The Yankees had their best offensive showing tonight in a dominant victory over the Guardians. Gerrit Cole continued his excellent start to the season, the lineup capitalized with runners on base, and the boys were boppin’. It was the game that many fans had been waiting for, and the Yankees put up an 11-spot on Cleveland, winning 11-2. It was a fantastic night of baseball all around, and there were also a few two-homer performances across the Yanks’ farm system tonight to boot.
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The pitching was excellent tonight for the Yankees:
Gerrit Cole started off a bit shaky tonight as he gave up two runs in the 1st inning, but from that point on, he was absolutely lights out. He tossed 7.0 innings, gave up five knocks and the two runs in the first, and despite not getting the swings and misses he’s accustomed to — only 3 K’s — kept his streak of excellence alive. He’s now got a 1.40 ERA in his three starts and is 3-0 to go with it on the year. Cole seems to have taken offense to the pre-season lists that had him outside the Top-10 pitchers in baseball.
His seven innings of quality baseball helped the Yankees preserve the bullpen, which was needed following yesterday’s game — even though it was both Brewer and Hamilton that did the job last night. Now, the boys get set to win the series with another victory tomorrow afternoon. Abreu would pitch the final two innings and was once again solid for the fourth time this season.
Abreu has been the reliever we saw last season when he rejoined the Yankees and is pitching some nice innings worth this season. With tonight’s two innings under his belt, he’s up to 7.0 shutout innings on the year, with seven strikeouts and three walks to boot. It’s been refreshing to see him start this year off on the right foot, and the bullpen, in general, has been nails. It seems as though he can only thrive in the Bronx, but we’ll gladly take his services.
Every guy in the lineup thrived:
The offense was elite across the board, and every guy did something right today. Willie Calhoun got another knock in his second start with the team, an RBI single. Judge reached base twice, extending his on-base streak to an excellent 44 games. He’s been on one to start this year, and it’s about time we start to recognize how much of a possibility it is that he repeats as AL MVP.
Franchy Cordero kept his superb start to his Yankee tenure rolling as he cranked a 3R bomb in the 3rd inning to give the Yankees a 6-2 lead. From that point on, the boys never looked back, and it was a night of joy for the team. Anthony Rizzo also is quietly off to a fantastic start to the year and added another two knocks tonight to go with two more RBIs. He also worked a walk and took a HBP on the foot, as he reached base four times.
Rizzo’s now batting .314 with a .419 OBP and an OPS of .876. He’s simply been fantastic to start this season, and showing off why it was a great decision to bring him back on a two-year deal. Gleyber Torres also kept up his superb pace, as he is now the first player in Yankees history with 10 walks and five steals to start the season. He smacked a single off the wall as well.
DJ also continued to show his health on both sides of the ball, as he added a pair of knocks, including a double, and worked a walk. Having him around is a huge weapon for the Yankees, and he’s shining at the hot corner on the defensive side of things. Aaron Hicks also had his best game of the year, as he slapped two singles on the night.
The offense was elite tonight, as every player in the lineup got a hit. Hopefully, they can keep it rolling tomorrow afternoon. Numerous guys got multiple hits, Cordero keeps hitting bombs, and the vibes are great following the onslaught of Cleveland. It was a great game from both sides of the ball, and tomorrow we have Clarke Schmidt on the mound. Schmidt needs to have a great outing, so seeing how he pitches around a pesky Guardians’ lineup will be interesting.