The Yankees concluded their series with the Phillies today in winning fashion, as they secured the series dub in a 4-2 victory. Cole was on point once more, and the Yanks’ ace is looking like he’s gunning for his first Cy Young this season. The offense hit when they needed to, the bullpen, albeit shakily, closed out Cole’s dominant start, and the Yankees won their 4th game of the season.
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The Yankees’ pitching was mostly excellent:
Gerrit Cole followed up his historic Opening Day start with another excellent performance, as despite exiting on a pitch clock violation, he was stellar. He tossed 6.1 innings of shutout ball, struck out 8 guys, and walked a trio whilst giving up the same number of hits. The Phillies were stifled, and Cole’s to thank for that. He will likely make his next start early next week and look to continue his superb beginning to the year.
As aforementioned, the bullpen did its job, and Loaisiga was the first name to be called out of the pen. He gave up a base knock, plunked Alec Bohm, and then a sac fly saw the Yanks’ lead cut in half. Fortunately, Lo was able to buckle down and get the job done. IKF made a beautiful backhand snag and got the force out to end the inning. He then pitched an out in the 8th before giving up a bomb to Kyle Schwarber and then retired the next two guys to end his day.
Clay Holmes closed out the game and has now put together back-to-back good appearances after his clunker on Saturday. He’s looking locked in and struck out the side in his save tonight. Having Holmes on point is a huge benefit for the bullpen, and he’s looking more like his first-half self to start this season. His sinker and slider were working wonderfully today, and he looks to firmly have the closer spot in his grasp as we roll through the first full week of baseball.
Gleyber Torres continues to shine:
The offense hit just enough to get the dub, and Gleyber Torres was once again the likely player of the game. He got another three base knocks and ended up driving in both runners on the afternoon. He’s started off the season at an amazing rate and also swiped his 4th & 5th bag on the year — which is good for the team lead. His season is starting off at a blistering pace, and his OPS now sits at 1.349. He leads the team in numerous categories, and all those that said he should be traded are sitting silently, twiddling their thumbs.
Donaldson left the game with an apparent hamstring injury and will be reevaluated tomorrow, so IKF came in and held down the fort at the hot corner. Having him as a utility option is fine by me, and that play he made in the 7th was why the Yankees could hold onto the lead. Hopefully, JD’s injury isn’t anything serious, and that he can get back out there.
DJ LeMahieu smacked a double into the gap and continued to show that he’s lifting the ball and that his toe injury is nothing to fret over. He’s batting an even .300 on the year, with a pair of doubles and the solo shot he hit to right-center last night. Having a healthy DJ truly is a game-changer, and that’s being made evident these first few games.
Judge continued his on-base streak and extended it to 39 games this afternoon on a single. He then promptly swiped his first bag of the year as he continues to show casuals that he’s not some lumbering 6’7 slugger. Judge is picking up right where he left off last season, and I wouldn’t be shocked if the AL MVP managed to make it a repeat.
Jose Trevino smashed a 2R shot off Gregory Soto in the 7th, his first of the season. The platinum glove-winning catcher continues to clobber lefties, and there was no doubt when that one left his bat. Trevi having even a decent year offensively will see him once more at the top of the leaderboard for catchers, and him having the offensive moments he does, he’ll continue to thrive in the Bronx.
Oswaldo Cabrera added a hustle double to the ledger and a walk, and I believe he’s firmly taken the LF position and is beginning to run away with it. The Hicks conundrum is still there, but I don’t believe he should be taking reps from a player of superior quality and ceiling. The Yanks’ offense did just enough today and now have an off-day before heading to Baltimore for a Friday night game.
Clarke Schmidt will likely be the next guy to take the bump on Friday, though no confirmation has been made of that. Nestor will follow him on Saturday, and the Yanks will be rolling back through the rotation. Hopefully, the winning ways can continue, and this team can get some momentum rolling.