Batting Cleanup: Tough Times in Birdland
Clint may have found his swing this week in Baltimore (Gail Burton / AP)
Game 1: Yankees Lose 4-2
Batman Returns
Matt Harvey faced the Yankees for the first time since April of 2019 when he was a member of the Los Angeles Angels, and he looked strong early. In the first inning he handled the Yankees’ boppers with ease, striking out DJ and walking Stanton before getting Aaron Judge to ground into a birthday double play.
His strong start continued. He went 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 5 K, 3 BB. He may have had some BABIP luck (as most pitchers facing the Yankees have), recording 7 outs on hard-hit balls. Either way, if you didn’t show me the velocity numbers (4 seamer was sitting at 93.5 MPH) you could have convinced me it was 2013.
And I Was Like Deivi, Deivi, Deivi Oh!
Deivi Garcia made his return to the Big Leagues on Monday, and Cedric Mullins made it clear that he was not at the alternate site anymore, sending his second pitch of the game 406 feet to right field and putting Baltimore up 1-0.
Ultimately, Deivi was fine. The O’s put up a second run by way of a walk and a double in the bottom of a second inning, but that was all they’d get against Deivi. He went 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 4 K, 3 BB on 65 pitches. Just fine for his first start back. They pulled him after he faced precisely 18 batters, so it’s tough to say if his low pitch count is evidence that the Yankees will be keeping him on the roster and making him a mainstay in the rotation, or if they simply weren’t going to have him face the top of the order a third time. Either way, I was generally happy with what I saw from the young man.
Unforced Errors
Baltimore’s second run scored when Freddy Galvis doubled in Pedro Severino, who was on base thanks to a walk. I get that walks happen, but they feel avoidable, and the reasons not to walk people abound.
Baltimore’s third run was even less excusable. Darren O’Day BALKED in Austin Hays, who he hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. That’s just a special kind of bad, and not the kind of bad the Yankees can afford when their offense is not producing.
In the top of the eighth, the Yankees loaded the based with one out. Rougie struck out, and then Gio ripped a single to left field.
The third base umpire decided that Judge was out at third despite Maikel Franco appearing not to have tagged him. The umpiring crew (?) then said that in addition to that incorrect call, they would tack on the incorrect call that Judge was tagged out before DJ scored. This made a 4-3 game with runners on first and third in two outs in the top of the eighth into a 4-2 game going into the bottom of the inning. Boone tried to challenge, but the crew didn’t grant the challenge, apparently deciding that too much time had elapsed before Boone called for it. I’ve never seen a crew not grant a challenge before, and I’ve certainly seen them give a manager a lot more time to decide if he wants to challenge.
Forced Errors
Cedric Mullins is a Yankee Killer now, so that’s cool I guess (it’s not cool). He homered to lead off the game, and added on another solo shot to lead off the seventh inning against Justin Wilson. I wish he… hadn’t done that.
Are We Sure This Was Camden Yards?
The Yankees’ bats were surprisingly cold on Monday. They only had three baserunners through the first 5.2 innings, and 2 of them were erased on double plays by the batter immediately following them (Judge in the first, DJLM in the 6th).
After DJ LeMahieu grounded into an exceedingly frustrating double play following Clint Frazier’s walk to lead off the sixth, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge hit back to back doubles (at 115 and 111.8 MPH) to cut Baltimore’s lead in half, but a fly out to left by Rougie ended the threat there.
They went 2-7 with RISP (.286) with hits from Judge and Urshela, but those were the only bright spots in this one.
Game 2: Yankees Win 5-1
The Song Remains The Same (And Also Doesn’t)
As always, the Yankees threatened in the first inning. DJ roped a double to left field and advanced to third on a well-placed single to left field. The Old Yankees would’ve hit into an inning ending double play with runners on first and third and one out, but not the New Yankees. The New Yankees sent Gio Urshela to the plate and he promptly hit a long fly ball to right field, scoring LeMahieu and providing the Yankees with their first sac fly of the season. They made a lot of good contact in the first inning, even on a couple of the outs (Gleyber hit a ball 103.5 MPH that died on the warning track), and set themselves up for a good game.
Gio’s sac fly ended a 30 game stretch without a sac fly, the longest in team history. What are we gonna do? Tweet about it?
Gio’s sac fly ended a stretch of 30 straight regular season games without a sac fly for the Yankees. That’s the longest streak in team history.
— Yankees Files (@YankeesFiles) April 27, 2021
Yes.
It turns out they moved their patented “leave runners on base” shenanigans to the second inning. Higgy and Rougie got back to back hits with two outs, but DJ stranded them both by popping up to Rio Ruiz.
In the third, Aaron Judge hit a Stantonian homer. A low line drive that put every fan in left field in danger got out in a hurry (116.2 MPH) and gave the Yankees their second run of the game. Gleyber and Hicks added batted balls of 106.8 MPH (double) and 102.4 MPH (lineout) respectively. Even when the Yankees were not getting hits, they were hitting Zimmermann HARD.
Kyle Higashioka was offended by one of the big boppers hitting a homer, so he tacked on one of his own for his second hit of the night and fourth homer of the year.
That was not even very close to being a strike, so Higgy hit it out. Why not? Guy has been a monster this year.
The Yankees proceeded to continue to steal RBIs from Gio Urshela with questionable baserunning decisions, and Gio Urshela continues to get hits because that’s just what he does. That put the Yankees up 4-0, which would’ve been 5-0 if Giancarlo Stanton had sprinted, but then Giancarlo Stanton would’ve been out for the season. So it’s fine by me.
Giancarlo Stanton paid his baserunning debt in the seventh inning with this 114.1 MPH bomb to dead center.
Truce Zimmermann
The Yankees shelled Bruce Zimmermann in this one, and did not offer any form of cease fire. I don’t even know if that joke really works. Anyway, Zimmermann only lasted 3.2 IP and allowed 9 H and 4 ER (one of these was really an inherited run allowed by Dillon Tate, but them’s the rules). The Yankees really shelled Zimmerman on Tuesday, and it was refreshing to see. He’s not very good at pitching and they were due to provide a punishing offensive performance against Baltimore sooner or later.
Klüb Goin’ Up, On a Tuesday
When Kluber threw a 10-pitch, 1-2-3 first inning, I thought this section was going to be about how the Klubot finally turned things around. With one out in the second, he walked Austin Hays and hit Chance Sisco, because losing the plate has become The Corey Kluber Thing. But like a rider of royal fortresses who hates genetically identical people, Mountcastle initiated a twin killing and allowed Kluber to escape the jam.
After looking solid for a while, Kluber worked himself into some trouble in the bottom of the sixth. He lost some control, and got hit hard. He walked Trey Mancini on 4 pitches, and allowed Maikel Franco to single into right center and move Mancini to third. DJ Stewart ripped a ball into center field but right at Aaron Hicks, Austin Hays lined a shot directly into the glove of Gio Urshela, and Chance Sisco grounded out to DJ to end the threat.
I guess the Yankees were less distressed than I was by the events of the 6th inning, or they liked the insurance run that Stanton provided and saw that the 7-8-9 hitters were coming up.
Boone ultimately pulled him with 2 outs in the seventh after singles by Ryan Mountcastle and Cedric Mullins.
Really good start by the Klubot. 6.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 5 K, 2 BB on 96 pitches. Love when a guy has his best start as a Yankee. Let’s hope he keeps it going.
Notes
For the second straight night, the Yankees made some weird outs on the bases. Stanton got thrown out at home by Austin Hays, and Gleyber got caught stealing (extra weird)
Jonathan Loaisiga was good again because Jonathan Loaisiga is good (1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 K, 1 BB)
Like game 2 of the Cleveland series, this felt like the minimum run output for how well the Yankees hit the ball. 13 balls of 100 MPH+ and only 12 H and 5 R to show for it. I still like what we saw
Game 3: Yankees win 7-0
Can The Weird First Inning Stuff Stop?
The Yankees hit Dean Kremer hard immediately in the first, but came away with nothing to show for it. DJ ripped a single to right center, Stanton hit a ball almost 120 MPH that Maikel Franco managed to smother and turn into a 5-4-3 double play. Gleyber followed it up by shooting a double down the right field line (that would probably score a couple of runs in a just world), but Gio struck out to end the inning.
The Rest of the Game Was Better
Mike Ford led off the second inning with a beautiful opposite field homer. He didn’t hit it particularly hard as home runs go (98.3 MPH) but it still counts! That put the Yankees up 1-0. Good to see some production from the first base spot.
The Yankees tacked on 4 more runs in the third to go up 5-0. LeMahieu, Stanton, and Gleyber hit back-to-back-to-back singles to score the Yankees’ second run of the game, and then Gio provided this.
Bless our Happy Fella.
Even Clint Frazier got in on the fun, ripping a double to left center to lead off the fourth inning. He then promptly participated in the grand Yankees’ tradition of getting thrown out on the bases by trying to advance to third on a ground ball to short by Higgy and getting thrown out by… a lot. Let’s take a minute to appreciate how beautiful it is when Red Thunder and his “legendary bat speed” barrel a ball up. He tacked on a homer later in the game for the Yankees’ seventh run, so enjoy this Clint Frazier XBH reel. I think he’s back.
Miércoles, But May as Well Have Been Domingo
Domingo German looked good again in his second start back from the alternate site. Through 3 innings, despite not recording any strikeouts, he had not allowed a hit.
He must have had an inside look at me writing this post, because in the fourth, he continued not giving up any hits, but struck out two of the three batters he faced.
The first hit for the Orioles came with two outs in the fifth when Ryan Mountcastle hit a chopper down the third base line. Gio made a good play to get to hit going to his right, and attempted the Jeterian jump throw, but Mike Ford couldn’t handle the throw, and Mountcastle beat it anyway. A great effort to preserve the no-no by Gio, but it was not to be.
Ultimately, Domingo turned in a gem: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 6 K, 1 BB and his best game score (76) since June 19, 2019. There’s an argument it’s his best start as the Yankee. Man, winning streaks feel good.
It Really Was a Tough Day to be Dean Kremer
Just as we expected, whoever the Orioles chose to make Wednesday’s start was in for a rough time. The Yankees’ bats found something on Tuesday, and Kremer was pretty powerless to stop them. He came into the game with a 6.75 ERA and left with an 8.40, after going 4.1 IP and allowing 6 ER on 6 H. By game score, it was his worst start of the year.
Notes
Shutouts rule
The Yankees recorded 12+ hits in consecutive games for the first time all year
After going 30 games without a sac fly, the Yankees recorded them in back-to-back games after Aaron Hicks drove Stanton in with one in the fifth
Mike King has now pitched 11 scoreless innings and allowed only 4 hits this year. He earned another trip to the alternate site with his 2 scoreless innings on Wednesday
Game 4: Yankees Lose 4-3
This Should Not be Complicated
Jorge Lopez came into the game with a career ERA of 6.18 and an ERA over 8.00 this year. He didn’t look good in his first start against the Yankees, and had not been impressive since. Jordan Montgomery’s only other start against the Orioles this year saw him throw 6 shutout innings, so it seemed like this would be a reasonably straightforward affair.
It Was More Complicated Than I Hoped
Just when I thought the Yankees had heated their bats up to a good working temperature, they froze again. They got 6 hits in the first 6 innings, but they were all singles, and both of their runs came on a two-out, two-run, bases loaded single by Rougie in the top of the fifth that gave the Yankees the lead for the moment.
Trey Mancini came up in the bottom of the sixth and hit a LASER into the bullpens in left center. This tied the game and knocked out Jordan Montgomery. To that point, Mancini’s RBI single and solo homer produced all of Baltimore’s offense.
Final line on Montomgery was 5+ IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 K, 1 BB on 74 pitches. Really not a bad start, and I was surprised to see him pulled so early. However, the bullpen was rested after Wednesday’s game and Cole starts on Friday, so there was no sense in risking leaving Gumby out there to die. Chad Green came in and worked a drama-free inning to keep the game tied.
Jorge Lopez didn’t exactly befuddle the Yankees, but he got the job done. He went 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 K, 2 BB. Absolutely good enough for a guy who came into the game having been smacked around pretty severely for much of the year. He passed the baton to Adam “I Could Have Sworn He Was On The Indians” Plutko, who worked 2.1 impressive innings before a single from Giancarlo Stanton knocked him out with 1 out in the 7th.
Don’t Forget About Double Plays
While the Yankees’ prolific pace of grounding into double plays has slowed from the beginning of the season, the Double Play Monster bit them a couple of times today. Clint hit into one after Gary’s walk in the sixth, and Gleyber hit into one after Stanton’s single in the seventh.
Nobody Wanted to be the Hero
Between the double plays and the eighth inning futility fest by the Aarons (Judge struck out as a pinch hitter and Hicks struck out immediately after), the Yankees couldn’t find a way to put up another run, but managed to hang around.
The pitchers did their jobs until they didn’t. Chad worked two scoreless innings and handed things off to Darren O’Day for the eighth. O’Day walked newly-minted Yankee Killer Cedric Mullins and then gave up a double to Austin Hays that scored Mullins and allowed the O’s to retake the lead. Tough series for the sidewinding righty.
The Rally
Mike Ford, who was pinch hitting for Clint, walked to lead off the ninth, but the Yankees couldn’t pinch run for him because Tyler Wade had already replaced Rougned Odor after Judge pinch hit for him in the eighth. Brett Gardner followed up Ford’s PA with a strikeout, DJ walked, and then Stanton struck out, leaving the game in Gleyber’s hands. Gleyber hit a ground rule double to left center, probably robbing the Yankees of a run that would’ve scored if his ball would’ve simply hit the wall, but tying the game. Gio came up next and ripped a line drive that looked like it would tack on at least one more run for the Yankees, but he hit it directly at Ramon Urias and that ended the inning.
Extras
In the 10th, Tyler Wade led off the inning by failing to get a bunt down and therefore leaving Gio (the automatic runner) at second base. If Tyler Wade can’t even put down a bunt, what on earth is he here for? Aaron Hicks then grounded out to the pitcher, and after the Orioles walked Gary intentionally, Ford struck out with two runners on to end the innings.
The Orioles showed Tyler Wade what’s up in the bottom of the inning when Pat Valaika successfully laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Urias to third and bring Mullins to the plate. Mullins walked things off with a sac fly to secure the series split for the O’s. Real waste of a good pitching performance by the Yankees.
Notes
Giancarlo Stanton hits now. He had 9 hits in the series, which rules
Darren O’Day came into the series having allowed 6 H and 1 R all year, and promptly allowed 3 H and 2 R (including a run he balked in)
The Yankees lost a game in which they allowed 4 runs or fewer for the 8th time this year. That’s disgusting
