Look To Sweep Philly
By Matthew Kennedy
Jazz Ads Sparks To Yankees Lineup
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
Judge Continues To Punish Ptichers
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
It’s been a good past few days to be a Yankee fan. After going 11-23 since June 15th, the Bronx Bombers won 3 games in a row for the first time in over 6 weeks.
New York lost the first game of their 3-game series with the Red Sox, 9-7. In a back-and-forth contest that saw 3 different ties, the Sox managed to outlast the Yanks, defeating them for the 5th time this season. New York was up 7-4 heading into the bottom of the 7th, after a big 4-run top of the inning that included long balls from Aaron Judge and Austin Wells. But the Sox answered back, with a 2-run homer by Ceddanne Rafaela, to cut the lead to 1. Rafaela has hurt New York time and time again this year, blasting the go-ahead home run in extra innings less than a month ago to seal Boston’s victory over New York.
Boston then took the lead in the bottom of the 8th, as closer Clay Holmes blew his 7th save of the season, and 3rd of the month, after being called into the game mid-inning to clean up Luke Weaver’s mess. Despite 2 hits in the top of the 9th, New York could not score, losing another game they once held a commanding lead in. Former Yankee Rob Refsnyder went 3-4 with 2 runs and a homer, scoring the tying run in the 8th.
In the second game of the series, the Yankees got revenge, defeating Boston in an extra-inning slugfest. Off the bat, the Sox lit up Marcus Stroman, with 9 hits in 3.1 innings. But the Yankee bats were on point, and only trailed Boston 5-4 heading into the 3rd. Boston would lead New York until the top of the 9th, when Trent Grisham hit an RBI double to send the game to extra innings.
New York took a 3-run lead in the top of the 10th, and shut down Boston in the bottom of the inning to win. It was a relief for Yankee fans to see Clay Holmes pitch two crucial scoreless innings to close out Boston, allowing just one base-runner.
In the last game of the series, the Yankees thrashed Boston, winning 8-2. Carlos Rodon pitched a good game, allowing just 2 earned runs in 6.1 innings with 7 K’s. Rodon has pitched 2 quality starts in a row, but has given up 3 home runs in that time, for a league high of 23, something he has struggled with all year. On the flip side, the Yankee bats reached base safely 19 times, and drove in 8 runs without a home run.
Jazz Chisholm Jr., who was acquired from the Marlins on Saturday morning, immediately made his presence felt, stealing 3rd base and scoring a run and 2 in total. He is a great small-ball player that New York will rely on to ignite the offense when things are slow.
In the series opener against the Phillies, the Yankees continued their offensive dominance, winning 14-4. New York hit 6 home runs, with Chisholm Jr. and Judge each hitting a pair. Chisholm is the fastest Yankee to have a dual home run game and did so after borrowing Judge’s bat after the former, himself, homered. Juan Soto also had a great game, going 3-5 with 3 RBI, as he continues to solidify himself as the 2nd best hitter in the AL, behind none other than Aaron Judge. Slugger Giancarlo Stanton made his return after over a month on the IL, going 0-4 with a walk and a run. As the only other statistically consistent above average hitter on the team, Stanton will need to continue to provide support to Judge and Soto.
Chisholm Jr. was moved to 3rd base for the series opener, after making his Yankee debut in centerfield. The Yankees have been looking for a replacement for third basemen DJ LeMahieu and Oswaldo Cabrera, who are both struggling at the plate. The hope is that Chisholm Jr. can adapt to third base quickly so that the Yanks aren’t forced to rethink their infield strategy.
Gleyber Torres has now hit safely in 10 of his past 11 games, after going through the worst first-half of a season of his career. Since June 24th, Wells leads all catchers in OBP, SLG, and fWAR, while being one of the games best framers since Jose Trevino’s injury. If he continues to play like this, he will easily become New York’s starting catcher. Reigning MVP Aaron Judge continues to pull ahead in this years MVP race, with 4 homers in the past 4 games.
Despite their increased hitting production, New York has recently made some questionable base-running decisions and committed multiple fielding mistakes. With both the AL East and AL Wild Card races tightening up, the Yankees will need to eliminate more of these mishaps if they are to win their division and avoid any Wild Card struggle.
New York’s newest asset has already been proving his worth, but his acquisition has led to some new questions. Torres, who has been with the Yankees for 7 years, has expressed dissatisfaction with the idea of moving to third base so Chisholm Jr. can play second. The 3 time all-star has been rumored to be in Yankee trade talks, and while he probably won’t be shipped off this year, it would be no surprise if this is his last season in pinstripes.
Mike Leiter Jr. was just picked up from the Cubs for a couple prospects to bolster the bullpen and give Aaron Boone some wiggle room. The 33 year old reliever was acquired for a very reasonable price, and looks to make an immediate impact on a team that has struggled to close out games.
Although Chisholm Jr. has already added new life to a team that was desperate for some kind of spark, New York will still be looking to make more moves before the trade deadline. First and foremost, the Yankees need another starting pitcher. The White Sox were rumored to have declined their offer for young all-star pitcher Garret Crochet, so New York appears to still be in the market for another strong arm.
With less than two days to make a move, Yankee fans are itching to see what happens. The Bombers now look ahead to the rest of their series with the Phillies, who have the best record in all of baseball. They currently sit half a game behind the Orioles and 5.5 games ahead of the Red Sox in the AL East’s 2nd place spot.
In game 2 Tuesday night, New York blew a early opportunity to take a big lead loading the bases in the first inning only to come away with 1 run against starter Aaron Nola. Bombers starter Will Warren was a last minute replacement for Garret Cole (stomach) and gave up 4 runs, on 4 hits putting the team in 4-1 hole. Then, it was Jazz time again.
Down 4-2 in the 7th, Chisholm blasts his second home run of the night giving New York a 5-4 lead. It was his 4th home run in his first 3 games since coming to the Yankees. Chisholm became only the second player in MLB history to accomplish such a feat.
The Yankee bullpen, responsible for closing out games had been struggling since the start of June. They were wild as in wild pitches allowing the Phillies to tie the game at 5 and 6. New York was able to hang on and score in the 12th to come away with the 7-6 victory.
The teams concluded the series Wednesday afternoon. The Yankees are hoping that Jazz continues to play sweet music.
Sports Editor Andrew Rosario contributed to this article.
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