Tonight the New York Yankees will start a 3 game set with the Los Angeles Angels at Angels Stadium in Anaheim. The Yankees, after winning 13 consecutive games, are coming off of two losses in a row against the Athletics. The Angels, who have lost six of their last eight, will see the return of Corey Kluber to the mound for the Yankees. Kluber for the Yankees had a no-hitter before going in the IL with shoulder stiffness.
The Yankees are in a tight race with the Tampa Bay Rays for the lead in the AL East. The Yankees have slipped back to 6 games behind the Rays. They will hope for a series sweep of the Angels to prevent further slipping away and hoping for a gain in the standings.
Monday, August 30, 9:38 pm EDT
Tonight will see the return of Corey Kluber to the mound for the Yankees after missing three months of the season with a troublesome shoulder. Kluber never stopped throwing the ball but has had a slow rehab. He is coming off a Yankee win with the Somerset Patriots. Kluber bounced back from a two-run first inning in which he allowed three straight singles to start the outing. In 3 2/3 innings pitched, Kluber scattered two runs on five hits while striking out four, walking one, and hitting another on 60 pitches (39 strikes). Kluber, who had a no-hitter before hitting the IL, is 4-3 with a 3.04 ERA. Tonight’s start will be his twelfth of the season.
Kluber will likely not throw many more than 70 pitches in the game as he continues to build up. Manager Aaron Boone has let it be known that he will tandem Kluber with Andrew Heaney during his return to pitching complete games.
The Los Angeles Angels have not announced a starter for the game. The game will be televised on the YES Network and Bally Sports West.
Tuesday, August 31, 9:38 pm EDT
Tuesday night Jameson Taillon will take the mound for the Yankees, facing the pitching and hitting sensation Shohei Ohtani. The righty Taillon has been pitching well for the Yankees recently. He is 8-4 with an ERA of 4.18 and 125 strikeouts. It will be his 26th start of the season. The Yankees have won his last eight starts in a row. Taillon will have to watch out for Jose Iglesias; he has hit .750 off him in 8 at-bats.
Ohtani is 8-1 with a 3.00 ERA and 127 strikeouts. Although nearly having a lock on baseball’s MVP, Ohtani did not fare well against the Yankees when he faced them on June 30th. He lasted two outs giving up 7 earned runs to the Yankees. Other than that game that he would like to forget, he has pitched very well for the Angels. He is coming off a loss to the Orioles, but previously he won four straight. His record and ERA speak for itself. Because he only lasted 2/3 of an inning, few Yankees have faced him.
Wednesday, September 1, 7:07 pm EDT
Wednesday evening, the New York Yankees will have their righty ace on the mound, Gerrit Cole. Cole is 13-6 with an ERA of 2.80 with an incredible 200 strikeouts. Cole leads baseball in wins and is second in strikeouts 4 behind Zack Wheeler of the Phillies. Cole is coming off his 13th win in a contest with the Athletics; he struck out 9 in the game.
Cole will face Jaime Barria, a righty that is 2-2 with a 5.56 ERA. Barria has been both a starter and reliever for the Angels this season. They have lost his last four games. He has not gotten a win since July 30th. Many Yankees have not seen him pitch, but Joey Gallo spending most of his time in the same division as the Angels, has faced Barria 15 times, hitting just .133. Aaron Judge has faced him twice, getting hits each time; one was a home run. This game, like the others, will be on the YES Network, Bally Sports West; this one will also be on MLBN out of market.