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Monday was a rough game for the Bombers, but on Tuesday, Yankees catcher Jose Trevino showed us what baseball is all about. Trevino delivered multiple clutch hits alongside Gleyber Torres, who blasted two homers. He homered in the third, tied the game with a single in the seventh, and delivered the game-winning walk-off hit in the eleventh. On the night that would have been his late father’s birthday and after a tragedy in his home state of Texas just hours before the first pitch in The Bronx, it’s safe to say that emotions were running high for Trevino all night. After his walk-off hit, to seal a 7-6 Yankees victory, he pointed at the sky to his father, something that touched the hearts of many baseball fans, myself included.
It took extras to win, but the Yankees battled with a depleted roster and pulled out a great win in which they showed tremendous resilience. Michael King’s back-to-back rough appearances out of the bullpen have many concerned, however. Aaron Boone called on King to take over in the seventh, and he gave up a crucial three-run homer to former Yankee Rougned Odor that gave Baltimore the lead. Jordan Montgomery gave the Yankees another quality start in which he once again did not receive enough support, this time by the bullpen as well. He pitched into the seventh but was yanked by Boone after allowing a leadoff homer to Austin Hays. Montgomery’s final line was 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 5 K’s. His season ERA now sits at 3.30, along with a WHIP of 1.06 and an opponent average of .236. Isiah Kiner-Falefa came up with a big hit in extras to tie the game back up after Baltimore took the lead. Trevino’s emotional hit that followed IKF’s base knock had The Stadium and Yankee Universe jumping and allowing a small sigh of relief after a rough couple of days for a team that remained healthy and played stellar baseball through the first quarter of the season.
JP Sears, who picked up a win against Baltimore at Camden Yards in mid-April, took the mound on Wednesday fresh off a call up from AAA to face Baltimore’s Tyler Wells. Sears looked sharp and tossed five shutout innings. He recorded five strikeouts while allowing three hits and issuing two walks. Ron Marinaccio tossed two solid innings, allowing no hits while fanning three batters. Lucas Luetge gave the Yankees a couple of important outs, and Miguel Castro recorded a huge strikeout with a runner on base in the eighth. Castro has proved to be very effective when he commands his pitches. The Yankees got a big hit from Miguel Andujar in the fourth, driving in Judge. Andujar then stole second, and coveted catching prospect Adley Rutschman’s throw ended up in center field, allowing Gleyber Torres to score from third. The Yankees took a 2-0 lead and never looked back. After two big wins, the Yankees should have all the confidence in the world that they can win even with a few injuries to key players.
A healthy and improved Andujar is something many people have been waiting for. Boone noted postgame that Andujar has looked very good and will be getting his chances. Andujar has fit very well in left field, a position that Boone says he is a natural at. With a need for another outfielder and a slumping Aaron Hicks, we could and should be seeing Andujar for a while. If Andujar can bring to the table what he did in 2018, plus the solid defense he has played so far in left, the Yankees have added yet another solid piece to an already dangerous lineup. It’s nice to see Andujar back up and getting the chances and looks he deserves after a long road and a great start to the season in Scranton.
All Yankees fans had their fingers crossed that Giancarlo Stanton would be alright after exiting Tuesday’s game with right calf tightness. On Wednesday night, after an MRI, Boone clarified that there was no strain and instead just some inflammation in the ankle, making Stanton’s IL stint shorter than many had thought. DJ LeMahieu was scratched from Tuesday’s game with a wrist issue, but that seems to be minor, and he, along with Stanton, will be back in action soon. Even with the MRI results they had hoped for, Boone and the Yankees have made clear that they will be careful with how quickly they get Stanton going again, but that should not take too long. Jonathan Loaisiga was also added to the IL Wednesday with right shoulder discomfort. Kyle Higashioka and Joey Gallo were both activated from the COVID IL, and both played Wednesday. However, Josh Donaldson is still under the weather and took an IV at Yankee Stadium.
Clay Holmes is simply unbelievable. There is no other way to describe his value to the Yankees bullpen and team. Even with other pieces of the bullpen either injured or not pitching at a high enough level, Holmes always seems to be there to save the day. His video game-type numbers and scoreless inning streak speak for themselves. In other words, thanks Brian Cashman. With the bullpen being both shaky and injured of late, Boone still has reliable arms he can turn to, the top one being Holmes.
This Yankee team has been met with adversity, and so far, they have handled it well. With an upcoming set against the dangerous Tampa Bay Rays, who are a threat to challenge the Bombers in a division race, the Yankees will need to find it in them to get through this little injury stretch and steal a couple of games. These three games against the O’s were a test, but these next four against Wander Franco and the Rays are an even bigger one. After Wednesday’s game, the Yankees flew to Florida and will kick off the four-game set on Thursday at 6:40 PM Eastern Time. Nestor Cortes (3-1, 1.80 ERA) will take on Ryan Yarbrough (0-0, 4.20 ERA). With their top starter of 2022 on the mound, it is up to The Yankees to set the tone for the series.
