photo credit: Charles Wenzelberg/ New York Post
The New York Yankees sluggers have finally arrived.
When the season started, the Yankee’s offense was sluggish, barely producing three runs per game. Though the pitching kept the team in any matchups, the sluggers were still on the beaches in Tampa.
Two weeks later, the script has wholly flipped, and the Bronx Bombers have arrived.
After a clean sweep of the Guardians this past weekend, the Yankees would get a day off Monday, followed by a three-game set with a division rival, the Baltimore Orioles. It would have been entirely fair to question whether or not the Yankee’s offense could carry their momentum almost 48 hours later. After all, a day of rest can prove beneficial or detrimental to a team’s momentum. In this case, a day off for the bombers proved to be nothing more than just another day off as they rolled through the Oriole’s pitching. Through the three-game series, the Yankees would outscore the O’s by 27-15, the most runs scored in a single series so far this season. There was some revenge to be sought in this series, as the previous clash with the Yanks and O’s didn’t go quite as hoped for, as the Orioles would walk away with the series victory. Since the 1-2 skid in Baltimore, the Yankees have amassed a record of 8-1 with 55 runs. With that said, it’s safe to say the Yankees bats were clicking well before the O’s came to the Bronx, and they just happened to be in the Yankee’s way for a few days.
Tuesday’s matchup was, well, almost at least, a scary game for Yankees fans down the stretch. The Yanks would go up 6-0 by the fifth inning, and all signs seemed to point to an easy Yankee victory. The Orioles didn’t feel the same way and put up a three-spot in the top of the sixth, cutting the pinstripe lead in half. The Yankee offense would fall silent in the bottom half, and to begin the seventh, the O’s would fire back yet again, now making a 6-4 ballgame. When it looked like the Oriole’s offense would give the Yankees a scare, Giancarlo Stanton would power through an RBI single. In a bases-loaded situation, pinch-running for Stanton would be speedster Tim LoCastro, and Gleyber Torres would have one of his most significant offensive moments of the season with a three-RBI triple and break the game back open to a score of 10-4. Just when it seemed the Yanks had the game back under control, the Orioles again rallied back, making the score 10-8 off an Austin Hays three-run home run and an RBI single from Trey Mancini. Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo were not thrilled seeing the Orioles sticking around in the game, so they decided one way to handle it would be to go back-to-back and make the score now 12-8. The O’s would be shut down in the ninth by closer Aroldis Chapman, and the Yankees secured the victory to begin the series. Anthony Rizzo would have a three-home run, six RBI showing, Joey Gallo finally finding the long ball this season, and Aaron Judge would have his solo shot. Luis Severino had an outstanding showing. Sevy would allow four runs and three hits in six innings but would strike out five and walk two. Sevy’s stuff was on point, but the Orioles would eventually tag him and start to make the game a threat. Clay Holmes would secure the hold in the seventh, a combination of Lucas Luetge and Johnathan Loaisiga would make the eighth interesting, and Chapman held down the fort for the ninth. Not a pretty win, but a win, after all, is a win.
Wednesday seemed to be a “rest” day for the Yankees, as they would walk away with the 5-2 win, a score out of the normal compared to recent Yankee games. The bombers would strike early, putting up two in the first courtesy of Giancarlo Stanton and his third home run of the season and 350th Major League home run. Things would go quiet until the sixth, thanks to Jordan Montgomery throwing a textbook starting game until the Orioles and Anthony Santander tied the game at two, ultimately forcing Monty out. He would leave with two runs and four strikeouts on four hits. Thanks to Joey Gallo and his second home run of the season and his second home run in two days, the Yankees immediately struck back. Michael King came into the game for 2-⅓ innings of work and continued his excellence from Saturday, allowing one hit, striking out two, and walking one. Clay Holmes picked up his second save of the season off an innings of work and came away with two strikeouts to show for it.
Thursday’s matinee would be exciting and interesting, all in one package. Baltimore would take an early 2-0 lead off a Kelvin Gutierrez single and a fielder’s choice forced by Trey Mancini. This lead would only last a few innings, as Marwin Gonzalez would open the Yankee scoring with a double, sending Tim LoCastro from first to home, cutting the O’s lead in half. Shortly after, Judge would give himself another RBI single, sending DJ LeMAhieu to second and Gonzalez home to score, tying the game at 2. The offense wouldn’t stop there, as both Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton would add RBI singles of their own and leave the fifth inning now ahead 4-2. Gonzalez would be back again in the sixth with an RBI sac-fly to send Gallo home, further extending the Yankee lead. The seventh would come and go, but not without yet another RBI single, coming from Josh Donaldson. The eighth would provide support courtesy of the Orioles after a wild pitch would allow LoCastro to score once more. Aaron Judge would also send a two-run shot over the left-field wall, concluding the Yankee scoring and sending the Orioles to the top of the ninth, looking to form some rally to get back in the game. Sure enough, the Orioles (as they seem to like to do now) made the game enjoyable by scoring three more runs, cutting the lead to 5 now. Thankfully for the Yankees and their fans, that’s all the Orioles would get, and the Yankees come away with a 10-5 victory, their second consecutive series sweep, and a 1.5 game lead in the American League East. Taillon would have a decent outing, allowing only the two early runs, but would allow seven hits while still striking out four and walking one. Miguel Castro secured the Yankee victory, followed by consecutive holds from Wandy Peralta and Loaisiga. Luetge would make his second appearance of the series to clean up after Ron Marinaccio’s rough outing in the ninth, where he would surrender all three of the O’s runs. The Yankees received a great deal of offensive production from their sluggers and got multiple assists from Orioles defenders. Five, to be exact. The O’s couldn’t get out of their way, making five errors throughout the game.
This was a true character showing for the Yankees. For a while, it was in question whether the Yankees offense would ever break out, or at least when it would come. In previous pieces, it’s been asked when the Yankee’s “big bats “would come to play, as they had been fairly quiet, but the big bats would come out in full force this series, as Anthony Rizzo would belt three in the first game of the series alone. Stanton would have a solo shot of his own. Judge would have two round-trippers, and Joey Gallo, the player, who has been ragged on the most this season, finally broke out with two of his own Tuesday and Wednesday. Rizzo would have seven RBIs, Stanton would have four, and Judge would have another five. You can keep going, but the offense has been ignited, and the Yankees are ready to move full speed ahead. Now sitting atop the AL East alone, the Yankees will have a chance to extend the gap within the division as they move into a weekend series with a recently struggling Kansas City Royals team.
