Domingo German

New York Yankees 10/2: Takeaways as the Yankees lose but reach magic #1

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New York Yankees, Giancarlo Santon

The New York Yankees were licking their wounds after a ninth-inning rally failed to save them from losing a game one 4-3 from the Tampa Bay Rays. But at the time, they had no idea that in the middle of the night, they would reduce their magic number to #1. The Seattle Mariners game didn’t start until 10 pm EDT and didn’t end until after 1 am in the east, but by the time they walked off the field, the Mariners had lost the game propelling the Yankees to that magic #1.

Last night’s Yankee/Ray contest was a typically hard-fought game on both team’s part. However, the game never got out of hand to the point that it was lopsided. The Tampa Bay Rays got on the board early, with Nelson Cruz sending one into the New York night. But Giancarlo Stanton blasted an RBI to leave the first inning tied at one apiece. The next seven innings would be scoreless for the Yankees.

After nearly three hours, the game was still close with the Rays having a one-run advantage, then came a very exciting and tense ninth inning for both teams. The Rays tacked on two runs. In the bottom of the inning, with the Yankees behind by three runs, the Yankees’ late rally garnered them two more runs, but it wasn’t enough.

Nasty Nestor still doing his job

Nestor Cortes Jr. took to the mound last night and did what he has been doing ever since the reliever was turned into a starter by necessity. He kept the Yankees in the game. After giving up a homer to Nelson Cruz in the first, he settled down and gave the Yankees almost five innings giving up just one more run while striking out five Rays.

Also, last night Domingo German returned from the IL after not pitching for two months. Boone called in German to pitch the eighth. German pitched a scoreless eighth. He went into the first out of the ninth giving up two earned runs while striking out three. Many fans were asking why Boone didn’t bring closer Aroldis Chapman in the ninth.

“He’s going to be in some difficult situations,” Boone said. “We’ve got to lean on everyone down there. The walks hurt to knock him out of the game, but I thought overall he threw the ball pretty well.”

“I just felt like, matchup-wise, it was good,” Boone said. “I thought Albert did a good job of getting Arozarena out and then he puts Franco on the ground there. He just found a hole with it.”

If the Yankees come up on the wrong side of things after this series, this decision will be questioned again.

Yankee bats stymied by Tampa pitchers

The New York Yankees, maybe more than some teams, have had a great deal of difficulty hitting off good pitchers, and that’s what they faced last night. At the end of the night, the Yankees only got five hits off Rays pitching until they got to Kittredge in the ninth. But it ended up too little too late. Only Stanton and Gardner had two hits in the game. Five Yankees were hitless.

Yankee magic number is now one

This morning, the New York Yankees sit firmly in the number one berth for home-field advantage in the wild card game by one game. The Red Sox are holding on tight for that second spot after winning their game against the Nationals last night. Toronto also won last night and is one game behind the Red Sox. With the Mariners’ loss early this morning, they will have to win both of their remaining games to stay in contention.

If the Yankees win today, they will be assured of the home-field advantage even if the Red Sox win another one. Today the Yankees face the Tampa Bay Rays at 1:05 pm EDT. Jordan Montgomery will be on the mound for the Yankees and Shane Baz for the Rays.

Saturday’s matinee will feature the matchup of veteran Jordan Montgomery against the young Shane Baz. Montgomery is a lefty that is 6-6 with an ERA of 3.49 and 159 strikeouts. “Monty” is the Yankee poster boy for getting little run support in his games. He is coming off two wins against the Texas Rangers and the Boston Red Sox. He has had only one bad outing this season. It was on September 10th when he gave up seven earned runs in just 3.1 innings of work. The Rays hitters have not been particularly successful of him, but he will have to watch out for Manuel Margot, who in 14 at-bats has a .357 batting average.

Twenty-two-year-old Shane Baz will be a mystery to Yankee hitters as they have not seen him pitch except on video. However, he made his major league debut on September 20th and has won both of his games against the Toronto Blue jays and the Miami Marlins. He has pitched a total of 10.2 innings. In his Toronto game, he gave up two home runs. In his Marlins start, he allowed three hits in his scoreless 5.2 innings.

 

 

Yankees about to get back another important piece for the stretch run

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New York Yankees, Domingo German

The New York Yankees have already activated pitcher Luis Severino, who hasn’t pitched since the 2019 playoffs. He hasn’t pitched yet, but he will be a member of the bullpen for the stretch run. As it turns out, he won’t be the only hurler coming back from injury this week.

Before last night’s game against the Texas Rangers, Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone confirmed that the team is about to activate fellow Dominican right-hander Domingo German, who has been out since August 1 with right shoulder inflammation.

Per Boone, by Tuesday or Wednesday, German is expected to be activated from the injured list, providing another option for the decimated pitching corps.

“Domingo could be activated in the next day or two potentially,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on Monday. “He threw (two innings) in his (Triple-A rehab) game Saturday, so that might make him eligible (Tuesday). We’ll see.”

Getting ready to return to the Yankees

That rehab appearance Boone is referring to went well, as German pitched at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, allowing only one run on two hits and two bases on balls over two innings.

It’s unclear if German will function as a starter, as a traditional bullpen arm, or as a multi-inning weapon. The fact is that his presence will be a welcome sight for a team that lost Darren O’Day and Zack Britton for the season and is currently without Jonathan Loaisiga, their relief ace, with a rotator cuff injury.

For the season, the Yankees’ right-hander has a 4.45 ERA in 18 starts and 97 innings. He has fanned 95 hitters and maintains a very good 1.16 WHIP. His command is not always on point and he is prone to allowing hard contact, but he is a solid pitcher who can be of use for what will come.

He could be an ideal multi-inning weapon because he would be able to air his upper-90s fastball out and throw his excellent secondaries without having to worry about facing the opposing lineup two or three times.

Yankees: Starter impresses during rehab outing in Triple-A

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New York Yankees, Domingo german

As the New York Yankees enter the final stretch of the regular season tied with the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays in the Wild Card standings, they need all the help they can get to make it into October.

And while they have been suffering from key injuries in their pitching, most notably starter Jameson Taillon and reliever Jonathan Loaisiga, they have also been getting soldiers back. Corey Kluber recently returned from a shoulder injury that took months to heal, and Clarke Schmidt overcame an elbow issue that took away most of his season.

At this point, another Yankees’ pitcher is close to making a return to the Bronx. Domingo German, who has been out with right shoulder inflammation since July 31, made his first rehab appearance on Tuesday for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The Yankees are happy with the early results

The night was a success for him, considering the extended absence. He was on the mound for two innings and allowed a couple of hits (both singles) and no runs. He struck out four hitters in the impressive outing, and used 25 pitches (16 of them for strikes).

The Yankees still don’t know whether to use German as a starter or as a reliever. In any case, the first priority is to make sure he is healthy and ready to handle MLB hitters.

In 18 starts this season, the Yankees’ right-hander is 4-5 with a 4.45 ERA in 21 games.

Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone had stated before he took the mound last night that he wanted to see him go through the outing unscathed, and then he would make decisions regarding his immediate future.

“We’ll see how it goes for him tonight,” said Boone according to MLB.com. “See how he responds; at that point, make a decision. But we expect him to be back with us sooner rather than later.”

Yankees’ starter hits the injured list with shoulder inflammation: How does that change rotation plans?

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The New York Yankees brought a pitching reinforcement to their rotation with their last deal of the trade deadline on Friday: it’s Andrew Heaney, a southpaw that pitched with the Los Angeles Angels up until last week. He will make his debut today against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium.

Heaney was going to replace fellow lefty Nestor Cortes Jr. in the rotation, and the latter was going to be sent to the bullpen. However, an injury to the Yankees’ rotation changed their plans.

Right-hander Domingo German was placed on the 10-day injured list on Sunday, one day after pitching a competent game against the Miami Marlins, with right shoulder inflammation. It’s unclear, at this point, how long will German be out, but it certainly doesn’t look as something that will only require 10 days.

The Yankees’ righty will get an MRI

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said German has felt soreness since his near no-hitter against the Red Sox on July 25. The pitcher will get an MRI once he gets back to New York, per Boone.

As the Yankees await the results of the MRI, they will have Cortes Jr. returning to the rotation without even missing a turn.

Heaney will make his Yankees debut today, Gerrit Cole will take the hill on Tuesday, while Jameson Taillon will do it on Wednesday. The idea is for Cortes Jr. to pitch on Thusday, as the Yankees open an important series against the Seattle Mariners. Jordan Montgomery, who pitched a very good game on Sunday against the Marlins, would take the ball on Saturday and Heaney would close the week on Sunday.

German has a 4.45 ERA this season, but his 1.16 WHIP says that the first number should be a little lower. Cortes, in the meantime, has been very good for the Yankees, with a 1.93 ERA in 32.2 frames, and he has added 39 strikeouts to boot.

New York Yankees: 3 Major takeaways from Yankees series win

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New York Yankees, Jonathan Loaisiga

The New York Yankees entered last night’s early evening game after a 3-1 win over the Marlins last night when the Yankees saw their newest hitter Anthony Rizzo hit a 449′ foot home run at LoanDepot Park in Miami. He became an instant Yankee favorite. The Yankees had the same lineup featuring 4 lefty hitters, including another new Yankee, Joey Gallo. Domingo German faced the Marlins Trevor Rogers. Rizzo hit another home run, and the Yankees won it 4-2. Just before the game, Marlins manager Don Mattingly although vaccinated, tested positive for the Covid virus, the bench coach James Rowson managed the game.

Rizzo homers again!

No matter how humble, Anthony Rizzo is doing everything he can to gain the hearts of Yankees fans immediately. He wasted no time last night getting his second home run in as many days as a new Yankees. He hit a 449′ monster home run on Friday night, then last night, he scored the go-ahead run in the fifth inning in Miami. Then, he hit a really sky-high home run into a maintenance area just left of the foul pole for an insurance run for the Yankees in the seventh. Showing how he is a complete player; he was excellent at defense and got on base in all five of his at-bats. In a momentary scare, he was hit by a pitch in the hand in the second inning of the game but was okay. After the game, Aaron Boone had this to say:

“I think the heat of [the playoff] chase definitely invigorated him,’’ manager Aaron Boone said. “I think he is one of those guys who truly does live for that.”

Without really trying, other than his home runs and defense at first, Rizzo is endearing himself to Yankees fans by his demeanor. In interviews, he is humble, and he carries himself, not demanding respect but earning it. It sure looks like he embraces what it means to be a New York Yankee.

Loaisiga slams the door shut

Yankees manager Aaron Boone did not want to use Zack Britton, who had been used heavily this week. He also wanted to keep closer Aroldis Chapman out of the game; he had been feeling some general soreness. He also had been worked four of the last six games. So in the fifth inning, he went to his bullpen. Luetge, Holmes, and Green who combined to allow just one hit. Then he asked Jonathan Loaisiga to hold the game and close out a win in the ninth.

Attempting to hold the two-run lead, Loaisiga allowed a one-out single from Brian Anderson, then induced a ground ball from Lewin Diaz. That could have finished the game, but Gleyber Torres, lacking focus, tagged Brian Anderson at second; the only problem was that he tagged him with his glove, not the ball, and both runners reached.  Loaisiga put the gaff behind him and struck out Alfaro, and induced a ground ball from De La Cruz for his third save of the season. YES analyst Jack Curry said that he sees Loaisiga as a closer before his career ends after the game.

Stanton is comfortable in left

The New York Yankees have been preparing Giancarlo Stanton to play in the outfield at some point. Being in Miami in a National League Park, manager Boone took the opportunity to play Stanton in left field as there was no DH. Last night for the second night in a row, Stanton was out there looking comfortable. Although he really hasn’t had any immensely difficult plays during both nights, he has looked like he hasn’t missed a beat making common plays. Adding to his comfort level has to be playing in LoanDepot Park, where he spent eight years out in left field.

Boone aims to play Stanton in left field one or two games a week, assuming his body holds up. Now that the Yankees have kept Luke Voit, Stanton’s ability to play in the outfield will give Boone the option for the DH slot with Stanton, Voit, Rizzo, and others. Boone said after the game:

“I was really encouraged,’’ Boone said of what he saw from Stanton defensively on Friday. “Not surprised. He’s always been a very good outfielder.”

Note: Today, the New York Yankees will go for the sweep of the Marlins. The Yankees are 4-10 in sweep attempts. Today at 1:10 pm, Jordan Montgomery will start for the Yankees against a yet-to-be-named Marlins starter. With two Yankee wins and two Red Sox losses, the Yankees are 7 games out of first place and just one game out of the second wild-card slot.

New York Yankees Recap: Rizzo homers again in Yankees second win over the Marlins

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anthony rizzo, yankees

The New York Yankees entered tonight’s early evening game after a 3-1 win over the Marlins last night when the Yankees saw their newest hitter hit a 449′ foot home run at LoanDepot Park Miami. He became an instant Yankee favorite. The Yankees had the same lineup featuring 4 lefty hitters, including another new Yankee, Joey Gallo. Domingo German faced the Marlins Trevor Rogers. Just before the game, Marlins manager Don Mattingly although vaccinated, tested positive for the Covid virus, the bench coach James Rowson managed the game.

In the top of the first inning, Gleyber Torres went down on strikes. Joey Gallo also went down on strikes. Aaron Judge flew out to right field. At the bottom, the Marlins faced Domingo German. Jazz Chisholm led off, and he lined out to Odor. Miguel Rojas also lined out to Odor. Brian Anderson flew out to Gallo in right for the 1-2-3 inning for German. No score.

Anthony Rizzo led off the second for the Yankees, and a pitch hit him. Giancarlo Stanton doubled, moving Rizzo to third. Rougie Odor got an RBI single driving in Rizzo. With a run driving in two on and no outs, Gary Sanchez hit a long one to right for a ground-rule double driving in Stanton. Tyler Wade went down on strikes. Pitcher Domingo German struck out. Torres struck out. In the bottom, Lewin Diaz popped back to Sanchez. Jorge Alfaro walked. Alfaro stole second.  Bryan De La Cruz walked. De la Cruz was caught off base.  Lewis Brinson struck out for German to get out of the inning. New York Yankees 2 Marlins 0.

Joey Gallo led off the third inning by flying out to center. Judge ground out to second for the second out. Rizzo walked. Stanton hit one to the upper deck in right but foul; he ended up also walking. Odor with two on and two outs singled, loading the bases. With the bases loaded and two outs, Sanchez flew out to left, leaving the bases loaded. At the bottom, Sierra led off by popping out. Rogers stuck out, and Chisholm struck out for a quick inning for German. Yankees 2 Marlins 0.

The fourth was led off by Tyler Wade, who singled to left. German sac bunt moving Wade to second base. Torres flew out to left, by Wade remained at second. Joey Gallo walked. Judge faced the new Marlins pitcher David Hess and stuck out, leaving two Yankees on base. At the bottom, Rojas singled to right. Anderson went down swinging. Diaz popped out to Wade, that was in the shift. Rojas got a stolen base on Sanchez. Alfaro got an RBI triple driving in the first run for the Marlins. A wild pitch allowed Alfaro to score and tie up the game. De La Cruz ended the inning. Yankees 2 Marlins 0.

At the top of the fifth, the Yankees threatened again. Rizzo singled. Stanton singled with Rizzo going to third. Stanton advanced on the throw to third. Odor flew out. Sanchez stuck out. Wade was intentionally walked to pitch to German. But the Yankees inserted Gio Urshela to pinch-hit. The Marlins countered with new pitcher Andrew Bender with the bases loaded, and Rizzo scores as the ball gets past the catcher Alfaro. Urshela struck out, but the Yankees scored, leaving two on base. At the bottom, Brinson faced new Yankee pitcher Lucas Luetge and doubled to the right field wall. Sierra flew out to Judge. Jesus Aguilar’s pinch-hitting for the pitcher struck out as he couldn’t hold back Chisholm struck out to end the inning.  New York Yankees 3 Marlins 2.

The sixth inning was led off by Torres, who was 0-3 on the night flew out to the warning track at left. Gallo tapped right back to the pitcher. Judge, who was also 0-3 on the night and hadn’t got a home run since July 10th, struck out for the fourth time in the game. Rojas led off the bottom by lining out sharply to Stanton in left field. Anderson struck out. Diaz also struck out for Luetge’s fourth strikeout in two innings of work Yankees 3 Marlins 2.

At the seventh, Rizzo led off against new pitcher Steven Okart and homers to right for the second time in as many days in his Yankee debut. Stanton ground out. Odor struck out swinging. Sanchez flew out to right in the end the half, but the Rizzo home run tacked another run for the New York Yankees. At the bottom, Alfaro led off against new pitcher Clay Holmes by popping out to second. De La Cruz ground out to short. Brinson also ground out to short as Holmes has a 1-2-3 inning.  Yankees 4 Marlins 2.

Tyler Wade led off the eighth by a ground out to short. Greg Allen went down looking. Torres popped out to second, going down in order. Sierra led off the bottom Mangneuris Sierra faced new Yankee pitch Chad Green and flew out to left. Isan Diaz pinch-hit stuck out swinging. Chisholm hit it hard but right at Greg Allen in left. Yankees 4 Marlins 2.

In the ninth inning, Joey Gallo hit directly to the second baseman for the first out. Judge flies out to the left-center wall. Rizzo walked to be on base in all five at-bats. Brett Gardner pinch-hit for Chad Green flew out to left. With last licks on the line for the Marlins at the bottom of the ninth, Jonathan Loaisiga was on the mound to close it out for the Yankees. Rojas led off by grounding out to second. Anderson singled past Torres. Diaz reached, but Anderson was out on the base path. Upon review, Anderson went to second. Alfaro went down looking. Miller was sent out for a run for Alfaro. De La  Cruz hit into the force, and the Yankees won the game.

The final score was the New York Yankees 4 and the Marlins 2. The winning pitcher was Lucas Luetge got the win and the loss went to David Hess with Chad Green got his third save of the season.

New York Yankees: Preview of the weekend Miami Marlins series

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The New York Yankees start a three-game weekend series with Derek Jeter’s Miami Marlins tonight at LoanDepot Park, a retractable roof stadium located in little Havana just two miles west of downtown Miami. It is the smallest MLB park by capacity. The Yankees have great ties with the Marlins, its manager is the former Yankee star Don Mattingly, and Derek Jeter is the team’s Chief Executive officer.

The Marlins this season sit at the bottom of the National League East with a 44-58 record and coming off losing 6 of their last ten games. The New York Yankees are in third place in the AL East 8.5 games behind the division-leading Boston Red Sox. However, they are 6-4 in their last ten games.

The Yankees will have a new look tonight with acquisition Joey Gallo somewhere in the middle of the lineup. It is not known if Anthony Rizzo will be available for tonight’s game. They will also have reinforcements in the bullpen with new pitcher Clay Holmes who made his scoreless relief debut last night for the Yankees. Joining him in the bullpen will be Joely Rodríguez, who came to the Yankees in the Gallo trade. J-Rod is a lefty that is 1-3 with an ERA of 5.93 with the Rangers in 31 games.

Tonight, July 30, 7:10 pm:

Jameson Taillon will take the mound tonight in Miami, facing right Zach Thompson. Taillon, all season long, has been one of the Yankee’s least dependable pitchers but has improved recently. Taillon is 6-4 with an ERA of 4.36 and 93 strikeouts. He is coming off one of his best wins of the season against the Boston Red Sox in a Yankee 4-3 win. He has won the last two of his starts. Jesus Aguilar has given Taillon the most trouble hitting .357 against him with 2 home runs in 14 at-bats.

Taillon will face Zach Thompson, a righty with a 2-3 record with an ERA of 2.45 in 8 starts this season. The Marlins have lost his last three starts. No Yankee has ever seen Thompson pitch except in videos.

As of this writing, the Marlins have not announced their starters for the last two games of the weekend series. Tonight’s game will be televised in the New York area on WPIX and its affiliates. In Miami on Bally Sports Florida.

Saturday, July 31, 6:10 pm:

Game two of the series on Saturday night will feature Domingo German on the mound for the Yankees against a yet to be announced Marlins pitcher. German has been a mixed bag for the Yankees this season. After bombing out in his first start, he was sent down to Scranton to figure it out. Upon his return, the Yankees won his next six starts. Most recently, he has not gone deep into games and has struggled. He pitched seven innings losing to the Boston Red Sox in his last outing, only giving up 1 run and striking out a season-high 10 Boston players. Which German shows up for game two is anyone’s guess. Watch in the YES Network and Bally Sports Florida.

Sunday, August 1, 1:10 pm:
The final game of the series, a Sunday Matinee, will be started by Jordan Montgomery, a lefty that is 4-5 with an ERA of 3.78 and 100 strikeouts. Montgomery has been one of the Yankee’s best pitchers this season but has gotten nearly no run support in his starts. The Yankees have lost 5 of his last 6 starts but only scored 12 runs across those starts. He is coming off a five-inning 102 pitch scoreless outing against the Tampa Bay Rays. Sunday’s matinee is on the YES Network and Bally Sports Florida.

New York Yankees: 3 Takeaways from Yankees most heartbreaking loss

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New York Yankees, Jonathan Loaisiga

Yesterday, New York Yankee fans experienced their worst heartbreak of the season. After a late-game win the day before, the Yankees were positioned to split the four-game series with the Boston Red Sox. But that was not to be had. Even with Domingo German pitching a no-hitter into the eighth inning, the Yankees fell apart as they have so many times this season. As a result, the Yankees lost the game 5-4.

Domingo German pitches a gem for naught

In an article previewing the New York Yankees Boston Red Sox series, I said of Sunday’s matchup that you never know what you’re going to get from German. “He could be lights out, or he could struggle mightily.” I had no idea that Domingo German would enter the eighth inning yesterday with his first no-hitter. German was just masterful. All of his pitches were working, and he mystified the Red Sox hitters by mixing them up, so they never knew what was coming.

Previous to last night, German had been a mixed bag, bombing to start the season, and being sent down. He returned a new pitcher with the Yankees winning six of his starts, but then he went south again, with the Yankees losing five of his next seven starts. But yesterday, he pitched the best game the Yankees have seen by any pitcher since Corey Kluber’s complete game no-hitter. Now the Yankees can only hope what German experienced yesterday will carry him through the rest of the season.

Yankees look like a baseball team, but woes continue

On Sunday, Yankee fans for a time experienced the Yankee team they had hoped to have this season. The Yankees played baseball instead of looking dead on their feet, as they have most of the season. Seldom have we seen the Yankees push bunt, steal bases, and even Gary Sanchez achieved the second triple of his career. All this was taking place while Domingo German was pitching the game of his life.

But without a minute’s notice, the Yankee fan’s excitement went crashing down. After pitching 20 more pitches than he had all season, German allowed a double, knocking him out of the game while previously not allowing a hit. The usually dependable Jonathan Loaisiga came in and gave up three runs. Zack Britton replaced him in the ninth inning; he allowed two sac flies scoring two more Boston runs for the late game win for the Red Sox. The Yankees and its fans went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in mere minutes. The Red Sox won three games of the four-game series and the Yankees, coming off the previous exciting win, dropped another game in the AL East.

Is Boone’s job on the line?

The New York Yankees are fast approaching the point of no return. Winning the AL East is now out of the question unless a miracle happens and the Red Sox and Rays completely collapse. No, the Yankees at this point are fighting to get a wild card spot. Presently they are four games out with the Rays, Athletics, and Mariners ahead of them.

Manager Aaron Boone is in the last year of his contract. He has brought the Yankees to the postseason in each season of his management, only to see them fail time and time again. Now he is managing an underachieving team that he has been unable to inspire to play good baseball. One has to wonder at this time whether owner Hal Steinbrenner may be reevaluating his previous support of his manager.

It would be explainable if this were a team of bad players, but it’s not. It’s a championship-quality team that is playing badly. Someone should be held accountable. When playing at Fenway, you see the stands packed with standing room only. Even with 100% capacity allowed, Yankee Stadium has yet to fill the 15,000 empty seats. Fans have lost faith in the Yankees and its manager, and it costs Hal money. Stay tuned.

 

New York Yankees: Yankees enter critical series with the Red Sox – Preview

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Under impossible odds, the New York Yankees are trying to pull themselves out of a self-created hole they have made for themselves in the AL East. In that effort, they have now won four straight games. They took a series from the Red Sox and most recently swept the Philadelphia Phillies with a walk-off win in the tenth inning last night when call-up Ryan LeMarre singled, initiating the win.

What makes this recent turnaround so incredible is that the Yankees have won with 18 players injured or on the Covid list. Some of the biggest names on that list are slugger Aaron Judge, the Yankees’ most productive player, and Gold Glove-like consistent hitter Gio Urshela. Luke Voit is also out of the lineup with a knee injury. They are also without starters Corey Kluber, Nestor Cortes Jr., and Michael King. The Yankees have called up player after player from the minors and have performed admirably for the most part. In some cases, a replacement has replaced another replacement at the same position. None on the Covid list will return to the team during the Boston series.

Regardless of the recent success, the Yankees have only advanced one game in the East and have much work to do to turn their sour season around completely. Tonight they enter a four-game series with the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. This is a crucial series where the Yankees can really move up in the East standings or possibly shut the door on any rebound. With the recent success, they are now 7 games behind the East-leading Red Sox and six games behind the second-place Tampa Bay Rays. All of their next seven games are between these two teams.

Tonight, July 22, 7:10 pm:

Jordan Montgomery will take to the mound tonight in game one against the Red Sox. The lefty is 3-5 with an ERA of 4.18 and 99 strikeouts. Montgomery has gotten very little run support in his games; in fact, in his last four games, he has gotten no run support at all. Nevertheless, the Yankees have won 11 of his 18 starts. The Yankees hope Monty can go deep into the game after using 11 relievers in the last two days. Monty will have to be careful with Xander Bogaerts; he has a .474 batting average off him in 19 at-bats.

Montgomery will face the Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck. He is a righty that is 0-2 with an ERA of 3.38. Houck has pitched in only 4 games this season, 2 as a starter. His last game was a save for the Red Sox against the Yankees when he came in in the seventh inning to finish off the Yankees in game one of the last series. While most Yankees were hitless off of Houck, Tyler Wade and callup Greg Allen got a hit off of him.

Tonight’s game will be broadcast on the YES Network, NESN, and MLBN out of market.

Friday, July 23, 7:10 pm:
New York Yankee ace Gerrit Cole will start in game two on Friday night. Cole is 10-4 on the season with an ERA of 2.63. He leads all of baseball with 158 strikeouts. Cole is coming off two consecutive wins, one a complete game with a career-high 129 pitches against the Houston Astros, the other a 96 pitch win over the Red Sox on July 17. When the Sox take the field, Cole had better hope that Danny Santana isn’t standing at first base. Santana has a .643 batting average off Cole in 14 at-bats.
Cole will face the Boston ace Eduardo Rodriguez a lefty who is 7-5 with an ERA of 5.19 and 112 strikeouts. E-Rod has faced the Yankees three times this season, winning all of his starts, the most recent was a shutout of the Yankees on July 16th. Rougie Odor has E-Rods number; he has a .374 batting average off him in 9 at-bats.
Friday night’s game will be televised on WPIX and its affiliates, NESN, and MLBN out of market.
Saturday, July 24, 4:10 pm:
Saturday’s later afternoon game will feature Jameson Taillon pitching for the New York Yankees. Taillon is a righty that is 5-4 with an ERA of 4.60. Taillon is not a strikeout pitcher but relies on ground ball-outs. He and Domingo German have been the Yankees’ most undependable starters, although he has pitched better in his last two outings. Taillon is coming off a win against these very Red Sox when he pitched 5.1 shutout innings. Xander Bogaerts and Hunter Renfro have been Yankees killers with Taillon on the mound.
Taillon will face the righty former Yankee pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. Eovaldi for the Red Sox is 9-5 with an ERA of 4.60, he like Taillon is also not a strikeout pitcher; he has only 89 on the season. He is coming off two straight losses, one against the Angels and one against the Yankees on July 17. He was the loser in that rain-shortened game. Over his career with the Red Sox, only DJ LeMahieu and Greg Allen have been successful off him with batting averages of .338 and .500.
Saturday’s game will be televised on the YES Network, NESN, and FS1.
Sunday, July 25, 1:10 pm:
Sunday’s matinee will pit Domingo German against Martin Perez. German has been a puzzle this season for the Yankees. He is 4-5 with an ERA of 4.71. Near the beginning of the season, the Yankees won six of his starts in a row. But more recently, the Yankees have lost 3 or his last 5 starts.  The Yankees don’t know what they will get with German; he could be lights out but more frequently struggles. German puzzles some Sox, Bogaerts hits well off on him, while Devers has a .133 average off him in 15 at-bats.
Geman will face Martin Perez, a lefty that is 7-6 with an ERA of 4.16. Perez is coming off of two losses, one against the Phillies and one against the Yankees on July 18th. He has been dogged all season long by not going deeper into games. In the Yankees 9-1 win, he went only 4 innings giving up 3 earned runs. Several Yankees hit well against him in Stanton, LeMahieu, and Odor.
Sunday’s finale will be televised on the YES Network, NESN, and on TBS out of market.
In the next month, both of these teams will see the return of important pitchers to their rotation. Ace Chris Sales will return to the Boston Red Sox first, with Luis Severino returning some near the end of August. The New York Yankees are also expecting the return of Corey Kluber in September.

New York Yankees: 3 Major takeaways from home run show over the Phillies

by
New York Yankees, Estevan Florial

The New York Yankees entered the series with the Philadelphia Phillies last night with a rag-tag team with a higher positivity rate than any time in the season after winning a series against the Boston Red Sox. Even with their beleaguered team with several players on the IL, they were hoping to take their second series in a row. With decent pitching and multiple home runs, the Yankees won the game 6-4 for their third win in a row.

Yankee pitching improves

Right-hander Domingo German was on the mound for the New York Yankees. German could have been lights out, but also could have struggled mightily. He was 4-5 with an ERA of 4.72. In his last outing against the Red Sox, he lasted only 1 inning using 17 pitches before being removed. The Yankees had lost seven of his last ten starts. Last night was considerably better. He went four innings, giving up just two earned runs, but striking out five.

Luckily the Yankee bullpen came to the rescue. Luis Cessa, Lucas Luetge, and Chad Green combined for three scoreless innings. However, returning Zack Britton still showed some rust after not pitching in almost two months; he gave up a homer. Likewise, closer Aroldis Chapman, who has been pitching poorly of late, gave up a homer in the ninth inning, but it was no harm by entering with a three-run lead. Striking out 3 Phillies and allowing just the home run was an encouraging sign for the Yankees.

Yankee power explodes late in the game

A lack of hitting has dogged the New York Yankees all season long. However, last night that seemed to be far in the past as the players; some not from the regular lineup, exploded with four home runs in the game. Veteran Brett Gardner led off the barrage in the fifth inning with his homer off Phillies starter Aaron Nola. In the following inning, Gary Sanchez hit one of his own, knocking Nola out of the game. Then in the seventh slugger, Giancarlo Stanton hit his 16th homer of the season. But the Yankees weren’t done; Estevan Florial, a center field fill-in, slammed another home run in the eighth. Every Yankee got at least one hit in the game with the exception of Tyler Wade who went 0 for 4.

It should be noted that the powerful explosion overshadowed three facts. First, Greg Allen got another hit and scored twice. Second, Estevan Florial went 1 for 3 driving in two runs. Both of these players are fill-ins. Also, being short players, the Yankees had to use catcher Rob Brantly at first base. He, too, got a hit in the game. All, however, was not good; although the home run saved the Yankees, they went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position, another issue that has plagued the Yankees.

Yankee fans behaving badly

New York Yankee fans have been making news of late, not for their excitement for the Yankees, but their bad behavior at the Stadium in the Bronx. In the last game against the Red Sox fan threw a ball, hitting the back of Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo, halting the game for a time. That fan has since been banned from attending any Major League game for the rest of his life. On the same night, the wife of former Red Sox catcher and current assistant coach Jason Varitek reported that their 9-year-old daughter was spat upon when leaving the Stadium.

Last night was another night of bad behavior as a fan ran onto the field in the sixth inning, halting the game momentarily. A chase ensued when the fan was tackled and crushed to the ground. He was escorted out of the stadium by security guards and New York Police. New York Yankee management has strongly condemned these shenanigans, saying that there is no place for these actions at Yankee Stadium.

Notes: Tonight is the last game of the Phillies series; either team has not released starting pitchers for the game as of this writing.