up another run. At the bottom, with the last licks on the line, Urias facing Sal Romano foul tipped into Higashioka’s glove. Austin Wynns singled to right. Valaika walked. Gutierrez singled off Romano’s bare hand with two on and one out as Wynns scored, knocking Romano out of the game with an injured finger. Aroldis Chapman came in to face Mullins with one out and two on; he struck out. A wild pitch advanced the runners. Mountcastle struck out swinging.

The final score was the New York Yankees 7 and the Baltimore Orioles 6. The winning pitcher was Gerrit Cole, and the loser was Alexander Wells.

 

 

 

 

 

New York Yankees: Yankees travel to Camden Yards, here is the preview

by
Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees

Yesterday the New York Yankees got a big win in a makeup game with the Minnesota Twins. It was hoped that the dramatic come from behind walk-off win would propel them into another winning streak where they would again win series and maintain their wild-card berth. Today at Camden Yards, they will start a three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles.

This is a series that the Yankees should sweep, except that they haven’t played particularly well against them this season, even though the Orioles will lose at nearly 110 games.  The Yankees are 9-4 off the Orioles this season, not sweeping a single series.

Tonight, September 14, 7:05 pm EDT

Tonight the Orioles will send lefty Alexander Wells to face Yankee ace, Gerrit Cole.  Wells is 1-2 with an elevated 7.15 ERA and 17 strikeouts in seven games. This is his fifth start of the season. He has gone into the sixth inning in only one of those starts. He is coming off a September 7th win over the Kansas City Royals when he gave up 2 earned runs in four innings of work.  Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton, and DJ LeMahieu all have a .500 batting average off him in two at-bats.

Wells will face Gerrit Cole in his first start since pulling himself from a game against the Toronto Blue Jays with left hamstring tightness. Cole is 14-7 with an ERA of 2.78 and an incredible 217 strikeouts. Only Zack Wheller has more at 125. Cole is tied for the 3rd most wins in all of baseball. The Oriole players have not hit well off of Cole; only Ryan Mountcastle has a .250 average off him in 8 at-bats.

Wednesday, September 15, 7:05 pm EDT

Wednesday is Roberto Clemente Day across baseball. The evening game will be started by the Orioles’ John Means. The lefty Means is considered the Orioles ace. He is 5-7 with an ERA of 3.42 and 114 strikeouts in 22 starts. He got no-decisions in both of his games against the Yankees this season. He is coming off his seventh loss of the season against the Kansas City Royals. Both Brett Gardner and Gio Urshela have been particularly successful off of Wells. They both have a .429 average off him in seven at-bats.

The New York Yankees, as of this writing, have not announced a starter for this game. However, it will most likely be Jordan Montgomery or Nestor Cortes Jr.

Thursday, September 16, 5:05 pm EDT

Chris Ellis will start Thursday afternoon’s game for the Orioles. The righty is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 18 strikeouts in five games. The Orioles won his only start against the Yankees on September 5th. Ellis started his season with the Tampa Bay Rays. His only win of the season was while with the Rays. Several Yankees have never faced Ellis, but Aaron Judge has hit .500 off of him.

The Yankees have also not announced a starter for this game, but it will likely be whoever doesn’t start Wednesday’s game. All three of these games will be televised on the YES Network and MASN in Baltimore.

When the Yankees complete this series, they will return to Yankee Stadium for a three-game series with the Cleveland Indians. That will be followed by a three-game series with the Texas Rangers before going on the road to play the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays. Then, finally, they will end the season back at Yankee Stadium for a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays.

 

New York Yankees: Who could have predicted this Yankee season? A look at one writer’s predictions

by
New York Yankees, Clint Frazier

Every year before the season starts, I make my predictions on what the New York Yankees season might look like, who will star, and who will bomb. Last year I bombed out several times but still had a 50% winning percentage. This year’s predictions were made on March 30, 2021, when things looked risky but pretty rosy for the upcoming season.

Most analysts make their predictions and then forget they ever made them unless they are right on, in the category of “I told you so.” I have always published mine, good or bad. I don’t think anyone could have predicted the roller-coast season the New York Yankees have had. So let’s take a look at how I did with only weeks left to the season.

1. Gerrit Cole will not perform as expected!

After winning 20 games in 2019 and 7 in a shortened 2020 season, most would have suggested he would win 20-21 games this season. But, unfortunately, he won’t come close to that—my prediction score A.

2. DJ LeMahieu will be good, but not as good!

At the very beginning of the season, LeMahieu signed a lucrative six-year contract. Although he is a good hitter and defender, no one would have predicted he would drop his average by 100 points in his next year—prediction score B.

3. Clint Frazier will shine in his first full season!

Boy, was I wrong on this one. Frazier has played in only 66 games due to poor play and injuries. Prediction score F.

4. Aaron Judge will have an injury-free season

I predicted he would play in 135 or more games. I nailed this one; as of today, he has played 127 games, and has been the Yankee’s best performer—prediction score A+.

5. Gleyber Torres will lead the Yankees in home runs

This is another one I bombed on; he may end up with the least home runs of the regular lineup. Prediction score F.

6. Domingo German will be the winningest pitcher

This one could have gone either way; with Injuries, we will never know. After returning to the team, he had a roller-coaster season. Prediction score C.

7. Jonathan Loaisiga will be the Yankees’ best reliever

I was on track with this one. He definitely has been our best reliever before going on the IL with Rotator Cuff problems. Prediction score A.

8. Gary Sanchez will prove the Yankees wrong

I predicted the Yankee’s faith in him was for naught. He has hit better and has been somewhat better behind the plate. But also has had far too many bone-headed mistakes a veteran shouldn’t have. Prediction score C.

9. Yankees will win 108 games

After an abysmal start of the season, the Yankees went on to have a 13 game winning streak and also, for 6 weeks, won more games than any other team. But then, as of today, they own a 7 game losing streak. The Yankees will be lucky to fall only 20 games short of my prediction. Prediction score F.

10. The Yankees will win their 28th World Championship

I still can’t answer this, although it looks improbable with the way they are recently playing. If they get to the wild card and win it, it’s baseball; anything can happen. Prediction score withheld. We will retake a look at these predictions after the season is complete.

At the beginning of the season, I thought that Aroldis Chapman would fail as the Yankee closer because of having made so many nail-biting losses at critical times in recent seasons, but I didn’t make that prediction I should have.

 

New York Yankees Breaking News: Jameson Taillon had been added to the IL

by
New York Yankees, Jameson Taillon

There appears to be no end to the bad breaks for the New York Yankees. Today the Yankees put starting pitcher Jameson Taillon on the 10 day IL due to a right ankle injury as reported by YES Network commentator/reporter Meredith Marakovits and CBS Sports.

This is the second bad starting pitching news for the Yankees this week. First, Gerrit Cole removed himself from a game against the Blue Jays when he felt left hamstring tightness. No MRI has been scheduled as of today for Cole. So his next start is in question.

After a slow start of the season, Taillon has turned out to be one of the Yankees’ most reliable starters. He is 8-6 with an ERA of 4.41. The Yankees have won 8 of his last 10 starts. This is quite unexpected as his last start against the Blue Jays was a quality one. It may have to do with a dive he made in the game. As more information becomes available, you will find it on EmpireSportsMedia.com.

New York Yankees: Mayday, Mayday, who’s coming to the rescue?

by
New York Yankees, Luis Severino

The New York Yankees, after losing 5 consecutive games, would normally be looking for reinforcements. However, those are limited by the 28 man roster rule. Normally in September, the Yankees and other teams can expand their rosters to 40 players, but that is not the case this season.

The Yankees could surely use some help to shake up the lineup and reenergize the very worn-out bullpen, but the sad fact is that no one will be coming to the rescue. Here are the latest injury updates and who will make it back to the team in time to be helpful.

James Taillon has today been placed on the 10 day IL because of a right ankle tendon injury. As this is breaking news no further information is available at this time

Aaron Hicks is a goner, out for the season with his wrist surgery.

Darren O’Day is another Yankee that won’t be returning due to his slow-healing hamstring injury.

Tim Locastro’s bad knee injury will prevent him from returning.

Miguel Andujar could return to the team after his wrist injury as early as next week, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Clint Frazier might return by the end of the season, but his vision and vertigo problems seem to be persisting.

Zack Britton is gone for the season as three specialists have said he shouldn’t pitch for the rest of the season. If he elects to have Tommy John surgery for his elbow, he could be out until 2023, when he will be a free agent again.

Luis Severino was supposed to be back to the team in late August or early September, but that has not happened; he has just started throwing off the mound again after his second setback. If he comes back, it will likely only be in a reliever role.

Jonathan Loáisiga was placed on the 10-day injured list on Sunday morning with a rotator cuff strain. This was a huge loss to the Yankee bullpen. It is not likely he will return until the last week of the season, if at all. Rotator cuff strains can take a long time to heal.

Domingo German is in a similar situation as Severino; if he returns, it will likely only be as a reliever. Geman has been suffering from shoulder problems.

Michael King and his finger problem may be one of the Yankees that may return to the team in time to be helpful, as a spot starter or reliever. King was injured in a gym accident with weights.

Gerrit Cole was the last Yankee to complain of an injury. Unfortunately, Cole noticed something in his last start and pulled himself from the Blue Jays game. The situation has been described as left hamstring tightness; so far, no MRI has been ordered. At this point, is it unclear if he will miss a start or if it will be resolved quickly? If it turns out to be worse, it could be disastrous for the Yankees.