During the New York Yankees’ last homestretch, they had the opportunity to sweep the Toronto Blue Jays but crashed, dropping the last two games of a four-game stretch. They then went even against the Tampa Bay Rays, falling in the series opener before shutting out their opponents in the finale.
A six-game road trip was up next, with three games against the Kansas City Royals and another three at the Athletics. Away from home, the Bronx Bombers succeeded, going a near-perfect 5-1.
Much of the success in the Royals series can be attributed to starting pitchers Cam Schlittler and Gerrit Cole, who put together consecutive successful outings on the mound. Schlittler, the 25-year-old rising star, delivered six strikeouts in six innings of work, while giving up four hits and an earned run. Cole took it a step further in his start since returning from a torn UCL, earning 10 strikeouts in more than six innings against the Royals.
From there, the bullpen took control for the rest of both outings, as Ryan Yarbrough went three innings without giving up a run behind Schlittler’s start. Fernando Cruz and Camilo Doval continued that trend in the series finale to complete a 7-0 shutout of the Royals.
As the pitching staff shut down Kansas City, the Yankees’ lineup combined for 22 runs across both victories. Veteran outfielder Cody Bellinger batted in four RBI, with a home run. Reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge plated two RBI, as Ben Rice continued his hot stretch by scoring four runs on four hits. Not to mention, shortstop Anthony Volpe hit his first home run since returning to the team from a minor league stint.
In their next three bouts against the Athletics, the Bronx Bombers remained on pace, as they took the series opener and finale. Starting pitcher Carlos Rodon held for six innings in the first win, earning four strikeouts, four hits, and an earned run in that span.
The bullpen allowed just one run to score, as New York completed an 8-2 victory. Paul Goldschmidt delivered three RBI that night, while Rice and Judge combined to drive in four RBI.
The lineup was even better in the series finale, where they matched a franchise record of scoring all 13 of their runs in the third inning alone. Rice drove in four, while Trent Grisham and Max Schuemann plated two RBI each. Judge, Bellinger, and Goldschmidt each drove in a run.
However, the main outlier from this performance was the pitching staff. Will Warren gave up three runs and six hits in six innings, where he struck out five batters. Reliever Tim Hill gave up three hits and four earned runs in just an inning. In the one loss of the series, Ryan Weathers gave up five earned runs and six hits in more than six innings of work. Jake Bird surrendered the last run, which put the Athletics ahead by two runs at the game’s end.
Strong pitching and proficient hitting will need to be at the forefront of the Yankees’ approach as they enter their next six-game homestand, starting with a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians.
After Schlittler on Tuesday, New York will put the ball in the hands of Cole and Rodon in the next two outings.
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