Rougned Odor

New York Yankees: 5 Takeaways from the Yankees 4th consecutive loss

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New York Yankees, Gary Sanchez

After losing three in a row, the New York Yankees hoped to right the ship last night at Angels Stadium. However, the Tampa Bay Rays keep winning, so the Yankees couldn’t afford to lose more games. In the effort, the Yankees sent Jameson Taillon to the mound to face the Angel’s Jaime Barria. The Yankees’ had won Taillon’s last eight starts. But, unfortunately, last night, the Yankees lost their 4th game 6-4.

Yankees returning to their old ways?

For New York Yankees fans, last night was not worth staying up for. It was like watching a game from May or June. The Yankees seemed sluggish and out of focus. At times it looked as if they were going through the motions. They scored just four runs with a satisfactory 10 hits. But, like earlier in the season, the Yankees only went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position. Also, like the past, and even worse, the Yankees hit into five double plays, just one short of an all-time franchise record.

It brought us back to a time when fans and management alike scratched their heads, saying, what the hell is going on? But, as I said, the Yankees hit into an incredible 5 double plays failing to lift the ball. During the entire 13 game winning streak, the Yankees hit into only 4 double plays across the span.

A good example of this perplexing problem lies with Joey Gallo. On this road trip, the home run hitter hit into his first double play since 2018. Including then, he has hit into 3 double plays; that’s 3 in his last 12 plate appearances. Gallo has only 9 hits into double plays in his 2,288 plate appearances. Last night Gallo’s frustration shown through.

With the Yankee’s 4th consecutive loss, they have also lost their first series since they lost to the Red Sox back in July. If losing 4 games in a row isn’t bad enough, the Yankees are supposedly in a race to the postseason. However, while the Yankees are losing, the rival Tampa Bay Rays are winning. As a result, the Yankees have slipped back to 8 games behind the Rays, with only 29 games left to play in the season.

Is Jameson Taillon tiring?

Jameson Taillon came to the Yankees before the season in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Yankees got him on a low-risk, possibly high reward bet. Taillon disappointed early on when he didn’t seem to return to the form the Yankees were hoping for. But soon after, he began to show why the Yankees went after him, to begin with. He started winning. The Yankees won all eight of his starts from mid-July until last night.

But in his last win on August 26th against Oakland, Taillon started to show cracks in the armor. He only lasted 3.2 innings giving up 5 earned runs. The Yankees picked him up and won that game. Last night he went 4.2 innings giving up 6 earned runs that the Yankees could not recover from. It could be that he is tiring out after not pitching for two years and 5 months into the season. Only time will tell if he can regain his form.

Yankee closer situation just got worse

It is well documented that the New York Yankees have big problems with their normal closer Aroldis Chapman. He has been undependable. Now the situation has worsened. Second, go to closer Zack Britton has elected to have bone chip surgery and will be out for the rest of the season. Manager Aaron Boone relies on Jonathan Loaisiga, Chad Green, Lucas Luetge, Wandy Peralta, and Albert Abreu. Boone has been afraid to use Chapman to close one-run games.

Boone made a puzzling move

I recently have been praising manager Aaron Boone for many of his moves and decisions that have led to winning games. But last night in the eighth inning, with two on and two outs, Rougie Odor was ready to hit, and Boone held him back, instead choosing pinch hitter Luke Voit. Voit struck out, ending the inning. I was somewhat shocked that with righty Petricka on the mound that Boone would choose Voit over the lefty Odor that has had some big hits for the Yankees.

Not all is bad news

Things are not looking all that good for the New York Yankees after losing 4 straight games, but there is some good news. Corey Kluber, who pitched a no-hitter early in the season, is back with the team. Although his first start wasn’t very good, he is expected to return to form.

Gary Sanchez has been playing better this season than in his last two but has been on a one mouth dought hitting home runs. Last night he hit his 18th home run of the season, signaling he may be back to hitting with power. Anthony Rizzo also hit a homer in the game, his first since August 4th.

This final item goes under the category of this it is good or bad. Friday Gleyber Torres is projected to return to the Yankees. Torres fans will say great; detractors will say, oh no. Torres will be replacing Andrew Velazquez, an excellent defender and has ignited the Yankees with his play. With the return of Voit and Torres, it, for the most part, removes the two sparks (Odor) that have energized the team as they both get less playing time. Are the Yankees returning to that lackluster team of the first half?

 

New York Yankees: Takeaways from the Yankees historic night

by
wandy peralta

Yankees rewrite the history books

It was a hot, muggy night in Atlanta, Georgia, last night. It would be a night that the New York Yankees created history by winning a game against the Atlanta Braves. It wasn’t just any win; it was their 11th consecutive win, the first time the Yankees have done that since 1985. If that wasn’t enough to delight Yankees fans, they won their ten series in a row, the first time that has been done by the Yankees since 1954.

Knowledgeable Yankee fans knew that the winning streak couldn’t last forever and that if they were to lose a game, it would likely be last night. It didn’t look good with the Brave’s best pitcher on the mound and the Yankees starting their least effective starter. But forget about all of that; the Yankees’ confidence that has carried them so well recently took over, and the Yankees found a way to get it done. With good pitching and powerful hitting at key moments, the Yankees pulled out the win and created history. The Yankees won the game 5-4.

The Yankees pitched, and the hitters hit

Although Yankee starter Andrew Heaney may not have been stellar, he found a way to keep the Braves’ powerful lineup down. He gave up 2 runs in four innings of work before the Yankee bullpen came in to help. The usually good Albert Abreu gave up another run in the fifth. Joely Rodriquez came in and cleaned up for Abreu, not allowing a run and getting his 12th hold of the season. Just off the Covid list, Clay Holmes pitched a clean 6th getting the win in the game. Chad Green pitched two scoreless innings before turning it over to closer Aroldis Chapman.

Meanwhile, the New York Yankee hitters got busy wearing down the Braves starter, Charlie Morton, causing him to throw 88 pitches before being knocked out to the game early. Giancarlo Stanton started the fun when he greeted Morton with a second-inning solo home run to the farthest part of Truist Park in center. Then, in the fifth inning, DJ LeMahieu crushed a two-run home run to left field. Finally, Brian Snitker, the Braves manager, had seen enough and pulled Morton from the game. Then, in the seventh inning, Rougie Odor hit a solo home run of his own that would turn out to be the winning run.

The two newest members of the Yankees disappointed; both Anthony Rizzo and Joey Gallo went hitless in the game. However, the old guard won the game. DJ LeMahieu got 2 RBIs in the game. Aaron Judge got 2 hits scoring once. The on-fire Giancarlo Stanton got his RBI, Gary Sanchez and Rougie Odor both got RBIs. Andrew Velazquez, the spark, stole a base keeping the Yankees with the most stolen bases since the All-Star break.

Aroldis Chapman creates a nail-biter

If you didn’t watch the game, you missed an exciting, tense, nail-biting ninth inning last night.

At the bottom of the inning closer, Aroldis Chapman came to close it out for the Yankees. Facing him was d’Arnaud, who ground out to Velazquez. Duvall singled up the middle. Heredia pinch-hitting for Pederson went down on a Chapman slider, two outs. Ehire Adrianza pinch-hit for pitcher Will Smith, he walked. With two on and two outs, the dangerous Ozzie Albies came to the plate as the winning run and singled to left to load the bases with Braves. Then with the bases loaded and two outs Jorge Soler with sweat dripping from Chapman’s cap, walked, bringing in the fourth run and knocking Chapman out of the game.

Wandy Peralta came in to get the save for the Yankees. Peralta, with the bases, still loaded, faced Freddie Freeman with the game on the line, the winning streak on the line. Freeman flew out to Gallo in left for the Yankee win and the 11th straight win for the first time since 1985. The final score was the New York Yankees 5 and the Atlanta Braves 4. The winning pitcher was Clay Holmes, and the loser was Charlie Morton. The save went to Wandy Peralta (5).

 

 

 

 

 

New York Yankees Recap: Chapman falters, but the Yankees pull out 11th straight win

by
yankees, dj lemahieu

The New York Yankees entered tonight’s game in a very unusual situation. That situation was to win their 11th straight game, which has not been done since 1985. The Yankees have won their last 9 series and their 10th game in a row going 26-8 since July 17th. No team in baseball has had two teams with a 9-1 record or better face each other since 1901. The Yankees would not have an easy task with the Atlant Braves starter Charlie Morton on the mound. The Yankees had Andrew Heaney starting for them. The Yankees got their 11th straight win 5-4 over the Braves. It was the 10th series win. the first time that has been done since 1954.

The first inning was led off by DJ LeMahieu, who ground out to short. Anthony Rizzo struck out on a Morton curveball. Aaron Judge hit a line drive to center for a single. Joey Gallo flew out to center to end the half. At the bottom, Ozzie Albies led off and ground out to short. Jorge Soler also ground out to Velazquez at short. Freddie Freeman walked. A pitch hit Austin Riley. Dansby Swanson hit a two-run double, driving both Freeman and Riley. Travis d’Arnaud ground out to short to end the inning, but the Braves scored two runs. Atlanta Braves 2 New York Yankees 0.

Giancarlo Stanton led off the second inning by homering to right-center to bring the Yankees one run closer. Gary Sanchez struck out swinging. Rougie Odor went down swinging, as did Andrew Velazquez to end the half. At the bottom, Adam Duvall led off and struck out. Joc Pederson went down swinging. Charlie Morton gave Heaney a strikeout of the side. Braves 2 Yankees 1.

The third inning was led off by Andrew Heaney, who went down looking. LeMahieu struck out for Morton’s sixth strikeout. Rizzo flew out to center to end the half. At the bottom, Albies hit the first pitch he saw for an out to right field. Soler ground out to Odor at third. Freeman popped out to left-center. Braves 2 Yankees 1.

Aaron Judge led off the fourth inning by leading off with a double down the right-field line. Gallo went down looking. Stanton that homered in the second ground out to the infield with Judge moving to third base. Sanchez singled up the middle-scoring Judge to tie the game at 2. Odor chopped out to first to end the half, but the Yankees tied the game. At the bottom, Riley led off by singling to short. Swanson swung out swinging. d’Arnaud singled to left. Duvall, with two on and one out, popped out to Rizzo in right field territory. Pederson was hit by a pitch but swung for the final out of the inning. New York Yankees 2 Braves 2.

The fifth inning was led off by Andrew Velazquez, who struck out. Then, DJ LeMahieu hit a two-run homer to deep left. At the end of the fifth inning, the New York Yankees 4 and the Atlanta Braves 3.  The sixth inning was scoreless for both teams. Clay Holmes pitched an excellent sixth for the Yankees. In the seventh inning, the Yankees picked up another run with Rougie Odor’s solo homer, which turned out to be the winning run for the Yankees. . Chad Green in for the Yankees had a scoreless seventh. New York Yankees 5 the Atlanta Braves 3.

The top of the eighth inning was scoreless for the Yankees. At the bottom of the eighth, Chad Green struck out Soler. Freeman singled to left field out of Gallo’s reach. Riley singled but tried to stretch it to a double and was called out at second. Freeman took third base. Swanson ground out to end the inning. New York Yankees 5 Atlanta Braves 3.

At the top of the ninth inning, Gary Sanchez was called out on strikes. Odor walked. Velazquez struck out swinging. Luke Voit pinch hit for Chad Green and walked on four pitches. DJ LeMahieu popped out to Swanson at short to end the half-inning.

At the bottom of the inning closer, Aroldis Chapman came to close it out for the Yankees. Facing him was d’Arnaud, who ground out to Velazquez. Duvall singled up the middle. Heredia pinch-hitting for Pederson went down on a Chapman slider, two outs. Ehire Adrianza pinch-hit for pitcher Will Smith, he walked. With two on and two outs, the dangerous Ozzie Albies came to the plate as the winning run and singled to left to load the bases with Braves. Then with the bases loaded and two outs Jorge Soler with sweat dripping from Chapman’s cap, walked, bringing in the fourth run and knocking Chapman out of the game.

Wandy Peralta came in to get the save for the Yankees. Peralta, with the bases, still loaded, faced Freddie Freeman with the game on the line, the winning streak on the line. Freeman flew out to Gallo in left for the Yankee win and the 11th straight win for the first time since 1985. The final score was the New York Yankees 5 and the Atlanta Braves 4. The winning pitcher was Clay Holmes, and the loser was Charlie Morton. The save went to Wandy Peralta (5).

New York Yankees: 3 Major takeaways from Yankees 10th series win

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New York Yankees, Yankees, NYY, Luke Voit

The New York Yankees entered Sunday afternoon’s game against the Chicago White Sox with one goal, to win the second game in a row and take the series from the White Sox for the second time this season and for the 10th time in eleven tries. But, make no mistake; this team is not operating on all cylinders, missing key components in the pitching rotation and big hitters in the lineup. Nevertheless, the Yankees have found a way to win games and did it again yesterday with good pitching and gutsy play. Final score 5-3. Four of those Yankees runs were accomplished with two-run home runs from Rougie Odor and Luke Voit.

Nestor Cortes Jr. absolutely brilliant in his first win of the season

Nestor Cortes Jr. from 2013 came up with the New York Yankee organization, but the Baltimore Orioles plucked him away from the Yankees in the 2017 rule 5 draft. Cortes went from the Orioles to the Yankees again for a short stint but was eventually traded to the Seattle Mariners. For a third time, the Yankees again singed Cortes in December of 2020.

Cortes was again called up to the bigs with pitching injuries and pitchers going on the Covid list. Cortes is a reliever by job description and a good one at that. He has pitched in 13 games this season. After a successful 5 innings of relief against the Astros not allowing a run and the Yankees short of pitchers, he was called upon to start a game for the Yankees on the 23rd of July against the Red Sox; it didn’t go well, but the Yankees gave him another try on the 28th when he went five innings only allowing one run.

Since then, he has pitched well in three more starts. Cortes has been a Godsend for the Yankees. Yesterday against the White Sox with the series on the line, he was brilliant with six strong innings while scattering 7 hits and 7 strikeouts. Cortes doesn’t dazzle you with power, but his wide array of pitches keeps opponents off-balance. He adds to that a variety of deliveries making the pitches even more confusing to hitters.  He recorded his first win of the season, and after the game had this to say about his performance:

“It’s a very respectable lineup,” Cortes said. “I went in there and got the job done, gave them some length and came out with the ‘W.’ … I would love to wave a wand around and throw 97-98 [mph], but as long as I can get the job done, I’ll stick with what I’ve got.”

Luke Voit finally breaks through

It’s no secret that Luke Voit has struggled mightily since his latest return from yet another IL stint. He has often looked rejected walking to the dugout after another strikeout. He has even said that he can contribute big time but hasn’t been able to, causing great frustration.

Yesterday that all ended with one crack of the bat. With a big two-run home run, Voit went far to relieve that frustration as he provided the two insurance runs that would end up being the difference in the game. With the return of the first baseman Anthony Rizzo, he may have done it just in time to secure more playing time.

“I’m capable of doing a lot in this lineup,” Voit said. “I want to hit; I’m a good hitter. I want to help this team any way I can to win a championship. This year has been a tough ride for me, but I’ve just got to keep grinding.”

Key components finally return

New York Yankee fans learned yesterday that the promised help was indeed on the way for the lineup and the pitching rotation. For the lineup, the Yankees will insert contact hitter Anthony Rizzo back in the lineup Monday night in the makeup game with the Los Angeles Angels. On the pitching side, it was announced that pitching ace Gerrit Cole would return to the rotation and start tonight’s game against the Angels.

Cole facetiously said Saturday that he had pitched a no-hitter in the bullpen and that he was ready. Following Cole’s return, the Yankees will see the return of Jordan Montgomery on Tuesday in a doubleheader with the Boston Red Sox. All three of these players are coming off the Covid list.

 

 

New York Yankees Recap: Nestor Cortes Jr. brilliant in Yankees series win over the White Sox

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This afternoon was the rubber game with the New York Yankees playing game three against the Chicago White Sox. The Sox won the Field of Dreams game on Thursday night, and the Yankees won last night’s game in the tenth inning. Today, Nestor Cortes Jr. faced the Sox ace Lucas Giolito. The Yankees won the game 5-3 and the series for their 10th in 11 tries.

The top of the first inning saw DJ LeMahieu face Giolito; he flew out to center. Brett Gardner walked on the 13th pitch of the at-bat. Aaron Judge also walked. Joey Gallo went down looking. Giancarlo Stanton struck out swinging on a ball well out of the zone, leaving two on base. At the bottom, Tim Anderson had a comebacker right back to Cortes. Hernandez ground out to Odor, who made a spectacular throw to first. Jose Abreu blooped to center of a single. Eloy Jimenez singled with Abreu going to third, and with the throw going to third, Jimenez took second. Andrew Vaughn hit back to Cortes with the Sox, also leaving two on base. No score.

The top of the second was led off by Luke Voit, who singled to left. Rougie Odor hit a two-run homer to right-center. Kyle Higashioka went down on strikes. Tyler Wade struck out swinging. LeMahieu singled to left. Gardner doubled with LeMahieu going to third. LeMahieu made it home on an errant throw to second. Judge popped out to second. At the bottom, Yoan Moncada tipped back into the glove of Higgy. Luis Robert flew out to Gardner in center. Danny Mendick singled up the middle. Seby Zavala struck out swinging. New York Yankees 3 White Sox 0.

Joey Gallo led off by hitting a push bunt on the first pitch he saw in the third inning. Stanton flew out to the warning track in center. Voit singled to left with Gallo going to second. Odor struck out swinging. Higashioka went down looking. Anderson led off the bottom by grounding out to Wade at short. Hernandez hit a comebacker to Cortes. Abreu walked. Jimenez singled down the right-field line with Abreu going to third, but Vaughn ground out to end the inning. New York Yankees  3 White Sox 0.

Tyler Wade led off the fourth by going down on strikes. LeMahieu flew out at the left-field wall. Gardner walked. Judge reached on an E4. Gallo struck out swinging with a chance to blow the game wide open, leaving Gardner and Judge on base. At the bottom, Moncada singled to Wade on a ball he couldn’t handle. Robert went down looking. Mendick struck out to end the inning. Yankees 3 Sox 0.

Giancarlo Stanton led off the fifth inning by walking against new Sox pitcher Ryan Tepera. Voit flew out to center. Stanton advanced on a passed ball. Odor went down swinging on the 10th pitch. Higashioka struck out but reached on a wild pitch, with Stanton going to third. Wade flew out to the left to end the half. At the bottom, Anderson singled past Odor at third. Hernandez hit into a 5-4-3 double play. Abreu went down, looking to end the inning. Yankees 3 Sox 0.

It was the top of the lineup for the Yankees in the sixth inning. LeMahieu tapped out to third. Gardner flew out to the left-center. Judge walked. Judge stole second. Gallo struck out to end the half.  Jimenez leading off the bottom, struck out. Vaughn homered into the left-field stands to get the Sox on the board. Moncada ground out. Robert went down, looking to end the inning, but the Sox got on the board. New York Yankees 3 White Sox 1. Nestor Cortes Jr. pitched a season-high 98 pitches.

Stanton started the seventh inning with his second walk of the game. Voit went down on strikes. Rougie Odor faced new pitcher Aaron Bummer and went down looking on an awful call. Stanton advanced to third on a wild pitch. Higashioka went down looking stranding Stanton. At the bottom, Jake Lamb pitch hitting for Mendick against Stephen Ridings, walked on four pitches. Collins pinch-hitting for Zavala struck out. Anderson hit into a double play to end the inning.  Yankees 3 Sox 1.

The eight-inning was led off by Wade, who ground out. LeMahieu walked. Gardner ground out. Judge was intentionally walked. Gallo went down on strikes stranding two. At the bottom, Hernandez walked. Abreu faced new pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga and hit into fielder’s choice. Jimenez stuck out. Vaughn popped out to get Loaisiga out of a jam. Yankees 3 White Sox 1.

The ninth inning was led off by Giancarlo Stanton who got a double to right. Jonathan Davis was sent in as a pinch-runner. Voit hit a two-run homer into the left-field stands. Odor singled to right. Higashioka hit into what should be a double play but reached second on an errant throw that Higgy knocked out of Abreu’s glove. Wade struck out, and Lemahieu flew out to end the half.

At the bottom of the ninth, with the last licks on the line for the White Sox Moncada against Lucas Luetge, he walked. Robert singled to left. Lamb popped out at second. Collins doubled to the right-field wall just out of the reach of Aaron Judge as Moncada scored. With Anderson coming up, the Yankees turned to Wandy Peralta to close it out for the Yankees. Anderson singled driving in Collins. Hernandez hit into a double play to end the game.

The final score was the New York Yankees 5 and the Chicago White Sox 3. The winning pitcher was Nestor Cortes Jr., and the loser was Lucas Giolito. The save went to Wandy Peralta.

 

 

 

 

New York Yankees 8/8: 3 Major takeaways from another Yankee win

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The New York Yankees entered last night’s game with a split of the series with the Seattle Mariners and hoping to take the series with a win. In his first game, Andrew Heaney, who had a rough start for the Yankees, faced Chris Flexen. The Yankees got that win their fifth in a row and now hope to sweep the Mariners today. The final score was New York 5, Seattle 4.

Andrew Heaney rebounds for the win

After a disastrous first start of the Yankees last week, Andrew Heaney opened last night’s game against the Seattle Mariners; it looked like Deja Vu all over again. First, he allowed a double to the first hitter he faced. Then, Kyle Seager got a two-run homer to the right-field porch just beyond Stanton’s reach, and just like that, the Yankees were behind 2 runs. Heaney used 40 pitches just in the second inning.

In the second inning, Heaney gave up another two runs. But then Heaney pulled it together. At the top of the third, Seager ground out to first. Murphy went down on strikes. Then, Fraley struck out for Heaney’s first 1-2-3 inning as a Yankee. After that, Heaney was sharp. At the end of the second inning, no one would have thought he would go more than four innings, but he did. He saved the Yankee bullpen and completed six full innings using 108 pitches; meanwhile, the Yankees went ahead in the game, and Heaney earned his first Yankee win.

After the game manager, Aaron Boone called Heaney the player of the game

Bullpen holds as Yankee win fifth

Using nine pitchers the night before, the Yankees needed Heaney to go deep into the game, and he did. Then, in the seventh inning on Saturday, Clay Holmes, when the Yankees were in dire straits, proved why they went after him from the Pirates before the trade deadline.

The seventh inning was led off by Moore facing new pitcher Clay Holmes and struck out. Toro went dowl looking. Haniger also struck out as Holmes struck out the side all looking. For the Yankees and Holmes is was his second perfect outing. Joey Rodriguez finished up a scoreless eighth inning. Then with no rest for four days, Jonathan Loaisiga came in, closing it out for the Yankees in the ninth.

The Yankees creep up in the standings

For the past month, the New York Yankees have been the winningest team in baseball. Last night was a total team effort to get their fifth win in a row and creep up in the standings, albeit without a few major players, the Yankees have found a way to get it done. Last night Aaron Judge homered. Rougie Odor logged a 2 run smash to the short porch. Kyle Higashioka got his first pinch-hit double that ended up being the winning run, while DJ LeMahieu diverted attention to him in a run down.

After a lethargic first half of the season, when even the most earnest Yankee fan thought it was pretty much over the team they loved. Aaron Boone and company kept saying that the Yankees would perform like the championship team they were supposed to be; few believed that.

But early in July, everything seemed to change. The Yankees began winning series. They’ve won 20 of 28 games over the last month, starting with a badly needed victory over the New York Mets. As the trade deadline approached, the Yankees became the most successful team picking up the pieces they needed to complete their team. They picked up three pitchers, contact lefty Anthony Rizzo and lefty powerhouse Joey Gallo. They now have a balanced lineup that can win games.

During the last 28 games, the New York Yankees have gone from 41-41 to 61-49. The Yankees are now just 5.5 games out of first place in the AL East, led by the Tampa Bay Rays. They are 2.5 behind the Boston Red Sox. In addition, they are 1.5 games out from the second wild card slot behind the Oakland Athletics. With 52 games left in the season, the Yankees are looking to win the East division possibly.

 

 

 

 

New York Yankees Recap: In a game filled with everything the Yankees win 3-1

by
anthony rizzo, yankees

The New York Yankees went into tonight’s three-game series with the Miami Marlins, hoping to turn the page after a devastating shutout by the Tampa Bay Rays last night. With a brand new lineup of four lefty hitters, the Yankees were hoping to turn their season around. The Yankees acquired both Joey Gallo from the Rangers and Anthony Rizzo from the Cubs at the trade deadline, plus a couple of new pitchers. Jameson Taillon faced the Marlins Thompson. The Yankees won the game 3-1.

For a change with an exciting new Yankee lineup for the first time, Gleyber Torres led off the lineup for the Yankees, as DJ LeMahieu sat out the game. Torres struck out. Joey Gallo, in his Yankee debut, also struck out. Aaron Judge singled into the outfield with three players unable to catch the ball. Anthony Rizzo, in his Yankee debut, walked. Giancarlo Stanton, back in his old stadium where he hit 59 home runs in 2017 and was the NL MVP, struck out, leaving two on base. At the bottom, Mangneuris Sierra led off by singling to Gallo in right. Miguel Rojas grounded into a double play. Jazz Chisholm reached on a throw that took Rizzo off the plate.  Jesus Aguilar flew out to Stanton playing in left field for the first time this season.  No score.

Rougie Odor led off the second and lined up on the first pitch. Gary Sanchez went down on strikes. Tyler Wade singled to left. Taillon hitting in an NL park ground out softly to second to end the half. At the bottom, Brian Anderson flew out to Judge in center. Alfaro ground out. De La Cruz struck out to end the half.  No score

The third inning was led off by Torres, who flew out. Gallo walked. Judge ground out to second, moving Gallo to second. Rizzo also ground out to second to end the half, leaving Gallon on base. The bottom had Bryan Miller leading off; he flew out to Stanton in left. Zack Thompson flew out to Judge in center. Sierra walked. Rojas singled to left, with Sierra moving to second. Chisholm flew out to Stanton to end the inning.  No score.

Giancarlo Stanton started off the fourth inning by grounding out to third. Odor walked. Sanchez had a long out to left at the wall. Wade had a failed bunt to the pitcher to end the half. At the bottom, Jesus Aguilar led off by tipping into the glove of Sanchez. Anderson singled. Alfaro went down on strikes. De La Cruz struck out for Taillon’s fourth strikeout of the game. No score.

Yankee pitcher Taillon led off the fifth inning, and he walked on four pitches. Torres hit into a 5-4-3 double play. Gallo gave it a run to the warning track in center to end the half. Miller led off the bottom by getting his first major league single. A wild pitch moved Miller to second. Thompson struck out. Sierra lofted one to Stanton in left. Rojas ground to short to end the inning. No score.

Aaron Judge led off the sixth inning by striking out swinging. Rizzo then got his first home run (449′) as a Yankee to center field. Stanton ground out to short. Odor faced new Marlins pitcher Ross Detwiler and got hit by a pitch. Sanchez struck out to end the half, but Rizzo put the Yankees ahead in the game. Chisholm led off the bottom by grounding to first. Aguilar ground out to Wade at third. Anderson walked, and that was the night for Jameson Taillon, who had another quality start. He was replaced by Jonathan Loaisiga facing Alfaro, who reached on a booted ball by Odor. De La Cruz ground out to Torres at short, who made a beautiful play tossing to Odor for the final out of the inning. New York Yankees 1 Marlins 0.

Tyler Wade led off the seventh against new Marlins pitcher Anthony Bender and walked. Wade was caught stealing. Greg Allen went down looking. Torres was called out on strikes on a ball that was clearly out of the strike zone by a mile. Torres said something and was thrown out of the game. At the bottom, Miller struck out. Lewin Diaz flew out to Allen in left. Sierra singled just in front of Judge. Rojas struck out, ending the inning. New York Yankees 1 Marlins 0.

The eighth inning was led off by Gallo, who struck out. Judge was hit by a pitch and took first. Rizzo singled to left with Judge stopping at second. Gio Urshela pinch-hitting for the pitcher Loaisiga faced new pitcher Zach Pop and singled, moving Judge to third. Pitcher Nestor Cortes was brought in to pinch-run for Urshela, who has hamstring issues. Odor singled bring in Judge and Rizzo for the Yankees three-run lead. Sanchez, with two on and one out, hit into a double play to end the half. At the bottom, Chisholm faced new Yankee pitcher Zack Britton and had a lead-off single to center. Aguilar singled to right, with Chisholm moving to third. Anderson, with two on and no outs, hit into a double play with Chisholm scoring. Alfaro struck out to end the inning, but the Marlins got on the board. Yankees 3 Marlins 0.

Tyler Wade led off the ninth inning and against Austin Pruitt and flew out to center. Greg Allen got a good bunt, but Alfaro fired a missile to first to get him out. DJ LeMahieu got a base hit right up the middle. Gallo hit out directly to the first baseman. With last licks on the line for the Marlins, Aroldis Chapman came in to close it out for the Yankees. De La Cruz led off by flying out to Gallo in right. Lewis Brinson pinch-hitting ground out to third.  Joe Panik pinch-hitting got plunked. With one on, Sierra struck out with the Yankees winning the game.

The final score was the New York Yankees 3 and the Miami Marlins 1. The winner was Jameson Taillon, and the loser, Zach Thompson, with the save going to Aroldis Chapman (21).

 

 

 

New York Yankees Player Profiles: Nestor Cortes Jr. and Rougned Odor create sparks (videos)

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There is no question that the New York Yankees have been sluggish in pitching to this point in pitching but primarily with lackluster hitting. However, two Yankees are making a difference providing some sparks to a team that seemed to have little urgency and energy. Those two players are Nestor Cortes Jr. and Rougned (Rougie) Odor. Cortes Jr. has been a good reliever for the Yankees, but recently he has become a good starter with his wacky windups and surprising pitch selection. His stuff is so nasty it’s Nestor Nasty. When in the lineup, Odor provides some excitement as he swings for the fences in every at-bat. He plays with a passion seldom seen.

Nestor Cortes Jr.

The New York Yankees seem not to know what to do with Nestor Cortes Jr.; they drafted him and fired him twice, now; in his third stint with the Yankees, he is gradually making a name for himself. Although a great reliever, he appears to be a dependable starter for the Yankees. He has two starts winning both of them.

Cortes Jr. is an old fashion pitcher, a real pitcher that constantly surprises his opponents with an often whacky windup and throwing any pitch at any time. He keeps hitters off-balance, often making them laugh. In a game against the Angels, he faced the great Shohei Ohtani. When Cortes made a bunch of strange moves on the mound, Ohtani laughed, thinking that Cortes was afraid to pitch to him; the fact was that he was playing with Ohtani.  Cortes is afraid of nothing and always has fun on the mound. He can’t blow away hitters, but his mental game wins.

Cortes Jr. throws a four-seam fastball that averages approximately 89 miles per hour. He also throws a slider and a curveball. His curveball has been registered as slow as 47 miles per hour. Hitters never know what they are going to get from Cortes. He throws all of his pitches in any situation. His style has given Yankee fans something to enjoy.

Cortés was born in Surgidero de Batabano, Cuba. His father won a lottery when Nestor was just a baby, and his father moved the family to Hialeah, Florida. Cortes started playing baseball at the age of 5. He pitched for Hialeah High School and Florida International University. The Yankees selected Cortes in the 36th round of the 2013 draft. He started in the Gulf Coast League, but the Yankees didn’t protect him, and the Orioles claimed him in the Rule 5 draft. He made his Major League debut as a Baltimore Oriole on the first day of the 2018 season.

On April 13, 2018, he was returned to the Yankees. He played in one game for the Trenton Thunder, but he advanced to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, combining a 6–6 record and a 3.68 ERA in 24 games. In spring training in 2019, he didn’t make the team and again started the season in Scranton. On May 9th, he was advanced to the Stadium. On June 15, he earned his first Major League win but again was sent down to Scranton, where he completed the season 5-1, but in November, he was traded to the Seattle Mariners. He bombed with the Mariners and selected free agency.

In a third stint, the New York Yankees signed him to a minor league contract. He came up to the Stadium on May 20, 2021. His record since then is 0-0 in nine games, two of which were starts. The result is a 1.05 ERA. The Yankees have won both of his starts.

Rougned Odor

New York Yankee fans found out six days into the 2021 season that the Yankees made an intriguing trade. They traded with the Texas Rangers acquiring Rougned Odor. Odor was to sit on the bench. The 27-year-old Odor had $27 million left on his contract; most will be paid by the Rangers while the Yankees will pay him the MLB minimum per Jeff Passan of ESPN. The question for Yankees fans was why Odor. Well, for starters, he is a lefty bat with power. Odor consistently hits home runs, 30 in 2019 and the equivalent of 26 in the shortened 2020 season. With his lefty power, the short porch at Yankee Stadium looms huge. Odor is a second baseman by trade, so the Yankees have platooned him with DJ LeMahieu.

With New York Yankee fans knowing little to nothing about this still young man, let’s find out his origins and what got him to the Bronx. Rougned Roberto Odor was born on February 3, 1994, in Maracaibo, Venezuela.  He has been playing baseball since the age of 2. [1]. He previously played for the Texas Rangers from 2014 to 2020. The Rangers traded Odor to the Yankees on April 6, 2021. [2]

After three years in the Texas Rangers, minor league system, the Rangers promoted Odor to the major leagues on May 8, 2014. Odor finished the year hitting a .259 batting average, 39 runs, 14 doubles, 9 home runs, 4 stolen bases, and 48 RBIs in 386 at-bats over 110 games. In 2015 Odor was the opening day second baseman, but he struggled mightily and was demoted but was shortly called back up. He finished the season hitting .261, with 16 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 54 runs scored, but he also led the league in errors.

In 2016 he finished the year with a .271 batting average, 33 home runs. In 2017 he did something few players have ever done; in the season opener against the Cleveland Indians, Odor hit two home runs in his first two at-bats of the season. During the last few years, 2018-20, he had a slash line of .209/.273/.425 with 58 home runs over the span. Other than a relatively low batting average, and even though he hits many home runs, he also strikes out frequently. In acquiring Odor, the Yankees may have seen something that the Rangers haven’t seen and can find a way to fix that.

A lefty bat with power is dangerous for Yankee opponents at Yankee Stadium; hopefully, the Yankees will find a way to use Odor with the best results.

On a personal note, his nickname is “Rougie.” Odor is deeply involved in horses and the sport of toros coleados. His involvement in horses started when he visited his mother’s family on weekends, who had horses. His long-range plan is to build a horse farm in North Texas and move his entire family from Venezuela.

New York Yankees: Takeaways from Mariners shutout of the Yankees, drama video

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After the New York Yankees took two games in a row from the Seattle Mariners the Yankees went into yesterday afternoon’s game hoping for the sweep. The exact opposite happened, the Yankees were shut out by the west coast team 4-0. The game ended in an unexpected drama.

Jordan Montgomery not good, not bad

Jordan Montgomery has had a frustrating season this year, and those frustrations continued last night. “Monty” took to the mound in the first inning and allowed a homer to Kyle Seager over Brett Gardner’s glove at the wall. In the second inning, Luis Torrens hammed one to left for a single. Then, Dylan Moore got a two-run shot into the left-center stands. Two poorly located pitches cost Montgomery big-time as he then went 2 outs into the seventh inning, matching Logan Gilbert all the way. Montgomery put down the Mariners 1-2-3 two innings in a row. He pitched a season-high 105 pitches.

In the game, Montgomery only allowed 4 hits while matching a season-second high 9 strikeouts. On May 21, he got his career-high 11 strikeouts. Montgomery has gotten very little run support in his games, and that was the case again yesterday as the Yankees only got one hit off of Seattle pitcher Logan Gilbert. Although Montgomery’s record has suffered, the Yankees have won 11 of his 17 starts; that’s three more than when ace Gerrit Cole starts a game.

Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery have been the New York Yankees’ best pitchers this season. Unfortunately for the Yankees, both of these pitchers have lost their last three starts, adding to the downward spiral of the Yankees. Just beyond the halfway point of the season, the Yankees trail 9 games behind the division-leading Boston Red Sox.

Logan Gilbert one hit the Yankees

The Seattle Mariner’s starter Logan Gilbert was absolutely brilliant yesterday afternoon; he only allowed one Yankee hit. After the seventh inning, he had put down 18 Yankees in a row when he left the game. The Yankees only had three baserunners in the game. Giancarlo Stanton got the only hit of the game, a blistering double. The other two runners were Luke Voit, who was hit on the hand by a pitch from Gilbert, and DJ LeMahieu that Graveman hit.

The New York Yankees have been dogged all season long but having an underperforming lineup. For the most part, the only players in the lineup playing to their capabilities are Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. For a time, it looked as though Gary Sanchez was picking it up; he hit five home runs in just 9 games but has cooled off recently. The bottom line is that the Yankees just couldn’t figure out Gilbert.

Mini drama sets up after the game

For the most part, there is little poor blood between the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners, but something strange happened last night. It appeared that the 9th inning closer Kendall Graveman was out for blood. He pitched up and in on Rougie Odor, then hit LeMahieu resulting in a staredown by Graveman.

Hit by a pitch, LeMahieu was the Yankee’s third base runner in the ninth.. two of the Yankees’ three base runners were hit by pitch.  With last licks on the line for the New York Yankees with Locastro, LeMahieu, and Judge coming up, Locastro was pinch-hit by Rougie Odor, who popped out to shallow left. LeMahieu was hit by a pitch for the second Yankee runner of the game. Aaron Judge hit into a double play to end the game.

The two pitches “looked suspicious,” LeMahieu said. “It’s just baseball.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Graveman stared down LeMahieu after hitting him.

Aaron Judge followed by hitting into a game-ending double play. As the Mariners celebrated, the Yankee dugout emptied, and Judge yelled at the Mariners, which Boone said was in response to Graveman staring down LeMahieu again.

“It was a frustrating game for us,’’ LeMahieu said.

New York Yankees: Mariners embarrassed by the Yankees, here’s the takeaways

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New York Yankees, Luke Voit

Last night the New York Yankees started a three-game set with the Seattle Mariners on the west coast. In the late-night game on the east coast, the Yankees desperately needed a win after losing three straight series and sinking deeper in the AL East standings. They did win, and in a big way, they outscored the Mariners 12-1.

Jameson Taillon brilliant

No one was happier this morning than Jameson Taillon; he pitched an absolute gem last night in Seattle against the Mariners. In an after-game interview this morning, he could hardly contain his joy. Last night he had the start that he and the Yankees have been waiting for all season. He pitched a full seven innings allowing only four hits and one earned run while striking out 9 Mariners.

Last night was a difference-maker for Taillon; he had an excellent command of all of his pitches, and he did what he has had so much trouble doing, he found his put-away pitch. The New York Yankees acquired Taillon in a trade with the Pirates. He was coming off two Tommy John surgeries. The Yankees were taking a high reward risk acquiring him and Cy Young award winner Corey Kluber with the hopes that they could return to their previous form. Kluber already showed that he could with a no-hitter against Texas on May 19th. Meanwhile, Taillon still struggled. But, with last night’s performance, he has shown the type of pitcher he can be.

Bronx Bombers were back for at least one night

Last night was not only a big, much-needed win for the Yankees, but it could signal a turnaround for the team that mostly hasn’t been able to hit. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have been hitting all season, but Luke Voit, who didn’t start the season due to knee surgery, hasn’t been hitting since his return. Voit is important to the lineup because he can be the third home run power hitter. He hit 22 in the short 2020 season. After he gave a harsh assessment of his performance, he exploded last night, going five for six for the first time in his career.

Voit got five hits driving in three of the Yankees runs, and did it without hitting a home run. He Obviously found his stroke again, which is good news for the Yankees going forward. If that wasn’t good enough news for the Yankees, all the players took part in the party as the Yankees hit a season-high 18 hits and scored a season-high 12 runs in the game. Giancarlo Stanton and Rougie Odor both had multi-run home runs. Aaron Judge and Luke Voit both had extra-base hits. Last night, the big difference is that the Yankees hit when it counted driving in that season-high run count. The only player without a hit was Gary Sanchez, who was patient at the plate and walked twice.

Aroldis Chapman takes a step forward

It would be a great misstatement if I said that Aroldis Chapman has a good inning in the ninth last night, but it did show an improvement as he struck out 3 Mariners in the inning and did not allow a run. Chapman has been bad in his last few closes, allowing home runs and walks. In his last three closes, he has given up 8 walks, and 2 home runs with a blown hold and his fourth blown save. After an ERA of 0.00 through his first 18 games, his ERA has risen to 22. That’s not 2.20; it’s twenty-two in just his last nine games.

In the bottom of the ninth inning last night, Ty France singled on the first pitch from Chapman. Jake Fraley struck out on a 95mph fastball. France went to second on a Chapman wild pitch. Luis Torrens walked. Jack Bauers struck out. With last licks on the line, Dylan Moore, with two on and two outs, walked. Shed Long Jr. followed by striking out to end the game. It certainly wasn’t pretty, but Chapman got the job done.