After posting 14 runs against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, the New York Yankees followed up their offensive masterclass with another stellar performance. On Sunday afternoon, the Yankees recorded 13 runs, winning 13–2.
Unfortunately for Boston, starting pitcher Chris Sale suffered a broken pinky finger on a line-drive off the bat of Aaron Hicks. Hicks jogged to first base but Sale was clearly injured and immediately left the game. This was Sale’s second performance coming off a lengthy injury, meaning Boston will have to find a supplement in the starting rotation.
However, Yankees starter, Gerrit Cole, looked stellar over 7.0 innings of action. He posted 12 strikeouts, giving up two earned runs and four hits over 103 pitches. Cole lowered his ERA to 3.02 on the season, finally getting the necessary run support to help his team over the edge.
The bullpen was adequate, with Lucas Luetge striking out two batters over one inning and Jonathan Loáisiga striking out two batters and giving up two hits to close the game. Loáisiga had given up seven earned runs in his last two appearances, so it was nice to see him get a zero on the scoreboard.
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The Yankees’ offense has been insane this series:
The Yankees offense was the big storyline of the day, though. They posted 14 hits over 37 at-bats, tallying 13 RBIs, six walks, and six strikeouts. DJ LeMahieu went 3-for-4, including an RBI and a walk. Judge also recorded two hits and an RBI.
Despite Judge’s incredible season, the Yankees’ newest star, Matt Carpenter, has tallied seven RBIs in his last two games. He finished Sunday’s win with a hit and three RBIs, elevating his average to .354 with a 47% on-base rate.
The emergence of Carpenter has been a phenomenal development for the Bombers, who needed another lefty slugger to supplement the deficiencies of Joey Gallo. Gallo posted a two-run homer in the 7th inning. A nice stretch of games prior to the trade deadline may boost his value enough to earn the Yankees a relief pitcher in exchange.
The Yankees will have a few days off until their next game against the Houston Astros on July 21. They will face off against Houston in a two-game series before heading to Baltimore for three games.