The Yankees took 2 out of 3 away to the Chicago White Sox -- winning 2 in Chicago after losing the Field of Dreams game to them in Iowa -- and came home to play a rainout makeup with the Los Angeles Angels.
Gerrit Cole came off the COVID list to make his 1st start in nearly a month. He's been sick, and he wasn't using any "sticky stuff." I was concerned that, due to his just having come back, Aaron Boone (or Brian Cashman) would only let him throw 4 innings.
Well, it wasn't that bad. Still, they didn't take too many chances, letting him throw 90 pitches. He gave up a home run to Justin Upton in the 1st inning, and lots of people then believed the Yankees would lose the game 1-0. But in the bottom of the inning, Aaron Judge singled, and Joey Gallo hit a home run to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead.
After the homer, Cole allowed only a single to Phil Gosselin in the 2nd and a walk to Brandon Marsh in the 5th. That was it, until, with 2 outs in the 6th, Upton reached on an error. Rougned Odor has helped the Yankees a lot this season, but he simply is not a 3rd baseman. Knowing that Zack Britton had told him he shouldn't be the closer, Boone chose this moment to bring him in, and he got a striekout to end the threat.
The bottom of the 6th became one of those innings. Cliche Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. DJ LeMahieu led it off with a walk against Angel starter Jose Suarez. Then Suarez walked Judge. Then he walked Gallo. Bases loaded, nobody out. A chance to put the game away. But Giancarlo Stanton struck out, and Luke Voit grounded into an around-the-horn double play. Bases loaded, nobody out, and we got nothing.
I could imagine the radio booth:
John Sterling: "You know, Suzyn, you just can't predict baseball."
Suzyn Waldman: "Shut up, old man, you can."
But Albert Abreu pitched a perfect 7th, and got the 1st 2 outs in the 8th. Joely Rodriguez got the last out in the 8th. For the 9th, Boone brought in Chad Green. "Oh, boy, here we go," I thought. But no: Green got a groundout and a strikeout, then allowed a single, then got a strikeout to end it.
Yankees 2, Angels 1. WP: Cole (11-6). SV: Green (4). LP: Suarez (5-6).
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Here's the thing: Yes, there are still plenty of games that the Yankees should win that they end up losing, like the Field of Dreams game. But last night's game was one of many they've played this season that they previously could have been expected to lose, but won anyway.
The hope is that they have gotten their act together at just the right time, when 10 of their remaining 45 games are against the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays, including the next 3 at home to Boston. The fear is that they are peaking too soon.
As things currently stand, the Yankees are 5 1/2 games behind the Rays for the American League Eastern Division lead, 5 in the all-important loss column; 2 games behind the Red Sox for home-field advantage in the AL Wild Card game, 1 in the loss column; and 1 1/2, 1 in the loss column, behind the Oakland Athletics for the 2nd AL Wild Card slot. And the hardest part of the Yankees' schedule is behind them. And the players are getting healthier. So there is plenty of reason to hope, especially if we can sweep this series against The Scum.
Here are the pitching matchups for the Boston series:
* Today, 1:05 PM, in the makeup of a rainout from earlier in the season: Jordan Montgomery, returning from the COVID list, vs. Tanner Houk.
* Tonight, 7:05 PM, in the regularly-scheduled game: Rookie surprise Luis Gil vs. former Yankee Nathan Eovaldi.
* Tomorrow night, 7:05 PM: Andrew Heaney vs. Nick Pivetta. Time for the already-maligned Heaney to show he belongs in Pinstripes.
Let's get ready to rumble! Beat The Scum!
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