The New York Yankees finally managed to secure victory against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday afternoon after dropping the series’ first two games.
After blowing a late lead on Friday night, the Bombers bounced back with a 6–1 win, showcasing their offensive prowess and experiencing a tremendous start from pitcher Domingo German, who has struggled to start the year.
Good news for the Yankees:
German was excellent in the win, tallying 11 strikeouts, giving up three hits, and one earned run across 6.1 innings pitched. The 30-year-old starter entered the game with a 5.87 ERA and left it with a 3.86, tossing 78 pitches and 58 strikes. His 11 strikeouts were a career-high, and he’s found himself right back in the mix to be a regular starter for the Yanks this year, despite an inconspicuous moment during the game that suggested he may be using a sticky substance to help his spin rate.
After the umpires inspected German’s hands and asked him to wash them off, he continued his successful performance, which was essential for the Yankees, a team struggling to fend off a strong Minnesota squad.
Offensively, the team contributed six hits and struck out nine times, but there were a few positive individual performances. DJ LeMahieu, who returned from a quad injury, posted an RBI single, driving in Anthony Volpe. Speaking of the team’s top young prospect, Volpe added a single and two walks, stealing three bases, doubling his total on the season. Aaron Judge also added two walks and a hit, elevating his average to .302 with a .397 OBP. Anthony Rizzo rocked a solo homer at the bottom of the 3rd inning, and Stanton pummeled a double off the wall, driving in two runs. Even Kyle Higashioka got on the board with a two-run homer, driving in Franchy Cordero.
This was a well-rounded performance for the Yankees, who got 2.2 strong innings out of Michael King, striking out two batters in the process.
Bad news for the Yankees:
There wasn’t much bad news from this contest since the Yankees have one more chance to tie the series on Sunday afternoon.
Franchy Cordero has come crashing back down to earth after a hot start, hitting .222 with a .263 OBP. He did manage to score, getting on base courtesy of an error, but he’s only tallied one hit over his last three games, with five strikeouts to boot. The Yankees may want to consider utilizing Aaron Hicks or Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the outfield moving forward since Cordero seems to serve a power-hitting value, which is inconsistent.
The Yankees will feature Gerrit Cole on the mound for Sunday’s series finale against Minnesota, holding a 1.40 ERA across 19.1 innings and three starts. Cole has won all three appearances this year, so he’ll be looking to extend that streak before starting a new week.