The New York Yankees gave up four prospects to the Texas Rangers in exchange for reliever Joely Rodriguez and the prize of their trade deadline: outfielder Joey Gallo. The hulky slugger is streaky, but is a premier power source, takes lots of walks, is sneaky athletic and boasts a terrific glove.
However, Gallo has been slumping, and the Yankees’ offense badly needs his contributions. Over his last seven games, he is hitting .040/.200/.160 with 13 strikeouts in 25 plate appearances. His struggles extend to his last 15 contests (.096/.266/.250) and also to his last 30 (.135/.302/.346).
Gallo is never going to hit .300, but it’s pretty clear he is not performing right now. He only has one hit in his last 25 plate appearances for the Yankees.
Fans are starting to let him know he is not playing well, with boos. However, the left fielder says he is not letting them affect him.
“It is what it is,” Gallo told reporters on Tuesday, according to NJ Advance Media. “You play in New York, you understand that’s going to be part of it. They want a winning product. It’s just part of the business. We’re professional baseball players. You’ve got to go out there and do your job and do it to your best. It’s not anything I’m not too upset about or anything.”
A rough time with the Yankees
During his 35 games with the Yankees, Gallo is hitting just .130 with 61 strikeouts in 123 at-bats. He does have six homers, but has posted a .617 OPS. With the Rangers, it was comfortably above .800.
Gallo says he has been working to get back on track. “Just trying to get back into the feel I was having earlier in the year. That’s about it. Just getting my swing back to where I feel good, let the ball travel. Just getting back to that,” he said.
Despite the calmness with which he speaks, it’s clear he has been disappointed with his recent performance. He cares.
“I mean, obviously, I want play well. Especially coming to a new team. But at the same time, it’s not the first time. It’s baseball. You’re going to struggle some times. Obviously working hard to get back to where I know I can be and help the team win. So, it’s frustrating not winning games, but that’s part of baseball and I’ve just got to keep working through it and figure it out,” he stated.
After three consecutive losses, the New York Yankees entered last night’s game with the hope of righting the ship with ace Gerrit Cole on the mound. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen as the Yankees slipped another game behind in the AL East when they lost their second game against the Toronto Blue Jays. What was even worse, Cole left the game injured. As a result, the Yankees lost the game 5-1.
Gerrit Cole leaves the game with an injury
The New York Yankees tentative pitching situation may have just gotten worse. The Yankees had had a questionable pitching outlook from the beginning of the season when they hired two pitchers for their starting rotation that hadn’t pitched in nearly two years. That has gone pretty well, except for a few bumps along the way. Jameson Taillon started slow but, as time passed, became one of the Yankee’s best pitchers. In addition, the Corey Kluber experiment didn’t go well, with him going to the IL for three months.
The bullpen started as one of the best in baseball, but as the season progressed, they lost members, and the remaining arms tired out. Nevertheless, the Yankees could count on ace Gerrit Cole, but now even that is in question. Cole pulled himself out of a game last night against the Toronto Blue Jays in the fourth inning. It was not immediately clear what the problem was. But after his removal, a few innings later, the Yankees announced that he had left the game with left hamstring tightness. So this morning should be telling with just how impactful this will be for the Yankees and their postseason race.
After the game in an interview, Cole did not give any assurances other than we will have to wait and see how this unfolds in the next 24 to 36 hours. After a pitch in the fourth inning, Cole felt something and signaled to the dugout to come out to the mound. Cole reminded questioners that this is not the first time this has happened. “it’s one of those things you go through; hopefully, I will not miss a start.” Cole stated that he took himself out of the game to avoid further injury. Manager Boone was asked if an MRI was ordered, he said no, we would have to see how he is in the morning.
If Cole only misses one start because of needing a little more rest, that will be the upside. However, if the situation is more problematic, it could be devastating for the Yankees and their hope of postseason play.
The Yankees continue the slide as division is slipping away
For a short time after a languid start to the season, things looked pretty rosy for the Yankees as they became the winningest team in baseball, even winning 13 games in a row. But after losing 4 straight, things have turned from joist to worrisome. With only 24 games to go, the Yankees have slipped to 9.5 games behind the AL East Tampa Bay Rays and only one-half game ahead of the Boston Red Sox.
So what’s the problem? The Yankees pitching hasn’t been as good, and the bullpen is horribly overworked. That would be bad enough, but the Yankees have returned to the team that before the All-Star break just not hitting the ball. During the recent skid, the Yankees have not hit an extra-base hit since Sunday. The Yankees have only scored one run in the last 21 innings. It’s the first time since 1962 that the Yankees have not hit an extra-base hit in consecutive games.
It is often said that “how Aaron Judge goes, so do the Yankees.” Judge has gone 0-4 in the Yankees last four games. For the most part, Judge has carried the team throughout the season and now needs his teammates to pick him up, but that is not happening. The Yankees are now 2-8 in their last ten games and are in danger of losing home-field advantage in a wild card game if they reach it at all.
Two big cogs missing as the train stalls
The train had left the station, but some key players were not onboard. The entire team is not hitting, but there are two glaring deficiencies. First, Joey Gallo and Gleyber Torres are missing in action and taking up space in the once-powerful lineup.
Just before the trade deadline, the New York Yankees picked up Joey Gallo from the Texas Rangers. They knew at the time they would be getting a guy that strikes out a lot but is a home run powerhouse and had a high on-base percentage. But, for the most part, that has not happened. During August, he had only 15 hits. In September, only 1 hit in 19 at-bats, a home run. Also, he has only 3 walks over the span.
After the arrival of Andrew Velazquez and his excellent defense at short, and the spark he added to the team, many Yankee fans weren’t thrilled when Gleyber Torres returned off the IL. Torres for September has only 3 hits, none for extra bases. No home runs and never walking. He also has a career-high error number. Since his return, he has had 2 errors and one bad throw that was not labeled an error but may have cost the Yankees a game.
The bottom line in all of this is that the Yankees will have to take a closer look at both of these players. Using Andrew Velazquez more at short may be part of the answer. Another move the Yankees should make is moving Gallo out of the number two or three slots in the lineup. If these two players continue as they have in the last several games, being in any postseason lineup is in question.
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.
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.
After a series win over the Chicago White Sox and a win in a makeup game with the Los Angeles Angels last night today, the New York Yankees entered what could be a pivotal three-game series. The three-game series could go a long way to who will secure a wild card berth. Today will be a day-night doubleheader; if the Yankees win both, they will be even with the Red Sox in the race. Game one had Jordan Montgomery on the mound in his first game returning from the Covid list. He faced Tanner Houck. The Yankees won it 5-3.
Leading off for the Red Sox was Kiki Hernandez, who ground out on the first pitch. Then, Hunter Renfroe got a base hit to left. Next, Xander Bogaerts went down on strikes. Next, Rafael Devers singled, but Renfroe was tagged out by Velaquez trying to reach third to end the inning. At the bottom, with Tanner Houck on the mound, DJ LeMahieu ground out to third. Brett Gardner also ground out to third, as did Aaron Judge to end the inning with no score.
At the top of the second, JT Martinez went down on strikes. Kyle Schwarber was called out on strikes, but a wild pitch allowed him to get to first, where he was called safe, but on review, he was out. Christian Vázquez flew out to right field. At the bottom, Joey Gallo led off by flying out to center field. Luke Voit was hit by the first pitch he saw. Rougie Odor hit a single to center, moving Voit to second. In his return from the Covid list, Gary Sanchez lined directly to third, holding the runners. Now with two outs, Tyler Wade singled, loading the bases. Andrew Velazquez got two-run single driving in Voit and Odor. LeMahieu popped out to end the inning, but the kid from the Bronx, Velaquez, created his own field of dreams with his family in the stands. New York Yankees 2 Boston Red Sox 0. Velazquez got hugs from third base coach Phil Nevin.
Alex Verdugo led off the third inning by grounding out to second. Bobby Dalbec singled beyond short. Hernandez walked. Renfroe tapped to Monty for the second out as the runners moved up. Bogaerts got a two-run single, but Bogaerts was out at first as Sanchez fired. New York Yankees 2 Red Sox 2.
At the bottom of the third, Gardner tapped back to Houck. Judge struck out swinging. Gallo flew out to center, keeping the game tied at 2.
Devers led off the fourth inning popped out to Sanchez. Martinez went down on strikes. Schwarber struck out as the Red Sox went down 1-2-3. At the bottom, Luke Voit struck out. Rougie Odor singled. Sanchez ground out. Tyler Wade singled, and Velaquez flew out to center to end the inning.
Vazquez led the fifth inning, who homed to the left-field stands for a solo shot, putting the Sox up by a run. Verdugo hit a line drive out to Odor. Dalbec struck out. Hernandez walked, and that was the day for Montgomery, as Aaron Boone called in Albert Abreu to face Renfroe, who flew out to Judge to end the half.
At the bottom, with Garrett Whitlock on the mound, LeMahieu struck out. Gardner walked. Judge walked. With Gallo coming up, Cora went with Josh Taylor; Gallo walked the bases loaded. With the bases loaded and one out, Voit got a bloop single to center, scoring Gardner and Judge as the Yankees took the lead in the game. Giancarlo Stanton pinch-hitting for Odor with men on the corners and one out singled to center, driving in Gallo. Jonathan Davis was brought in to pinch-run for Stanton. Cora again went to the bullpen for Hansel Robles to face Gary Sanchez, who struck out. Tyler Wade, with two on and two outs, walked. Velaquez struck out to finally end the inning, but the Yankees picked up 3 runs in the half to go ahead in the game. New York Yankees 5 Red Sox 3.
In the sixth inning, with Jonathan Loaisiga on the mound, Bogaerts struck out. Devers ground out to short, and Martinez lined out to Velaquez at short. At the bottom, it was the top of the order for the Yankees. LeMahieu against Robles singled to left. Gardner walked with LeMahieu taking second. Judge struck out. Again Cora went to the bullpen to have lefty Austin Davis face lefty Joey Gallo. Gallo struck out for the second out of the inning. Then the lefty had to face the righty Luke Voit who walked to load the bases for the Yankees again. Jonathan Davis brought in as a pinch-runner struck out, leaving the bases loaded. Yankees 5 Red Sox 3.
Schwarber led off the seventh and final inning of the game with Jonathan Loaisgia in for the close and singled to short. Vazquez singled to Judge in right, with Schwarber stopping at second. Arauz pinch ran for Vazquez. Verdugo singled, loading the bases with no outs in the seventh. Travis Shaw pinch-hitting flew out to Gardner, but Gardner’s arm held the runners. Hernandez struck out. Renfroe struck out to get Loaisiga out of the inning unscathed. The Yankees win!!!
Nothing comes easy for the New York Yankees, but they get the win. The final score was New York Yankees 5 and the Boston Red Sox 3. The winning pitcher was Albert Abreu, the loser was Whitlock, and the save went to Jonathan Loaisiga (5). The video below is Velazquez’s two-run shot in the second.
The New York Yankees should have had a needed day off yesterday but instead had a makeup game with the Los Angeles last night. It was also the return of Gerrit Cole, the Yankee’s ace from the Covid list. At the end of the night, the Yankees and Cole won the game 2-1 going into a 3 game series with the Red Sox today.
After the first inning, the game was mostly a pitcher’s duel with Angels pitcher Jose Suarez matching Cole nearly pitch for pitch. There was only a total of 8 hits between the two teams. Only Aaron Judge had two hits in the game and scored once on Joey Gallo’s homer in the first inning.
Gerrit Cole is still the Yankee ace
After making his return from a bout on the Covid list, Gerrit Cole wanted to put Yankee fans on notice that he is still the ace of the New York Yankees pitching staff. Last night he showed the Yankees that he hasn’t missed a beat. He pitched into the sixth inning, allowing one home run while striking out 9 Angel hitters.
Cole’s last game for the Yankees was on July 29th when he stuck out 10. Going into last night’s game, few thought after the long layoff with the coronavirus that Cole might not go more than 60 pitches in his first game back, but he threw that many strikes in his 90 pitch night. Fletcher popped out to short. Upton reached on a bobbled play by Odor at third in the sixth inning, and Aaron Boone felt that was enough for Cole. In the first, Cole got his 11th win of the season, aided by Joey Gallo’s 112 mph two-run homer.
Yankees marvelous bullpen shines
In the sixth inning, with one more out to get, Gerrit Cole’s night was over. In a gutsy move, Boone called in Zack Britton, who had removed himself from a closer role after pitching so badly. Britton did his job and struck out Jared Walsh to end the inning scoreless. Albert Abreu was next pitching 1.2 innings of hitless ball. But when Shohei Ohtani came to the plate, Boone chose the young Joely Rodriguez to face the Angels MVP. J-Rod did nothing less than strike him out on four pitches for his 11th hold of the season.
Chad Green came in in the top of the ninth to secure the win for the New York Yankees. He allowed a hit, got a ground ball out, and stuck out two in the effort that won the game for the Yankees and gave him his fourth save of the season. Manager Aaron Boone has to be given credit for how he has handled the bullpen recently.
Joey Gallo getting the Yankee love
For Yankee fans, it’s been a long time since we heard that call “Derek Jeter” Derek Jeter echo through the crowds. But, last night, we heard a new chant, that of “Joey Gallo-Joey Gallo” when Gallo was at the plate in the third inning. It appears the Yankee faithful have accepted Gallo and wanted to show him some love after hitting a two-run homer in the first inning, supplying the Yankees with their only two runs of the game.
It should be noted that Joey Gallo strikes out a lot, an awful lot. But, if he can hit a homer in every four games the Yankees will gladly accept that. So far in his short time with the Yankees, he has already had a two-homer night.
The Yankees start a 3 game series with the Red Sox today!
Today will see another day-night doubleheader for the Yankees as they face their rival Boston Red Sox. It will also mark the return from the Covid list for Jordan Montgomery. The first game at 1:05 pm will feature Tanner Houck for the Red Sox facing Montgomery. The 7:05 pm installment will have Yankee sensation prospect Luis Gil on the mound facing the Red Sox’s Nathan Eovaldi.
The day game will be telecast on the YES Network, NESN, and MLBN out of market. The night game will be on WPIX and its affiliates, NESN, and MLBN out of market.
Today was supposed to be a much-needed day off for the New York Yankees, but they played a makeup game with the Los Angeles Angels tonight. The game was made necessary due to a rainout when they last met in June at the Stadium. The Angels were 12 1/2 out in the AL West, and the Yankees were 5.5 games out in the AL East; every game is important, and the Yankees would try for another gutsy win tonight with Gerrit Cole making his first start off the Covid list. He was facing the Angels Jose Suarez. It was another one-run win for the Yankees. The final score was Yankees 2 and the Angels 1.
Cole faced Shohei Ohtani in the first inning, who stuck out on a Cole 99mph fastball. David Fletcher struck out looking. Justin Upton hit a home run to the left-field stands to put the Angels on the board first. Jared Walsh struck out. Cole got three strikeouts in the inning but also gave up a run. The bottom was led off by DJ LeMahieu, who flew out to the far right. Aaron Judge singled to right. Joey Gallo hit a two-run homer to the second deck right-field stands for the Yankee lead. Giancarlo Stanton went down for the second out of the inning. Luke Voit got a single right up the middle. Rougie Odor ground out to first on a broken bat. New York Yankees 2 Angels 1.
The second inning was led off by Phil Gosselin, who singled to short. Jose Iglesias tapped back to Cole for the first out. Brandon Marsh went down looking. Max Stassi struck out swinging for five strikeouts for Cole in two innings. At the bottom, Kyle Higashioka struck out swinging. Jonathan Davis was out on an infield dribble. Andrew Velaquez ground out to short. Yankees 2 Angels 1.
Jo Adell led off the third inning by striking out for Cole’s 6th. Ohtani flew out to Stanton in right. Fletcher ground out on a flip play to Cole at first. At the bottom, it was the top of the lineup for the Yankees. LeMahieu ground out on a roller to short. Gallo went down on strikes. Yankees 2 Angels 1.
Justin Upton led off the fourth inning by giving Cole his seventh strikeout of the game. Walsh struck out for number 8 for Cole. Gosselin ground out to end the half. Stanton led off the bottom and singled to left. Voit hit into a 6-4-3 double play. Odor went down swinging. Yankees 2 Angels 1.
The fifth inning was led off by Iglesias, who ground out to third. Marsh walked, breaking a string of 10 straight Angels put down. Stassi provided Cole with his 9th strikeout. Adell flew out to Davis, who made a tremendous running catch in center. At the bottom, Higashioka flew out to second. Davis struck out. Velaquez struck out. New York Yankees 3 Los Angeles Angels 1.
Shohei Ohtani led off the sixth inning and flew out to Stanton on the warning track. Fletcher popped out to short. Upton reached on a bobbled play by Odor at third, And that was the evening for Cole. Walsh faced the new Yankee pitcher Zack Britton and struck out, making Boone’s decision to bring Britton in the right one. At the bottom, LeMahieu walked on four pitches. Judge walked on four pitches. With two on and no outs, Gallo walked the bases loaded, and that was the night for Suarez. Stanton faced the new Angel pitcher Steve Cishek and went down on strikes to boos from the Yankee faithful. Voit with three on and one out hit into an inning-ending double play, blowing a huge opportunity for the Yankees. Yankees 2 Angels 1.
Phil Gosselin led off the seventh inning at the Stadium by grounding out. Iglesias against Albert Abreu flew out to Davis in center. Marsh went down swinging. Odor in the bottom walked on four pitches. Higashioka flew out to far center. Davis was called out on strikes. Velasquez hitting from the left side, flew out to center field. Yankees 2 Angels 1.
The eighth inning saw Max Stassi at the plate with Abreu still on the mound; he ground out. Adell went down looking and ending the night for Abreu. Ohtani faced the new Yankee pitcher J-ROD (Joely Rodriguez), and Ohtani went down looking to end the half. LeMahieu led off the bottom by walking. Judge singled to left, moving LeMahieu to second. LeMahieu was thrown out, reaching for third. Judge took second. Gallo went down swinging. Stanton faced the new Angel pitcher Junior Guerra and flew out to left. Yankees 2 Angels 1.
In the ninth inning, with the last licks on the line for the Angels, Fletcher against the Yankee closer Chad Green ground out to LeMahieu. Upton struck out swinging. Walsh singled down the left-field line. Gosselin, with two outs and one on, struck out, looking to end the game.
The final score was the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels 1. The winning pitcher was Gerrit Cole, and the loser was Jose Suarez. The save went to Chad Green (4).
After a disappointing defeat to the Chicago White Sox in the Field of Dreams game, the New York Yankees bounced back in Chicago to steal a victory in extra innings. With Jamison Taillon on the mound, displaying another solid performance, pitching 5.0 innings and giving up three runs, the bullpen was left to finish off the contest.
The Yankees starting pitching rotation has been shredded with injuries and Covid situations. Taillon putting together a solid performance was exactly what they needed. However, a pesky Chicago team pushed them until the final moments, as Tim Anderson had an opportunity to steal another win in the 10th inning but fell short as he ground out to end the game.
“This team has heart,’’ Aaron Boone said after a gritty win over Chicago “It’s not been easy for us this season, at all. But they’re tough. They compete. We keep grinding away and throwing punches and we’ll continue to do that the rest of the way.”
Sluggers Aaron Judge and Joey Gallo combined for five hits and seven RBIs, which pushed the Yankees over the edge and secured the victory. Judge, recorded a double, home run, and single, having one of his best games of the season when the team needed him most. Gallo is finally looking like himself after a problematic start in pinstripes. He picked up a homer in the 1st and 10th innings, showcasing his lefty power.
The Bombers currently sit 6.5 games in the American League East and 2.5 games back in the Wild Card. Unfortunately, the Boston Red Sox pummeled the Baltimore Orioles 16-2 on Saturday, making it their second consecutive win. The Orioles are one of the worst teams in baseball this year, but Boston will take on the Yankees in a three-game series starting on Tuesday, giving New York an opportunity to overtake them for a playoff spot.
Thursday night, the long-awaited Field of Dreams game took place in Dyersville, Iowa. The New York Yankees faced the Chicago White Sox in that epic game. I predicted that the Yankees would lose that game because both the pitching and lineup stats comparison said so. What I didn’t predict was that it would be a ninth-inning heartbreaking loss.
Nevertheless, disregarding the outcome, it was a wonderful game in a beautiful iconic setting in the cornfields of Iowa that will not be soon forgotten by any of the players who played in it or those in the stands or watching television. The Yankees had two more games against the White Sox that will be played on the south side of Chicago. Last night in the first of those two games Jameson Taillon faced Dylan Cease. The Yankees won the game 7-5 in the tenth inning.
Another quality start for Taillon
Over the past six weeks, Jameson Taillon has been the best Yankee pitcher, even though he hasn’t received the win in all of the games. The New York Yankees have won 9 of his last 10 starts. He has given up an average of 1.5 runs per game during the span while striking out 53 opponents. Last night although not as sharp, Taillon kept the Yankees in the game, giving up three earned runs while striking out only four.
The New York Yankees have a real problem with temporary closer Zack Britton. He hasn’t been good of late. On Friday, he said that he shouldn’t be closing games with the way he has been pitching. But in the ninth, when Chad Green gave up two runs, Boone called in Britton to put out the fire, while recording only one out, gave up another run tying up the game. So ironically, Green got the win when the Yankees powered their way to a win in the top of the tenth.
Joey Gallo breaks through
It’s no secret that since Joey Gallo has come to the New York Yankees before the trade deadline, he has had a languid start as a new Yankee. The power hitter leading into last night only had a batting average of .140 with one home run over 14 games. However, last night Gallo showed the Yankee fans what he could do; he went 2 for 4 powering the Yankees to a win with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs.
Gallo wasn’t alone in his assault of the White Sox, slugger Aaron Judge also hit a home run against Kimbrel in the tenth. Judge went 3 for 4 in the game. Tyler Wade continued his torrid play.
Reinforcements on the way
This may very well be an exciting week for the Yankees. The Yankees will see the return of Anthony Rizzo to the lineup sometime this week. Also, Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery threw bullpen sessions in Chicago yesterday, and Aaron Boone said that all went well. It could mean that they will both pitch in the Red Sox series at Yankee Stadium next week, at the very least the following Twins series.
Yankee injury updates
The Yankees over the past few weeks have been riddled with injuries and players testing positive for the coronavirus. However, many of the Covid case players will be returning soon.
Luis Severino was set to have a rehab game on Friday, but it didn’t take place. Reportedly Scranton Wilkes/Barre manager Doug Davis told reporters on hand that Severino “didn’t feel right” in warmups and was scratched just before the game. Although he is scheduled to see a doctor and get an MRI, it is assumed to be only precautionary. In addition, the situation involved his shoulder, not the elbow.
Gio Urshela (hamstring) went to the IL on August 3rd. He was projected to return to the club at the end of the 10 days, but a setback has prevented that. Manager Boone said it is not serious but couldn’t give a timeline for his return. Also, Gleyber Torres, after jamming his finger, sliding into second base is not expected back before next weekend.
Next weekend, Aroldis Chapman (elbow) and Domingo German (shoulder) should be back with the team. German threw a successful bullpen last Thursday and may have a rehab start with Somerset as early as Monday.
Note: A matinee today at 2:10 pm will be the final game of the White Sox series. Nestor Cortes Jr. will be on the mound for the Yankees and the White Sox Ace Lucas Giolito for the Sox. The game will be on the YES Network, NBCSCH, and TBS out of market.
The New York Yankees are certainly enjoying their deadline acquisitions, most notably lefty sluggers Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo. Both have contributed to the recent surge and are considered everyday players by manager Aaron Boone, and rightfully so.
Gallo gave the Yankees a victory on Thursday with a three-run blast that he will remember for the rest of his life, but Boone has been amazed by his quality and all-around greatness. He calls his new left fielder a complete player.
Yes, Gallo strikes out, but he also takes walks, hits the ball really hard and often in the air, which leads to homers, and also plays fantastic, Gold-Glove caliber defense in the corner outfield positions and runs the bases well. He is athletic and energetic.
The Yankees got themselves a special player
“When everyone thinks of Joey Gallo, they think of the offense, the high on-base [percentage] and the massive power, but he is a complete player,” Yanks manager Aaron Boone told Bill Ladson of MLB.com. “He is a special defender. He was having an amazing year playing right field in Texas, and it’s gone over instantaneously [at Yankee Stadium].
“You see his athleticism playing in left field, especially in our left field, where it’s a premium to have a defender over there because it’s spacious. He is going to be really good over there for us. On the bases, he is fast. He is athletic. He plays really hard. So yeah, he is a complete package.”
So far, Gallo’s contact issues have been on display in his time with the Yankees, but so has his power, patience, defense, passion, and overall athleticism. He is not the perfect player, but he can be a very good one.
Before Saturday’s game, the Yankees’ slugger is hitting .217, but that comes with 26 homers, 58 RBI, a .372 OBP and a very good .853 OPS. He is the real deal, and his presence strengthens the lineup.
