The New York Yankees went into last night’s game in Minnesota after losing four straight games against the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red with the hope of turning it around with Jordan Montgomery on the mound at Target Field. Instead, after being nearly dead for days, the Yankees lineup exploded, scoring eight runs. The final score was the Yankees 8 and the Twins 4.
Montgomery kept the Yankees in the game
Jordan Montgomery has had a strange season so far this year. He often seems to struggle, and more often than not, he doesn’t get the decision in a game. Last night was no different, he went 5.2 innings, but Jonathan Loaisiga got the win. However, so far, he is the Yankees’ second most successful pitcher. The New York Yankees have won 9 of his 12 starts.
Last night in the bottom of the first, Kyle Garlick led off, and he struck out. Josh Donaldson lined to third, Urshela knocked it down but couldn’t make the play. Polanco skied to Gardner. Miguel Sano singled to right, moving Donaldson to third. Ryan Jeffers lined down the left-field line for a two-run lead in the game. Trevor Larnach struck out, but the Twins took the lead Minnesota Twins 2 the New York Yankees 0.
The score remained that way through the end of the fifth inning as Montgomery settled in. But in the sixth, with two outs, ex-Yankee Rob Refsynder came to the plate, drawing a mound visit from Aaron Boone, but Boone left Montgomery in, and Refsynder hit a home to run into the left-field stands, and that was the end of the night for Montgomery.
Yankee hitters erupt, but all is not good
The New York Yankees will take a win any way they can get it. Last night they got it with an eruption from the Yankee lineup that has been so quiet in recent games and through most of the season so far. As a result, the Yankees are at the very bottom of baseball, scoring only 11.6% of the time. This is the lowest figure since the 1969 expansion San Diego Padres.
The Yankees are certainly happy to score those eight runs, but some of the things they have suffered from all season were present last night as well. At one point, the opposing pitcher Michael Pineda put down eleven straight Yankees. Then, in the fifth inning last night, the Yankees loaded the bases with no outs and could bring in only one run when Aaron Judge walked. They also went 2 for 15 with runners in scoring position. So although they scored a lot of runs, they could have scored many more with more timely hitting.
The good news is that two of the struggling Yankee hitters had home runs last night. Gary Sanchez led the charge with a 449′ dinger to left, and Miguel Andujar followed with a home run of his own. This could signal that the two players are getting hot. Another good sign is that the underperforming DJ LeMahieu doubled in the game for the first extra-base hit for last year’s batting champ.
Sticky situation for Gerrit Cole again
Here we go again. Gerrit Cole has again been criticized for using sticky substances to increase the spin rate. Going into a 3 game series with the Minnesota Twins, Twins Josh Donaldson has suggested that Cole is suspect with sticky stuff. He cited how Cole’s spin rate dropped considerably after an AP story stated that four minor leaguers were suspended for using foreign substances. Manager Aaron Boone responded to the allegation.
“I don’t make much of it, Gerrit, as well all of our staff members, I believe are mostly above board and will be able to handle this situation in the right kind of way,’’ Boone said. “And it’s not gonna affect the kind of pitchers they are.â€
MLB owners met last week and agreed on the need to crack down pitchers that potentially increase their spin rate with greater revolutions using illegal and prohibited foreign substances. So tonight in Minnesota, Gerrit Cole will face Donaldson. Of interest when Cole was asked about it, he didn’t deny it he simply said I don’t know how to answer that.