Yanks Struggle In San Diego, Activate Judge

San Diego likes to call itself "America's Finest City." But since 1971, they've lost the NBA's Rockets in 1971 and Clippers in 1984; the World Hockey Association's Mariners in 1977; the NFL's Chargers in 2017; and almost lost MLB's Padres twice: Coming with inches of losing them to Washington in 1973-74, and barely passing a stadium proposition in 1998.

If you don't count soccer, which now has both men's and women's top-flight teams in the city, the Padres are all they have left, and they almost lost them twice. And despite spending a lot of money over the years, they've won just 2 Pennants: 1984, losing the World Series to the Detroit Tigers in 5 games; and 1998, when the Yankees swept them 4 straight.

Nevertheless, none of that meant anything as the Yankees visited Petco Park in this past weekend's series. Max Fried gave them a good start on Friday night, but, knowing he was still trying to work his way back to full strength after missing most of the season due to injury, manager Aaron Boone took him out after 5 2/3rds innings, 72 pitches, allowing 1 run on 4 hits and a walk. Will Warren got through the 6, the 7th and the 8th, and David Bednar the 9th, allowing no runs and just 2 baserunners (a hit and a walk).

But Walker Buehler and the Padre bullpen were equally strong. Ben Rice led off the game with a single. Trent Grisham led off the 2nd with a walk. Both were stranded. Rice hit a solo home run in the 3rd. Luis García Jr. led off the 4th with a single, but was erased on a double play. Jazz Chisholm led off the 5th with a walk, and Rice hit a 1-out single in the 6th. Both were stranded.

The game went to extra innings, and Spencer Jones singled "ghost runner" García home to make it 2-1. But Heloit Ramos grounded into a double play, and Chisholm struck out -- the 15th Yankee strikeout of the game. In the bottom of the 10th, with Dustin Harris as the ghost runner, Paul Blackburn struck former Red Sock pain in the ass Xander Boegarts out, and then gave up a home run to Luis Campusano. Padres 3, Yankees 2.

Carlos Rodón started on Saturday, going 5 innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits, 1 of them a home run by Manny Machado, and 3 walks, striking out 7. The bullpen allowed just 1 hit and 2 walks the rest of the way. They got considerably more support than Fried and the bullpen got the night before. A double, 2 singles and 3 walks led to 4 runs in the top of the 2nd inning. Another run came in the 4th, making for the final score of Yankees 5, Padres 1.

Gerrit Cole started yesterday afternoon. Unlike Fried and Rodón, he lasted 7 innings. But, also unlike them, and unlike any Yankee pitcher ever, he allowed 3 home runs to start the game, to Fernando Tatís Jr., Jake Cronenworth and Machado. Campusano hit another homer in the 7th. For the most part, the Yankees couldn't touch the Padres' starter, former Yankee Michael King. They pulled 3 runs back in the 8th, but ended up losing, 4-3.

*

There are 19 games to go in the regular season. The Yankees trail the Tampa Bay Rays by 4 games in the American League East. And Grisham was added to the Injured List. Giancarlo Stanton isn't coming off it anytime soon. Clarke Schmidt, Ryan Weathers and Angel Chivilli might be.

And, today, Aaron Judge was activated from the IL.

So there is good news. Hopefully, he can provide the run production the lineup badly needs.

Here's what's left: 3 games at home to the Colorado Rockies, 3 at home to the Mets, 3 away to the Minnesota Twins, 3 away to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 4 at home to the Rays, and 3 at home to the Orioles.

Come on you Pinstripes!

Yanks Take 3 of 4 From Sox, Still Have Everything to Play For

Four games between the Yankees and the Red Sox, with a month to go, and with both teams jockeying for Playoff position. Both teams needed these games. The Hundred Year War is on:

The Friday night game, with an attendance of 43,476, was tight as hell. This would be no slugfest. Cam Schlittler allowed just 2 hits over 5 2/3rds innings, but walked 5, throwing 102 pitches before Aaron Boone brought Brent Headrick in to finish the top of the 6th.

The Yankees had just as much trouble touching Sox starter Patrick Sandoval. Paul Goldschmidt crushed a home run in the 3rd inning. Other than that, all night long, they got just 2 hits and 4 walks. But Schlittler, Headrick, Paul Blackburn and David Bednar made it hold up, holding the Auld Enemy to 5 hits and 6 walks. Yankees 1, Red Sox 0. As they would say in English soccer: One-nil! We beat The Scum, one-nil!

Saturday was a day-night, separate-admissions doubleheader, forced by a rainout on June 6. The afternoon game was attended by 47,314. Carlos Rodón, still not fully back from injury, only allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk, striking out 5, but he couldn't get out of the 5th inning. Jake Bennett was much stronger for Boston: He and 3 relievers allowed just 4 hits, didn't walk anybody, and struck out 9.

It would be the Yankee bullpen that let this game get ugly. Specifically, Ryan Yarbrough, allowing 4 runs in the 9th. Red Sox 6, Yankees 0. As they would say in English soccer: Useless bastards.

So, after 2 games, the Yankees had scored just 1 run. It was not looking good. Fortunately, they were just getting warmed up.

The Saturday night game was seen by 44,266 paying customers. Max Fried came off the Injured List, and, while the Yankees didn't want risk him for very long, in 3 2/3rds innings, he allowed 1 run on 3 hits and a walk, striking out 4. The bullpen did a great job the rest of the way, allowing just 1 run.

The Sox scored a run in the top of the 3rd. The bottom of the 3rd wasn't so much what the Yankees did, 2 hits, 1 of them an RBI single by Ben Rice, an RBI groundout by Luis García Jr., and an RBI sacrifice fly by Jazz Chisholm. It was also Sox pitcher Brayan Bello helping them out, by walking Trent Grisham and hitting Heliot Ramos with a pitch. The inning ended 3-1 Yankees.

Spencer Jones tacked on a run with a sacrifice fly in the 6th. The Sox made it 4-2 in the top of the 8th. Then Sox reliever Raymond Burgos imploded, allowing 7 singles that brought home 5 runs. Yankees 9, Red Sox 2. Paul Blackburn was credited as the winning pitcher.

It wasn't all good news, though: George Lombard Jr. had to leave the game with a knee injury. So much for him being the American League Rookie of the Year.

Yesterday afternoon, 45,256 -- in each of the 4 games, the difference between the official total and a sellout was probably freebies -- came to see the series finale, the last regular-season game between the ancient rivals. The winner would win the season series, and have the head-to-head tiebreaker should they end up with the same record. So this game mattered a bit.

Will Warren certainly pitched as if it mattered, going 7 innings, allowing 1 run on 6 hits and a walk, striking out 7. In the bottom of the 5th, the Yankees got 4 singles and Ramos' 1st home run as a Yankee, giving Warren a 5-0 lead. Austin Wells added an RBI sacrifice fly in the 6th, and Amed Rosario an RBI single in the 7th.

Warren tired in the 8th, and allowed a run, so Boone brought Tim Hill in to put a stop to it. He did. Then came the most beautiful inning of the season. The Sox were already down 7-1, so Chisholm's leadoff walk didn't exactly "kill" the Sox. But, what the hell, it's my blog, and I can use my clichés if I want to. So: Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety.

Chisholm walked. He stole 2nd. He stole 3rd. As they would say in English soccer, he was taking the piss. And it turned out not to be necessary, because Wells and Goldschmidt hit back-to-back home runs. 10-1 Yankees.

It was the 390th home run of Goldschmidt's career. He passed Johnny Bench on the all-time list, and tied Yankee Legend Graig Nettles and the still-active Bryce Harper. Next up: Jim Edmonds and, for the moment, the still-active Manny Machado, with 393

Cody Bellinger flew out. But Spencer Jones singled. Sox manager Chad Tracy observed the new rule that governs position players pitching: It can only be done if the team doing it is losing by 8 or more runs at any point in the game (as the Sox were doing), or the team is winning by 10 or more runs in the 9th inning, or if the game has reached extra innings. And so, Tracy moved Andruw Monasterio from 2nd base to the mound.

Monasterio did throw some strikes, and his slider got up to 75 miles per hour, though it also got down into the dirt. But he walked García and Rosario, gave up a long sac fly to Grisham, gave up a home run to José Caballero, walked Chisholm, and gave up another home run to Wells. He gave up another single, to Goldschmidt, before getting Cody Bellinger to pop up. He pitched to 8 batters, and got 2 of them out. He allowed 5 runs, all of them earned, on 3 hits and 3 walks. His ERA for the game, and thus for his career, is 67.50.

In the words of the immortal Captain Benjamin Sisko, Star Trek's greatest baseball fan: I think I can live with it.

Wells may be batting just .184, but, having not even started the game, he became the 6th Yankee to hit 2 home runs in 1 inning. The others: Joe DiMaggio in his rookie season of 1936, Joe Pepitone in 1962, Cliff Johnson in 1977 (3 in the game), Alex Rodriguez in 2007 and again in 2009, and Gleyber Torres in 2022.

Final score: Yankees 16, Red Sox 1. Even with the blowout loss on Saturday, the Yankees outscored the Sox, 26-9.

*

So as we enter the last day of August, here's where things stand:

In the American League Eastern Division, the Tampa Bay Rays lead the Yankees by 4 1/2 games, the Red Sox by 8 1/2, the Baltimore Orioles by 14 1/2, and the Toronto Blue Jays by 15. Cliché Alert: In the all-important loss column, the Rays lead the Yanks by 5, the Sox by 9, the O's by 15, and the Jays by 16.

The Yankees have 25 games left:

* August 31, September 1 & 2: At Los Angeles Angels.

* September 4, 5 & 6: At San Diego Padres.

* September 8, 9, & 10: Home to Colorado Rockies.

* September 11, 12 & 13: Home to New York Mets.

* September 14, 15 & 16: Away to Minnesota Twins.

* September 18, 19 & 20: Away to Arizona Diamondbacks.

* September 22 twice (rainout makeup), 23 & 24: Home to Tampa Bay Rays, probably to decide the Division.

* September 25, 26 & 27: Home to the Baltimore Orioles, to end the regular season.

The injury situation:

* Max Fried: Has returned and pitched.

* Luis Gil: Has been reactivated.

* George Lombard Jr.: Is not on the Injured List. Could return within days.

* Ryan McMahon: Playing minor-league rehab. Could return within days.

* Clarke Schmidt: Pitching minor-league rehab. Could return in as little as a week, but would go to the bullpen.

* Aaron Judge: Has stayed with the team the whole way. Will make the trip to the West Coast. Still hopes to return for the end of the regular season.

* Ryan Weathers: Could return for the end of the regular season.

* Angel Chivilli: Could return for the end of the regular season.

* Giancarlo Stanton: Probably won't return this season.

* Fernando Cruz: Partially torn ulnar collateral ligament. Out for the season. Could need Tommy John surgery, which would put him out for all of 2027.

We still have everything to play for.

You Know How It Is

This week, the Yankees began a stretch of 7 games in 6 days that could end up defining their regular season, all against the 2 teams that have cheated their way into the Yankees' heads, the former since 2015, the latter since 2003: First, 3 against the Houston Astros; then, 4 in 3 days against the Boston Red Sox.

You know how it is: Get enough runs, get bad pitching, and vice versa. Will Warren had a good start on Tuesday night, but Fernando Cruz allowed 6 runs in the 6th inning, and was later found to be injured, possibly needing Tommy John surgery. We probably won't see him for the rest of the season. And Brett Headrick allowed 3 runs in the 8th. So it didn't matter that Luis García Jr. went 4-for-5 with a home run and 3 RBIs, or that Cody Bellinger hit a 3-run homer. Astros 9, Yankees 7.

The Yankees needed at least 9 runs in the 1st 9 innings on Tuesday. They got them on Wednesday. García homered again. So did Ben Rice. García and Jazz Chisholm each had 3 hits. It didn't help Elmer Rodríguez, who pitched 6 strong innings as an emergency starter, because Paul Blackburn blew a 3-2 lead in the top of the 7th. But the Yankees' 4 runs in the bottom of the 7th, including RBI doubles by Bellinger and Chisholm, made Blackburn the winning pitcher. Again: I don't think a pitcher who blows a lead should be credited with the win, even if he is the "pitcher of record" when his team takes a lead it holds for the rest of the game. Anyway, Yankees 9, Astros 3.

There was a nasty storm predicted for yesterday, and it came, resulting in flooding all down the New York-New Jersey-Philadelphia corridor. But either the Yankees got lucky, or the new Yankee Stadium has a great tarp, or it has a great drainage system. Given how much money was spent on it, it better have both. Anyway, the game was played, as scheduled, on time, and to a conclusion.

Did I say the Yankees got lucky? They did not. Certainly, Gerrit Cole deserved a better fate: He went 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 1 walk, striking out 5. But Yerry de los Santos, who'd been pitching pretty well up until this point, gave up a home run in the 7th.

Justin Topa, a 35-year-old native of Binghamton, New York, and a former mop-up man in Milwaukee, Seattle and Minnesota, made his Yankee debut in the 8th, and was betrayed by his defense: For a Yankee record 6th game in a row, George Lombard Jr. made an error at shortstop. And he was doing so well before that. And he is still hitting. But now, he's fielding like Anthony Volpe was. His error allowed the Astros another run.

Bellinger got a run home on a sacrifice fly in the 6th. Other than that, the Yankee bats were pretty much useless. Astros 5, Yankees 1.

*

There are 29 games to go in the regular season. The Tampa Bay Rays lead the Yankees by 4 games in the American League Eastern Division, and the surging Red Sox by 6. If the current standing hold until the end, the Yankees would have the 4th seed in the AL Playoffs, and the Sox the 5th -- meaning they would face each other in the 1st Round, as they did last year, when the Yankees beat The Scum in the postseason for the 1st time in 22 years.

You know how it is: The Yankees frequently go into a series with the Red Sox -- especially at Fenway, although this series is at home -- scoring a lot of runs, and giving us hope, only to "run out of runs," and come up small. This time, the last game of the Astro series makes it look like we were saving runs up. But the 1st 2 games of the series, which we were only able to split, makes it look like we ran out of runs already.

Here are the projected pitching matchups:

* Tonight, 7:15 PM, on Apple TV: Cam Schlittler vs. Patrick Sandoval.

* Saturday, 1:05, on YES: Carlos Rodón vs. Jake Bennett.

* Saturday, 7:15, on Fox, the makeup of an earlier rainout: Both teams are currently undecided. For the Yankees, the current rumor is that Max Fried will be activated to make this start.

* Sunday, 1:35, on YES: Will Warren vs. Ranger Suarez. Say it with me, Devils fans: Rangers suck!

Come on you Pinstripes! Beat The Scum!

Yanks Take 2 of 3 From Jays, Injury Status Still Bad

Since their foundation in 1977, the Toronto Blue Jays have given the Yankees trouble. Regardless of how good each team is, the Jays always seem to get in the way. They ruined the 1st live major league sporting event I ever saw, a 1978 Memorial Day Weekend game, despite being a 2nd-year expansion team while the Yankees were the defending World Champions. They ruined the best Yankee season between 1981 and 1995 by winning just 1 game of a regular-season-ending weekend series in 1985. They surged past the Yankees to win the American League Eastern Division title in 1987, the Summer after my high school graduation. They beat the Yankees for the Division title again in 1993. And they beat the Yankees in last year's AL Division Series. For this reason, I call them "the pesky Blue Jays" -- sometimes "those pesky Blue Jays," or even just "the Peskies" for short.

The Yankees hosted the Jays this weekend, and, while the defending AL East Champions are not doing well this season, they still had to be taken seriously.

Cam Schlittler put on an acelike performance on Friday night, going 6 innings, allowing 1 run on 6 hits and 3 walks, striking out 4. Three relievers each allowed 1 hit, but nothing more. The Yankees got only 4 hits themselves, but 1 was a 2-run home run by Spencer Jones in the bottom of the 2nd inning, and the Yankees went on to win, 3-1.

But on Saturday afternoon, Ryan Weathers only lasted 3 1/3rd innings, allowing 2 runs on 8 hits, but no walks. He went on the Injured List after the game. The bullpen did fairly well. But it didn't matter: Again, the Yankees only got 4 hits, with Dylan Cease taking a no-hitter into the 7th inning. They almost came back, with Luis García Jr. hitting a home run in the 8th. Jazz Chisholm led off the bottom of the 9th with a double, but he was stranded. Blue Jays 4, Yankees 3.

Cody Bellinger was activated from the IL before yesterday afternoon's game. George Lombard Jr. led off the 2nd inning with a single, Jones doubled him home, and, after a Chisholm groundout, Austin Wells doubled Jones home.

Tied at 2-2, the Yankees began the 6th with 3 straight singles, by Lombard, Jones and Chisholm. Wells struck out, and José Caballero flew to center, and Lombard was unable to score on the fly. But Trent Grisham drew a walk to force Lombard in, and Ben Rice singled Jones and Chisholm home. Bellinger led off the 7th with a single, and scored on a Chisholm homer. Grisham added a homer in the 8th.

Carlos Rodón made his 2nd start since coming off the IL, and he only went 4 innings, 76 pitches. He allowed 2 runs, 1 of them earned, on 2 hits and 2 walks. Paul Blackburn pitched 2 perfect innings, with Ryan Yarbrough allowing a run in the 8th and Brent Headrick finishing the job. The Yankees won, 8-3.

*

With 32 games to, the Yankees trail the Tampa Bay Rays by 3 games in the AL East. They still hold the 4th spot in the AL Playoffs.

Bellinger and Rodón are off the Injured List. But the news on that front remains rough:

* Max Fried has a bone bruise on his left elbow. They're optimistic that he could return as soon as this coming weekend.

* Ryan McMahon has a sprained left thumb. He could be back at the start of September.

* Clarke Schmidt is in the latter stages of recovery from Tommy John surgery. Tomorrow, he will throw a live batting practice session at The Stadium. If it goes well, he'll go to minor-league rehab, with the aim of putting him in the bullpen in early September, where we still need help.

* Aaron Judge is still recovering from the stress fracture of a right-side rib. He started hitting off a tee last week. He could be back in September. His return in time to be back to full capacity before the postseason is vital.

* Ryan Weathers has a flexor strain in his left forearm. And he was already a hole-filler for the starting rotation. He is expected back in late September.

* Giancarlo Stanton was nearing recovery from a right calf strain, when he strained his left calf. Seriously. Aaron Boone says he doesn't expect him to return this season. We may have seen the last of Stanton as a Yankee -- maybe even the last of him as an active player. He has 456 career home runs. With his other career stats, he may have lost his chance at the Baseball Hall of Fame: He's the kind of player where, if he reaches 500 homers, he would get in; but if he only makes it to 499, he wouldn't.

* Angel Chivilli has a bone spur in his right elbow. There is no timetable for his recovery. I wouldn't expect him back this season, but he could be key to the bullpen next season.

The Yankees have tonight off, and then start a rough stretch. We have 3 at home to the Chicken Fried Cheats, the Houston Astros; then, without a day off, 4 in 3 days, forced by an earlier-in-the-season rainout, at home to the Chowder Cheats, the Boston Red Sox. Then, the next week, it's off to the Pacific Coast, for 3 against the Los Angeles Angels, then 3 Interleague games with the San Diego Padres.

The last month or so of the regular season will be dramatic, if nothing else.

Yanks Got to Get Them Healthy

The Yankees had a home midweek series with the Seattle Mariners. In 3 games, they allowed 7 runs. Sounds like a sweep, right?

Sadly, that was not the case.

Tuesday night went well. Ryan Weathers went 5 2/3rds innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits and 3 walks. Tim Hill got the last out in the 6th and pitched the 7th, Brent Headrick pitched the 8th, and David Bednar the 9th; and a 1-out single from Bednar was the only baserunner the bullpen allowed.

But it was 1-0 Mariners at the 7th inning stretch. Then... It's too bad there's no player named Daniel on the roster, because this team could be called "Danny & the Juniors." Luis García Jr. led off with a double, Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled, and George Lombard Jr. struck out. Spencer Jones walked to load the bases, and Ryan McMahon singled García and Chisholm home. Austin Wells singled, and Trent Grisham singled Jones and McMahon home. That was the ballgame: Yankees 4, Mariners 1. Hill was the winning pitcher.

Wednesday night got off to a rough start, as Will Warren allowed 3 runs in the 1st inning, and 1 each in the 3rd and the 5th. But 5 relievers went 5 innings, allowing no runs on 3 hits and 3 walks. The Yankees got a run in the 2nd, and 2 in the 3rd, and tied it up in the 5th, on a home run by Grisham, followed by back-to-back doubles by Ben Rice and Jones.

With 1 out in the 7th, and the game still 5-5, Lombard singled. Grisham doubled him home. Rice singled Grisham home. Jones was hit by a pitch. García struck out. Heliot Ramos, in spite of hitting poorly since the Yankees acquired him, was intentionally walked, so that the M's could face the struggling Chisholm. But he drew his own walk to force Rice home. It was 8-5.

In the 8th, Lombard singled, and Grisham hit one out. That made the final score 10-5. Paul Blackburn, having allowed just 1 walk in an inning and 2/3rds, was the winning pitcher.

Then came the dreaded day game after a night game. Max Fried, still working his way back from injury, was strong for 5 innings, making 1 mistake, a 2nd inning home run to Weston Wilson. Between them, Fried and 3 relievers allowed just the 1 run on 5 hits and 3 walks, striking out 10.

But Logan Gilbert made sure the Yankees got nowhere. They wasted a leadoff double by García in the 2nd, 1-out singles by Ali Sánchez and Grisham in the 3rd, a 1-out single by García in the 4th, and a 1-out walk by Rice in the 6th. José Caballero and McMahon walked in the 7th, but couldn't be brought home, and the Yankees went down meekly in the 8th and the 9th. Great pitching, wasted: Mariners 1, Yankees 0.

*

We have reached the point where one of my annual tropes comes in: If the number of games behind is less than the number of weeks left in the regular season, there's still hope. If you can gain an average of one game a week, you can win the Division.

There are 7 weekends and 6 full weeks left. And the Yankees trail the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Eastern Division by... six and a half games. 6 1/2. And, Cliché Alert: It's 7 in the All-Important Loss Column. The Boston Red Sox trail by 9 1/2 (10), the Toronto Blue Jays by 16 1/2 (15), and the Baltimore Orioles by 16 1/2 (17). The Yanks still hold the 4th spot the AL Playoff seedings. The Yanks, Sox and O's have 41 games left; the Rays, 42; the Jays, 39.

Here's those remaining 41 games:

* Starting tonight, and running through Sunday: At Toronto.

* August 18 to 20: At Baltimore.

* August 21-23: Home to Toronto.

* August 25-27: Home to Houston.

* August 28-30 (4 games, including a doubleheader on the 29th): Home to Boston.

* August 31-September 2: Away to the Los Angeles Angels.

* September 4-6: Away to San Diego.

* September 8-10: Home to Colorado.

* September 11-13: Home to the Mets.

* September 14-16: Away to Minnesota.

* September 18-20: Away to Arizona.

* September 22-24 (4 games, including a doubleheader on the 22nd): Home to Tampa Bay.

* September 25-27: Home to Baltimore.

But, since the All-Star Break, the Yankees have a team ERA of 2.93, best in the AL; but a team batting average of .210, worst in the AL. That's what happens when you have Judge, Stanton and Bellinger, and all of them are injured at the same time.

Injury updates, in current presumed order of return:

* Carlos Rodón: Had what may be his last minor-league rehab start last night. His next start may be in the series in Baltimore.

* Cody Bellinger: Has been taking batting, running and fielding practice. Three days ago, Aaron Boone said he was at "90 percent of his top speed." He might also be back for the Baltimore series.

* Luis Gil: Began minor-league rehab relief appearances 3 days ago. He probably won't return until at least the next homestand, on August 21. If he pitches at all in the regular season, he could be key to straightening out the bullpen.

* Giancarlo Stanton: Has begun running, as well as hitting and fielding. Could return before September 1.

* Clarke Schmidt: Had cramping in his right forearm during a "live batting practice" session on August 4. Has resumed playing catch, but hasn't yet thrown off a mound again. I wouldn't expect him back before September 1.

* Aaron Judge: Has been "cleared for light exercises," which is vague as hell. Who knows? Maybe they should just shut him down until the last week, and then unleash him in time for the postseason.

Got to get them healthy, especially those hitters.

Yankees Sink Pirates 2 Out of 3

The Yankees closed a homestand with an Interleague series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Bucs' ace, Paul Skenes, had pitched on Sunday, so the Yankees avoided facing him.

Ryan Weathers started on Monday night, but allowed 5 runs, and didn't get out of the 5th inning. The bullpen pitched shutout ball the rest of the way, though, including Angel Chivilli: The Dominican righthander, who turns 24 next week, was picked up in a trade with the Colorado Rockies this past January. Wearing Number 57, he got his 1st win as a Yankee by finishing the 5th inning and pitching a hitless 6th.

Jazz Chisholm had 2 home runs and 5 RBIs. Austin Wells and José Caballero each had 2 hits, and Caballero added 2 RBIs. The Yankees won, 8-5.

The Tuesday game was postponed due to rain. That set up an odd doubleheader for the Yankees, as Gerrit Cole was set to pitch the opener, while Max Fried came off the Injured List to pitch the nightcap. I was concerned that Fried might have been put back in the rotation too soon, as Cole seemed to be.

Over the 1st 6 innings, Cole looked great, taking a perfect game into the 5th inning, while striking out 8 batters. Then he allowed a single and a home run. With 2 out in the 7th, he had allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and no walks, striking out 11. Then he gave up another home run, and was losing, 3-0.

Ben Rice tied the game in the 7th, with his 30th home run of the season. But, after saving the Monday night game, Fernando Cruz fell apart in the 10th inning this time, and the Pirates won, 5-3.

But Fried was brilliant. He was allowed to go only 5 innings, throwing 57 pitches. He allowed a leadoff single in the 1st, and a leadoff walk in the 2nd, and that was it: 1 hit and 1 walk. He struck out 7. The bullpen allowed 2 hits and 2 walks the rest of the way.

Meanwhile, the Yankees scored 2 runs in the 7th inning, on a walk to Cody Bellinger, a double by Jasson Domínguez, and a single by Anthony Volpe. Yankees 2, Pirates 0. Paul Blackburn pitched the 7th and the 8th, and was awarded the win. So the Yankees took 2 out of 3, and were 1 run away from a sweep.

*

With 60 games left in the regular season, the Yankees are 2 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Eastern Division. Their 15-game winning streak snapped -- but leaving us wondering what their new method of cheating is -- the Boston Red Sox are 7 back. The Baltimore Orioles trail by 10, and the Toronto Blue Jays by 13 1/2.

The Yankees begin a roadtrip tomorrow night, with 3 Interleague games with the Philadelphia Phillies, followed by a week in Chicago: 4 against the White Sox, and 3 Interleague games against the Cubs.

Yanks Get Bare Minimum vs. Rays

The Yankees are chasing the Tampa Bay Rays for the American League Eastern Division. They went down to that stupid, if newly re-roofed, dome in St. Petersburg for a key 4-game series.

The Monday night game offered encouragement. Cam Schlittler was allowed to throw 101 pitches, going 8 innings, allowing just 1 run, 4 hits, and no walks. I love seeing "no walks" from Yankee pitching. He struck out 8.

The game was scoreless through 4 innings. But, Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you. With 1 out in the top of the 5th, Rays starter Griffin Jax walked Jasson Domínguez and Jazz Chisholm, and José Caballero hit a home run. The Rays pulled a run back, but Caballero hit another home run in the 8th, and Ben Rice hit one in the 9th.

Here's the weird part: Rays pitchers only allowed 3 hits -- all of them home runs. They also walked 12 batters, and struck out 17. Nevertheless: Yankees 5, Rays 1.

Attendance: 18,129. I guess a year playing in a reasonably accessible part of Tampa for a year and playing the Yankees again hasn't helped the Rays bring fans in, any more than, you know, winning did.

The Yankees weren't so lucky on Tuesday night. Will Warren allowed 6 runs in 4 innings, and Rays pitchers again struck out 17 Yankees. Rice hit another home run, but the Rays won, 8-4.

Attendance: 18,115. Almost exactly the same. Are the Rays simply closing off the upper deck, and filling the lower bowl? Maybe the Rays are followers of the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu, who supposedly said, "A bowl is most useful when it is empty."

The Yankees did not strike out 17 times on Wednesday night. Only 11. Gerrit Cole pitched 6 1/3rd innings, allowing 3 runs. Bur the Yankees stranded runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out in the 2nd inning and again in the 7th, and wasted a leadoff single in the 6th and again in the 9th, and that was it. Rays 3, Yankees 0.

Attendance: 19,373. The hell, Rays fans? You're in 1st place! You've got the best record in the American League! And these games are against the team you hate the most, the team that's fighting with yours for the Division title and possibly for the Pennant! I know it's Florida and it's Summer, and you don't want to leave the house, but it's all of the preceding, and it's in a dome, so there's air-conditioning!

Move the Rays.

So the Yankees needed to win on Thursday afternoon, the dreaded day game after a night game, just to get a road split against the team they're chasing, the bare minimum of what was needed.

With all the holes in the rotation, and with it being a day game, meaning even less rest for pitchers, Aaron Boone did pretty much the last thing he should have done: Used a "bullpen game." Paul Blackburn pitched the 1st 2 innings, and allowed a run.

But the Yankees scored 6 runs in the top of the 3rd, including a home run by Rice. Jake Bird allowed 2 runs in the bottom of the 3rd, but Austin Wells homered in the top of the 4th. Rice homered again in the 6th, his 28th of the season. He isn't replacing Juan Soto, he's replacing Aaron Judge.

Ryan Yarbrough pitched a scoreless 4th inning, and was credited as the winning pitcher. Camilo Doval got 2 outs in the 5th, Brent Headrick finished that inning but allowed a run in the 6th. Angel Chivilli, a rookie righthander from the Dominican Republic, pitched the 7th and the 8th without allowing a baserunner, and Tim Hill pitched a scoreless 9th.

In other words, Boone tried a bullpen game, and it worked, and it still have worked if the Yankees had only scored half as many runs: Yankees 12, Rays 4. Attendance: 18,255.

You know, if you look at all 4 games, as they would say in soccer, the Yankees "won on aggregate," 22-16. It doesn't look so bad. But the 1st 3 games were discouraging, and the middle 2 games were especially bad.

*

The Yankees are 51-42, on a pace for 89-73. That might be enough to make the Playoffs, but it probably won't be enough to win the Division. They are 4 games behind the Rays, 5 in the loss column. They have to do better.

Injury updates were provided on 3 key players yesterday. Giancarlo Stanton has resumed running, which is a good sign. Carlos Rodón played catch yesterday, which is a good sign. And Brian Cashman said that Aaron Judge "will get follow-up imaging on his injured rib during the All-Star Break." There's not much encouragement there. Nothing new on the other injured starting pitchers, Max Fried and Clarke Schmidt.

Tonight, the Yankees start a series in Washington against the Nationals. They are 48-46, 7 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East. Only the Mets are behind them in that Division, at 40-56, a pace for 67-95.

Yankees Get a Weak Split With the Pesky Blue Jays

As with getting the last point or goal in a tie game, it's always better to get, rather than give up, the last win in a split multi-game series.

So the Yankees' home split with those pesky Toronto Blue Jays feels more like a loss than a win.

Ryan Weathers started on Monday night, and allowed 5 runs in 6 innings. In the bottom of the 1st, Paul Goldschmidt hit his 377th career home run, tying him on the all-time list with Norm Cash and Jeff Kent. Next up is Matt Williams with 378. Didn't we just do this with Aaron Judge? Yes, because Judge passed Goldschmidt, among others.

The Yankees tied the game at 3-3 in the 4th inning. But former Houston Astro cheat George Springer hit yet another home run against the Yankees in the 5th, to make it 4-3, and the Jays made it 5-3 in the 6th. But the Yankees scored 4 in the 7th, on home runs by Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm.

David Bednar got into trouble in the 9th, but held the Jays off just enough to make a winning pitcher out of reliever Paul Blackburn. Yankees 7, Blue Jays 6.

Will Warren started on Tuesday night, and lasted just 5 innings, allowing 3 runs. Ryan McMahon hit a home run in the 4th, Ben Rice did it in the 5th, and Camilo Doval made things dicey in the 9th, but hung on. Yankees 5, Blue Jays 4.

But the worrying signs were already there. Wednesday night was indicative of the Yankees' struggles so far. Cam Schlittler allowed no runs, on just 3 hits and no walks, over the 1st 4 innings. He allowed 2 singles in the 5th, and a double in the 6th, but kept the Jays off the scoreboard. But the Yankees weren't hitting, either.

In the 7th, Schlittler ran out of gas, and allowed 2 singles and a walk to force a run in, leaving the bases loaded with nobody out. Jake Bird got out of it with only 1 more run, which proved decisive. Yovanny Cruz made his major league debut: The 26-year-old righthander from the Dominican Republic, apparently no relation to fellow Yankee reliever Fernando Cruz, wore Number 96, and pitched 2 perfect innings of relief, striking out 3.

The Yankees only got 6 hits, 3 of them by Chisholm. Trey Yesavage, the Jays' own "Schlittler," who bedeviled the Yankees in last year's Playoffs, did so again. They threatened in the 9th: With 1 out, Cody Bellinger doubled, Chisholm singled, and Goldschmidt got a run home on a groundout. But Amed Rosario struck out to end it. Blue Jays 2, Yankees 1.

Last night's game was worse. Carlos Rodón pitched as if he is back, giving the Yankees' their best starting pitching performance in the series, allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 3 walks, with 7 strikeouts, over 5 innings.

But he threw 95 pitches, and that meant the 6th inning featured Yovanny Cruz again. This time, he wasn't so good: He got the 1st out, then gave up a double and hit a batter. Springer hit another homer in the 7th, this one off Doval. The Yankees only got 3 hits, including a double by McMahon, and 3 walks, 2 of them by Bellinger.

Blue Jays 2, Yankees 0. On the YES Network, David Cone said, very accurately, "This is one you just wanna flush."

Four games, 36 innings, 13 runs, with the total going down with each game. And Met fans are stupid enough to think it's easy to hit in the new Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees are now 30-21, 4 1/2 games, 6 in the All-Important Loss Column, behind the Tampa Bay Rays, who come in for a 3-game series. Tonight, Gerrit Cole comes off the Injured List, and makes his 1st start of the season, nearly a third of the way in. The Yankees need him. Even more, they need to hit.

Yanks Split Slugfest Series with Angels; Garret Anderson, 1972-2026

The Yankees played 4 games at home against the Los Angeles Angels. The Monday night game was a wild one, the kind of game that tends to make people think, "If we can win this game, nobody's going to stop us."

The Yankees took a 4-0 lead on home runs Aaron Judge and José Caballero. But just as Caballero giveth, he tooketh away, making an error at shortstop to start the top of the 4th inning. Will Warren then got a groundout, but followed that by allowing a double, then getting a strikeout. Then, between them, he and Fernando Cruz gave up 2 singles and 3 walks, for 4 unearned runs and a tie game.

Trent Grisham hit a home run in the 5th. Mike Trout and Aaron Judge traded long home runs in the 6th. Trout hit another bomb in the 8th, and that gave the Angels a 10-8 lead. It was only the 2nd time in MLB history that 2 players who had each already won 3 Most Valuable Player awards had both hit 2 home runs in the same game. The 1st one was in 1956: Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals, and Roy Campanella of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Jazz Chisholm led off the bottom of the 9th with a single, and Grisham hit another home run. Caballero made up for his error with a double, Austin Wells drew a walk, and the runners moved up on defensive indifference. The moment was set for the terribly struggling Ryan McMahon to be the hero, but the chance was taken away from him when Angel reliever Jordan Romano threw a wild pitch, to let Caballero home. Yankees 11, Angels 10. Paul Blackburn ended up as the winning pitcher.

*

But there was no momentum. The Tuesday night game was lousy, as Ryan Weathers had another bad start, including Trout starting a streak of 3 straight home runs in the 1st inning. And Angel starter Reid Detmers just stopped the Yankees cold. Their only run came in the bottom of the 8th, on a Randal Grichuk double, a Wells single, and a Ben Rice sacrifice fly. Other than that, they only had 3 baserunners, all singles. Angels 7, Yankees 1.

Luis Gil started on Wednesday night, and, clearly, he still isn't ready, allowing 4 runs in 5 innings. Judge and Trout each hit another home run. The Angels led 4-3 with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th. Then Chisholm singled, Wells walked, and Caballero doubled them home. Yankees 5, Angels 4. Winning pitcher: David Bednar.

Because the Angels needed a getaway day, the Yankees played yesterday in the afternoon, and it was hot in The Bronx, reaching a high of 96 degrees. But Max Fried had nothing, and the bullpen was worse. Judge, Rice and Giancarlo Stanton all homered, but Trout hit another, and the Angels won, 11-4, to gain a split.

Career home runs: Stanton, Yankees, 455; Trout, Angels, 411; Judge, Yankees, 376; Paul Goldschmidt, Yankees, 373.

The Yankees started the season 7-1. They are now 10-9, and they need to get their act back in gear. They start a 3-game home series with the Kansas City Royals tonight.

*

But the Angels and their fans got some bad news today: Garret Anderson died today, at age 53, after what's currently being described as "a medical emergency" at his home outside Los Angeles.

The left fielder played 15 seasons for the Angels, then 1 more each for the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He batted .293, collected 2,529 hits including 287 home runs, had 4 straight seasons of at least 100 RBIs, made 3 All-Star Games, and helped the Angels make the postseason 5 times, including winning the 2002 World Series. He is a member of their team Hall of Fame.

Fine Yankee Pitching Continues In Seattle

The Yankees swept their season-opening series with the San Francisco Giants, and moved up the Pacific Coast to play the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park (formerly Safeco Field). The Yankees have had trouble with playing in Seattle ever since the Mariners came into the American League in 1977, regardless of how good either team is.

And this continued in the 1st game of the series. It was the 4th game of the season, and so, after using Max Fried, Cam Schlittler and Will Warren as starters, the Yankees were down to Ryan Weathers, son of 1990s Yankee reliever David Weathers. Like Warren 2 days earlier, he didn't get out of the 5th inning, but allowed only 1 run, in his case on 4 hits and 2 walks, with 7 strikeouts. The bullpen pitched shutout ball through the 8th inning.

But the bats did not come through. Jazz Chisholm reached on an error in the 2nd inning, but was stranded. In the 3rd, José Caballero drew a 1-out walk, but was erased when Trent Grisham grounded into a force play; and Aaron Judge drew a walk, but Cody Bellinger struck out to strand them. In the 4th, Giancarlo Stanton was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double. In the 5th, Caballero singled, but was picked off 1st base.

José A. Ferrer -- no relation to the late, great actor José Ferrer -- took the mound for the M's in the 7th. Ben Rice led off with a single, Stanton reached on an error, Chisholm grounded into a force play, and Amed Rosario hit a sacrifice fly to score Rice. That tied the game, but Austin Wells grounded out to end the inning.

Judge singled in the 8th, but was stranded. Stanton doubled with 1 out in the 9th, but was taken out for a pinch-runner, who was stranded. The Yankees had gotten only 5 hits, and their run was driven in without one.

In the bottom of the 9th, Paul Blackburn gave up a leadoff single to Leo Rivas, got Cole Young to fly to right, and gave up a single to Brendan Donovan. Cal Raleigh came to bat. "The Big Dumper" was greeted with chants of "MVP!" just as Judge, who actually won the American League Most Valuable Player last season, had been booed. Raleigh did not hit a home run, but did single to right, to score Rivas and end the game. Mariners 2, Yankees 1.

*

The Tuesday night game was very different. The Yankees went right to work in the 1st inning, with a Bellinger single, a Rice RBI double, and a Stanton RBI single. Grisham led off the 6th with a ground-rule double. Judge struck out, but Bellinger singled and stole 2nd, and Grisham scored on Raleigh's bad attempt to throw him out. Rice walked, and Stanton doubled Bellinger home, and Chisholm singled Rice home.

Fried was brilliant, going 7 innings, allowing 3 hits and 1 walk, striking out 6. Brent Headrick pitched a scoreless 8th, and Tim Hill a perfect 9th, to preserve the 4-hit shutout. Yankees 5, Mariners 0.

*

The Wednesday afternoon game looked like it would be similar to the one before. Rice doubled Bellinger home in the 1st. Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you. In the 6th, Grisham and Rice drew walks, and Paul Goldschmidt hit a home run to make it 4-0. Schlittler took a 2-hit, no-walk, 7-strikeout shutout into the 7th, Fernando Cruz finished the 7th.

But Camilo Doval allowed 2 runs in the 8th, and manager Aaron Boone had to bring in closer David Bednar to get out of it. Rice homered in the top of the 9th to give the Yankees a little more room, but Bednar was shaky in the bottom of the 9th. He got Josh Naylor to ground out, but allowed a 1-out double by Randy Arozarena. He got Luke Raley to ground to short, holding Arozarena on 2nd, but allowed an RBI single to Dominic Canzone. Finally, he ended it by getting Cole Young to fly out. Yankees 5, Mariners 3.

*

The good news: In spite of having key injuries, especially in their starting rotation, the Yankees are 5-1, tying them for the best record in Major League Baseball. The other teams in the AL Eastern Division: The Toronto Blue Jays are 4-2, the Baltimore Orioles are 3-3, the Tampa Bay Rays are 2-4, and the Boston Red Sox are 1-5.

The pitching has been absolutely brilliant: An ERA of 1.01, a WHIP of 0.844, and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4.58. Rice has an OPS+ of 277; Stanton, 265; Goldschmidt, 153; Bellinger, 133.

The bad news: There are still key injuries. And several key hitters are off to slow starts that have given them sub-100 (average) OPS+'s: Grisham, 94; Judge, 54, although he does have 2 home runs; Austin Wells, 27; Caballero, 25; Chisholm, 15; Rosario, -8, and the formula that makes a negative OPS+ possible is complicated; and Ryan McMahon, -25. (Two other batters have gotten into games: J.C. Escarra is 0-for-4, and Randall Grichuk is 0-for-2. Coming to bat without reaching base means you have the lowest possible OPS+, which is -100.)

Can this spectacular pitching continue? My confidence in Fried and Schlittler remains high. It is considerably less high in Warren and Weathers, and the early schedule providing enough days off to not require a 5th starter. So, as Dennis Haysbert said when playing Cuban voodoo priest/slugger Pedro Cerrano in Major League, "Have to wake up bats!"

Tomorrow afternoon, at 1:35 PM, weather permitting -- rain may be a factor -- the Yankees will have their home opener, against the Miami Marlins. The ceremonial first balls will be thrown out by U.S. Olympic hockey Gold Medalists: Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils, and Aerin Frankel, a native of Briarcliff Manor in Westchester County, New York, who is the goaltender of the Boston Fleet of the Professional Women's Hockey League.

Will Warren is set to start against Eury Perez. Come on you Pinstripes!

Disastrous Series vs. Red Sox Ticks Me Off

There's a comedian, originally from Brooklyn, now living not far away from me in New Jersey, named Vic DiBitetto. You may know him as the guy who did the video "They said snow! I gotta get the bread and milk!"

He's a big Yankee Fan, and a big fan of football's New York Giants. Occasionally, as shown in the photo above, he does videos where he puts on a Yankee cap and jersey, and pretend he's the team's "grand poobah" or "head of baseball (or football) operaish" (Italian-American for "operations") and give a nasty, profanity-laden press conference. And that's when they win!

He also does a series called "Ticked Off Vic," in which he sits in his car, so as not to disturb anybody, and says, "A very ticked-off Vic here. You know what ticks me off?" And then he explains what's ticking him off, and it's usually something stupid and/or annoying, something that would tick anybody off.

Lately, the Yankees have been ticking both of us off. Vic is ready to clobber manager Aaron Boone. I tend to blame general manager Brian Cashman. So we disagree on that. 

(We've talked online, but never actually met, despite living only 10 miles apart. Aside from being a raving lunatic, he's a decent guy, and I hope he'd say the same thing about me. That, aside from being a raving lunatic, I'm a decent guy.)

The Yankees losing to the Boston Red Sox: That's what ticks me off!

*

Like we did on Thursday night, the start of a 4-game series at Yankee Stadium II. Keep in mind, both teams went in as potential Playoff teams. Luis Gil allowed 2 runs over 5 innings. But he needed 93 pitches to do it. So, instead of letting a starting pitcher continue to do a good job, Aaron Boone followed his stupid pitch limit, and brought in Camilo Doval, who blew a 3-1 lead that included a home run by Ben Rice. Luke Weaver also allowed a run, and ended up as the losing pitcher.

From the 6th inning onward, the Yankees got only 2 baserunners: A single by Aaron Judge in the 6th, and a triple by Rice in the 7th. By the time Yerry De los Santos allowed 2 runs in the 9th, it was pointless. Red Sox 6, Yankees 3. A game that should have been won was lost.

Boone did it again on Friday night. Max Fried was back to his 1st-half-of-the-season self, allowing no runs on 4 hits and 3 walks, striking out 7, over 6 innings. He had thrown 99 pitches. A real manager would have let him pitch the 7th inning. But Boone is not the real manager, Cashman is, and Boone took Fried out. This time, it was Mark Leiter who allowed a run.

So, what's the big deal? One run? One run is a big deal when you score none. Here's the Yankee baserunners in that game: A single by Rice with 1 out in the 1st, stranded; a walk by Jasson Domínguez with 1 out in the 2nd, stranded; a single by Trent Grisham with 1 out in the 3rd, eliminated when Rice grounded into a double play; and a single by Austin Wells in the 6th, eliminated when Grisham lined a shot to short that was turned into a double play. That's it: 4 baserunners, none after the 6th, none even got to 2nd base. Red Sox 1, Yankees 0. A game that should have been won was lost.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. The Saturday game might have been the worst of the season. Atrocious Pun Alert: Garrett Crochet started for the Red Sox, and the Yankees couldn't hit hard enough for Red Sox manager Alex Cora -- a former Houston Astro, a cheater hired by a team known for cheating -- to give Crochet the hook. Aside from a home run by Garrett Crochet in the 4th, they only got 3 runners as far as 2nd base, and 1 of those was due to a Boston error.

Will Warren started, and allowed 5 runs in 4 innings. Trying to give the bullpen a break, Boone brought Tim Hill in for the 5th, but he ran into trouble in the 6th, and Paul Blackburn pitched the rest of the way. Again, to give everybody else a rest, Boone left Blackburn in until he finally got the 3rd out in the top of the 9th. That meant allowing 7 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks. Cliché Alert: He really took one for the team. Red Sox 12, Yankees 1.

So the Yankees had dropped the 1st 3 games. Even if they could salvage the 4th and last, this series would have been a disaster. Boone made one significant change: Benching shortstop Anthony Volpe, whose fielding isn't good enough to justify his .208 batting average and .274 on-base percentage, and replacing him with recent acquisition José Caballero. He went 0-for-3, but had an RBI on a sacrifice fly.

Carlos Rodón started last night's game with 5 shutout innings. He wasn't brilliant, but he was tough. Jazz Chisholm hit a home run, and Trent Grisham hit 2, staking him to a 5-0 lead.

Rodón ran into trouble in the top of the 6th, but Weaver was able to stop the bleeding. He pitched a scoreless 7th, and Devin Williams pitched a scoreless 8th. The Yankees got 2 more runs in the 8th, including Chisholm's 2nd homer of the game. Doval got into a little trouble in the 9th, but finished it off. Yankees 7, Red Sox 2.

It should have been 3 out of 4 won. Instead, it was 3 out of 4 lost. To The Scum.

*

There are 32 games left in the regular season. The Yankees are 70-60, 5 1/2 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Eastern Division. If the current standings hold to the end of the season, they will be the 5th seed in the Playoffs -- and their opponent, the 4th seed, with home-field advantage, would be the Red Sox.

That possibility, and what it would likely lead to, a 1st-round exit at the hands of our hated rivals, for the 3rd time in 8 seasons, leading to a 16th consecutive season without a World Series win: That's what ticks me off!

Tonight, the Yankees start a home series with the Washington Nationals. Hopefully, it won't tick me off.