The New York Yankees are finally starting to come around after a tough opening to the 2021 season. Just two games below .500, the Yankees are 4.5 games back in the American League East but have won three of their last four games. Their most recent win over the Detroit Tigers was a spanking, as the Yankees posted 10 runs to Detroit’s zero. The Tigers are having a very difficult start to the 2021 campaign, offering the Yankees an opportunity to get back in shape before an upcoming series against the Houston Astros.
Against the Tigers, ace Gerrit Cole was dominant, striking out 12 batters and allowing four hits over 6.0 innings. He currently has a 1.43 ERA and only pitched 87 in the victory. The bullpen was also stellar, lasting 3.0 innings and not giving up a single hit. Detroit didn’t stand a chance in this blowout win for the Yankees, as they finally establish their dominance and instilled still confidence in the fan base.
Good news and bad news for the Yankees:
There was plenty of great news in the victory, as Giancarlo Stanton had three hits over five at-bats and accounted for two runs. Slugger Aaron Judge had two hits, one of which was a grand slam, totaling five RBIs. He’s currently hitting .272 on the season, and his power is clearly on full display.
The Yankees were quite even throughout the contest, scoring in every inning leading up to the fifth, thanks to five home runs. The problem with the Yankees is that they rely solely on the home runs to win games, and that was the case against Detroit. They are not a contact-hitting team, but with their confidence growing and their sluggers beginning to perform more consistently, teams should be worried about them quickly climbing the rankings in the AL East.
However, there was a bit of bad news on the day, as righty reliever Darren O’Day was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 30. O’Day has a right rotator cuff strain, and the Yankees called up Michael King from the alternate site in a corresponding move.
With Zack Britton already out, losing Darren is a huge negative. The submarine pitcher had made 10 appearances this season, hosting a 3.00 ERA and 9.00 strikeouts per nine rate. The Yankees will have to find a way to supplement, but their bullpen has been stellar as of late, so they should be able to survive until his return.
Nonetheless, with the offense taking hold, they will need run production to make up for fatigue in the bullpen department.