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 still have two more games against the White Sox that will be played on the south side of Chicago.
Preview of two more with the White Sox
The New York Yankees may have lost the Field of Dreams game but still have a chance to take the series from the Chicago White Sox with the remaining two games at Guaranteed Field over the weekend.
Tonight, August 14, 7:10 pm:
Tonight in Chicago, James Taillon will take the mound for the Yankees vs. the White Sox Dylan Cease. Taillon is 7-4 ERA 3.82; Cease is 9-6 ERA 3.99 with an impressing 159 strikeouts. Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner, and Luke Voit have all hit well off Cease when they faced him earlier in the season. Meanwhile, Cesar Hernandez has Taillon’s number hitting .571 off him in seven at-bats. Tonight’s game will be on the YES Network and NBCSCH.
Sunday, August 15, 2:10 pm:
Sunday will see Nestor Cortes Jr.0-1 ERA 2.40, on the mound for the Yankees, and Lucas Giolito 9-8 ERA 3.81, the White Sox ace for the Sox. Nestor Cortes Jr. has been great for the Yankees, although he has not gotten his first win since taking over for Corey Kluber. The Yankees have won 5 of his 7 starts. Giolito is listed as the Sox ace; he is their third-best pitcher this season. The Sunday matinee will be on WPIX and its affiliates in the New York area and NBCSCH in Chicago. The game will also be televised on TBS out of market.
Andrew Heaney’s job may be in jeopardy
Since acquiring him, Andrew Heaney, who has not pitched well for the New York Yankees, he was the only pitcher available to pitch the Field of Dreams game, and he failed miserably, giving up seven earned runs in the game in only five innings.
With his 5.45 ERA, Heaney had to face the White Sox’s best pitcher, Lance Lynn, with his 2.26 ERA and not having allowed more than three runs in any game in July and August. Heaney gave up five runs in the first four innings, which would usually be the end for a starting pitcher, but manager Boone brought him out again in the fifth inning to save the already overworked bullpen for the rest of the series, he failed to do that.
Heaney has not had a good outing yet for the Yankees, and now his starting job may be in jeopardy. He has given up 15 earned runs and 8 home runs in his three starts for the New York Yankees.
Help is 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, on the good news front, Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery threw bullpen sessions in Chicago yesterday, and Aaron Boone said that all went well. With the Yankees so short on pitchers, it could mean that they will both pitch in the Red Sox series at Yankees Stadium next week.
Luis Severino setback?
The long-awaited return, two years in the making, was just a week or one more rehab game away for Luis Severino, but now that may not happen. He 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.
Davis also told reporters he didn’t know the issue with Severino, but it’s disappointing news for the New York Yankees that so badly need pitching help. If there is further information on Severino, you will find it on EmpireSportsMedia.com.
Kluber struggles in the first rehab start
The New York Yankees have been eagerly awaiting the return of Corey Kluber that pitched a no-hitter for the Yankees earlier in the season. On his way back, he pitched for Double-A Somerset on Thursday night. It was Kluber’s first outing since late May. Unfortunately, it didn’t go well; he looked rusty and only made it through 1.1 innings before being removed from the game.
The Yankees right-hander, pitching for Double-A Somerset, threw just 20 strikes on 45 pitches against the Portland Sea Dogs. He walked four and hit an additional two batters on his way to allowing five earned runs. Such a poor start is not that surprising for a pitcher looking to find his command after not pitching in over two months.
Kluber averaged over seven innings per start over his five outings before the May 25 injury and recorded a 1.78 ERA over that span. It now appears he will have another two rehab assignments before an early September return.
Frazier doubled; will he be welcomed back?
Both Clint Frazier and the New York Yankees have been mysteriously quiet about Frazier and his hard-to-explain dizziness and vision problems. But now, out of nowhere, He had a successful game with Tampa and was quickly promoted to Somerset.
First, it was the slugger’s live BP that came as a big surprise. Then, on Tuesday, he took the next step by being announced just one-half hour before the Somerset game; he hit a double in the game and scored once. So now the question is, is he ready to return to the Yankees, and will he be welcomed?
While he has been away from the Yankees, he played his last game on June 30th; the Yankees have tried several outfielders, including Greg Allen, Ryan LaMaree, Trey Amburgey, and Jonathan Davis, among others. They also acquired one of the best outfielders out there in Joey Gallo.
Although not excellent in the outfield, Frazier has been good. However, his hitting has not. Will the Yankees want his dead bat in the lineup as they push for a postseason appearance? The New York Yankees have their outfield options.