What was supposed to be a celebratory day with the Old Timers watching on Saturday afternoon turned into a nightmare for the Yankees, who were demolished by one of the worst teams in baseball. The Colorado Rockies put up nine runs, winning 9–2 and putting the Yankees firmly in their place.
Yankees’ Pitching Woes: Luis Gil Injured, Will Warren Struggles
With young starting pitcher Luis Gil headed to the injured list with a lower back injury, the Yankees quickly promoted Will Warren from Triple-A to fill his spot. Unfortunately, Warren has been inconsistent this season and struggled once again.
Warren lasted only three innings, giving up seven hits and five earned runs while striking out six batters. Over 76 pitches, he threw 48 strikes and committed two balks in one inning. He now holds a 9.68 ERA this season and will undoubtedly want to forget the first few starts of his MLB career. However, the Yankees see potential similarities between him and Michael King and will continue developing his game in hopes of seeing better results.
Bullpen and Offensive Struggles
The bullpen didn’t fare much better, surrendering three earned runs over the final six innings. Michael Tonkin was tagged for two runs, courtesy of a Jake Cave two-run homer in the seventh inning. This is a game the Yankees would like to forget, managing only five hits and two runs while striking out nine times.
If there’s anything positive to take away, both Jazz Chisholm and Alex Verdugo had solid performances. Chisholm contributed two hits and an RBI, while Verdugo finally ended a cold 0-for-21 stretch, hitting his first home run since July 6 against Boston.
Outfield Issues and Potential Call-Ups
With the Bombers giving Giancarlo Stanton a day off, Trent Grisham struck out three times over four at-bats in his place, further complicating the outfield situation. At some point, manager Aaron Boone will have to consider promoting Jasson Dominguez to provide additional support, likely within the next few weeks as September approaches.
- Yankees ink depth outfielder to $5 million deal, avoiding arbitration
- Yankees expected to release Gold Glove outfielder, saving $5.7 million
- Yankees ‘considering’ 4 star players if they miss out on Juan Soto
Reinforcements on the Horizon
Meanwhile, the Yankees have several players rehabbing in Double-A, including Clarke Schmidt, Ian Hamilton, Anthony Rizzo, and Jon Berti. Reinforcements are on the way, and the Yankees can’t get them back soon enough. They will have one more chance to win the series on Sunday afternoon against Colorado before facing the Washington Nationals, another struggling team playing for pride at this point.