The New York Yankees were entering the second game of this series coming off of a really tough walk-off loss the night prior, with Carlos Rodon taking the ball to stop the mini two-game skid. These Milwaukee Brewers have played teams tough in April, resulting in a 17-8 start that has placed them atop a fairly competitive NL Central. Up against veteran right-hander Joe Ross, the Bronx Bombers wanted to avoid another close game that would overuse their bullpen, so the bats came alive.
15 runs, 19 hits, six walks, and four home runs for the Yankees would give them a comfortable lead that Carlos Rodon would the Brewers’ offense at bay, having arguably the best start of his tenure in the Bronx.
Offense Erupts For 14 Runs and Carlos Rodon Tosses Gem in Yankees Victory
It was a blowout for the Yankees, who got out to a quick start thanks to a change that manager Aaron Boone made to the starting lineup. He moved up the red-hot Alex Verdugo to the four spot, taking advantage of Anthony Volpe getting plunked and Juan Soto working a walk to hit his second home run in two days. The first-year Yankee collected three hits and four RBIs in his first game as a cleanup hitter this season, which could keep him in that spot for now.
Carlos Rodon would allow a solo blast to Rhys Hoskins in the first inning, but after that he absolutely shut down the Brewers’ lineup, allowing just two hits and one walk while picking up eight strikeouts. This was arguably his best start as a Yankees, as he had an excellent feel for the slider and finally began getting swings-and-misses after struggling to do so early in the season. His command was excellent, and his ERA sits at 2.48 after six starts of the 2024 campaign.
Starting pitching has become a massive strength for the Yankees, who have the fourth-best ERA (3.19), fifth-most innings pitched (152.1), and fifth-best strikeout percentage (24.9%). The offense wouldn’t stop for the Yankees though, as they still had 12 more runs to score following an eventful first frame.
This night was defined by struggling stars, as the next runs of the game came off of the bat of the struggling Gleyber Torres. He smacked a bases-clearing RBI double into right-center field, giving the Yankees a 6-1 lead by the top of the third, one of three hits for him on the night. Oswaldo Cabrera, who had hit a little funk after his red-hot start, picked up an RBI single to make it 7-1 in the fifth, and Aaron Judge deposited a ball into centerfield for his fifth homer of the season, making it a 9-1 game.
Off to a slow start, Aaron Judge had two hits and a walk in five trips to the plate, and he’s starting to show signs of life in the past few days. He has two HRs and an OPS over .900 in his last five contests, hitting the ball significantly harder and hopefully starting a stretch of baseball where he can get on a tear. Another struggling Yankee who had a huge game was Anthony Rizzo, who hit a two-run blast in the very same inning, his third in the last four games played as he had three hits on the evening.
The Brewers would punt the game officially in the eighth as they brought in Owen Miller, a position player, to relieve their bullpen, and the Yankees got a sacrifice fly from Alex Verdugo and a three-run blast from Giancarlo Stanton in the ninth inning to give them their final four runs of the night. Jose Trevino (yes the catcher) came on in the ninth in relief of Luke Weaver, who fired two scoreless innings, and the veteran catcher would surrender two RBI doubles before finishing the inning and handing the Yankees their 18th win of the year.