Yanks Edge Angels, and Are Getting Healthier

Having taken 3 out of 4 from the Red Sox at home, the Yankees went out to the West Coast, to play the Los Angeles Angels and the San Diego Padres.

On Sunday afternoon, at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees played their best game of the season, beating the Sox, 16-1. On Monday night, at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, they followed it with their worst game of the season. Starting pitcher Elmer Rodríguez didn't get out of the 4th inning, and the Yankees committed 3 errors -- officially. Unofficially, there might have been an additional 3 plays that were scored hits for the Angels but could have been called errors. Aside from Spencer Jones' solo home run in the 5th, it was an awful night, with the Angels winning, 10-1.

On Tuesday night, the Yankees got back-to-back home runs from Jones and Jazz Chisholm in the 1st, giving Gerrit Cole a 3-0 lead before he even took the mound. But he wasn't a whole lot better than Rodríguez, not making it through the 6th inning. Fortunately, the bullpen held. The Yankees added some late runs, and won, 7-3.

The Wednesday night game was a pitcher's duel. Amed Rosario's ground-rule double scored Cody Bellinger in the top of the 4th, and that was the only run that Reid Detmers gave up through 7 innings. Cam Schlittler allowed only 1 baserunner, a single by Vaughn Grissom in the 2nd, until there were 2 outs in the 7th, when Grissom got a 2nd hit, a home run.

I don't like games on the West Coast, starting at 10:00 PM Eastern Time. And I don't like games going to extra innings: If you're gonna lose, do it in the regulation 9. I really hate when a late start goes to extra innings. But, after 9, this one was 1-1. It was "ghost runner" time.

Rosario was the Yankee runner. Jones struck out. José Caballero singled, but it wasn't deep enough to score Rosario. Chisholm drew a walk. Luis García Jr. popped up, and I was sure it was going to be a 2-1 Angels win.

Then came 4 straight singles, by Austin Wells, Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Ben Rice. It was 6-1 Yankees, and it seemed like the win was in the bag.

It wasn't. Michael Fulmer, signed as a free agent the preceding Saturday, had pitched 3 games for the Angels this season. He got Grissom out, then gave up a home run to Moisés Ballesteros. The game was once again in doubt. But he got Christian Moore to ground out, and struck out Jose Siri.

Siri, what was the final score? "Yankees 6, Angels 3." The Yankees took the series.

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The Yankees trail the Tampa Bay Rays by 3 games in the American League Eastern Division. They have 22 games left: Tonight, tomorrow and Sunday, away to the San Diego Padres; September 8, 9 and 10, home to the Colorado Rockies; September 11, 12 and 13, home to the Mets; September 14, 15 and 16, away to the Minnesota Twins; September 18, 19 and 20, away to the Arizona Diamondbacks; a doubleheader on September 22, and single games on September 23 and 24, home to the Rays; and September 25, 26 and 27, home to the Baltimore Orioles.

If the Yankees take 2 out of each 3-game series, and split the 4 against the Rays, that will give them a record of 94-68. To top that, the Rays would have to evenly split their other 18 remaining games.

There is talk that Aaron Judge might be back for the Colorado series. I would love to see him tee off on the Mets. George Lombard Jr. and Clarke Schmidt also might return soon. Ryan Weathers and Angel Chivilli might be back before the end of the regular season; Giancarlo Stanton and Fernando Cruz almost certainly will not.