Yankee Streak Goes to 11 -- Despite Chapman

On the 4th of July, the Yankees lost to the Mets, falling to 41-41. They were an embarrassment, all around.

Since then, they are 33-11.

Anybody who predicted that was basing it on wishful thinking, and nothing more.

The Yankees went down to Cumberland, Cobb County, Georgia, in the northwestern suburbs of Atlanta, to face the Atlanta Braves for 2 games at Truist Park. The Braves were rolling as well: It was the 1st time since 1901 that 2 MLB teams faced each other with both carrying a 9-game winning streak.

Jordan Montgomery started the opener, and went 5 innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits, but walked 4. The teams traded home runs in the 2nd inning, Giancarlo Stanton doing the honors for the Yankees, Dansby Swanson (sounds like a bad law firm) for the Braves. Stanton struck again in the 6th, doubling home 2 runs to give Montgomery the lead. Gary Sanchez added a 2-run single in the 8th.

Jonathan Loaisiga pitched a scoreless 6th and 7th. Wandy Peralta pitched a scoreless 8th. Aroldis Chapman hadn't pitched in a while -- with some reason -- but, with a 4-run lead, he was fine, pitching a perfect 9th.

Yankees 5, Braves 1. WP: Montgomery (5-5). No save. LP: Huascar Ynoa (4-3). That's 10 in a row.

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Aaron Boone started the inconsistent Andrew Heaney in the 2nd game, possibly as a sacrifice, so that the Yankees could set their rotation up properly for the next series. It didn't turn out that way: He only pitched 4 innings, but he was effective, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk.

As he did in the 1st game of the series, Stanton homered in the 2nd inning. A Sanchez single tied the game in the 4th. In the top of the 5th, 5th, the Yankees got a single from Andrew Velazquez and a home run from DJ LeMahieu, making it 4-2 New York.

Boone sent Albert Abreu in for the bottom of the 5th, but he only got 1 out. Joely Rodriguez had to finish the inning, and he allowed a single by Austin Riley that scored Ozzie Albies, but when Freddie Freeman also tried to score, he was ruled out. The Braves appealed, and pretty much everybody who isn't a Yankee Fan said he was safe. The umpires decided that it wasn't conclusive enough to overrule the call, and it remained 4-3 Yankees.

Given how many umpires have called strikes on Yankee batters, on pitches that were well outside, I have no qualms with getting the call here, especially since it may still have been correct. And especially since there was a later call that might have undone everything.

Clay Holmes pitched a perfect 6th. Rougned Odor homered in the 7th, to make it 5-3. Chad Green pitched a scoreless 7th and 8th.

Then Boone brought Chapman in to close it out. This was a save situation, a 2-run lead. He got Travis d'Arnaud to ground out. Two outs to go. But then he gave up a single to Adam Duvall. And those of us who know Chapman is a front-runner knew this was trouble. Cliche Alert: Aroldis gotta Aroldis.

He struck Guillermo Heredia out. One out to go. But he walked Ehire Adrianza. Cliche Alert: Walks can kill you. Albies was up, and he swung and missed at strike 3. Except home plate umpire Chris Conroy, who had made that controversial out call in the 5th, ruled that Albies had foul-tipped the ball. So instead of the game being over like it should have been, and a shaky but effective inning by Chapman, the game continued. Chapman gave up an infield single.

Bases loaded. At this point, in the Georgia heat, Chapman was sweating like prime James Brown, himself a Georgia native. At this point, Boone should have taken Chapman out. After all, Peralta was already warming up in the bullpen.

Boone left Chapman in. And he walked Jorge Soler. 5-4. Half of #YankeesTwitter was ready to send Chapman to Scranton. The other half was ready to send him to the Sun.

Freeman, the returning National League Most Valuable Player, was up with the bases loaded. Boone knew better than to keep Chapman out there. He brought Peralta in. Freeman hit it deep to left, but Joey Gallo was there to catch it. Whew.

Yankees 5, Braves 4. WP: Holmes (5-2). SV: Peralta (5). LP: Charlie Morton (12-5). The winning streak goes to 11, the Yankees' longest since September 1985. It's also the Yankees' 10th straight series won, their longest since 1954. It should be noted, though, that they didn't reach the postseason in either of those years.

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If the current standings hold to the end of the regular season, the Yankees would host the hated Boston Red Sox in the American League Wild Card Game. But they're only 4 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Eastern Division, with 36 games left to play, including the last 3 of the season, home to the Rays. The Division title is well within reach.

Now, the Yankees go west. Today is a day off, and then they have 4 games away to the Oakland Athletics, followed by 3 in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels, before coming home to face the Baltimore Orioles, who have now lost 19 straight games. Ironically, their last win was against the Yankees.

I'm a little concerned with the West Coast phase of this road trip. Not because the A's are a good team, although they are, despite struggling recently. It's just that I'm old enough to remember when going out to the West Coast was usually bad news for the Yankees. They would play the Angels, the A's, and the Seattle Mariners (whom they will not face on this trip), and go on a "Borg Road Trip": They would lose seven of nine, and resistance was futile.

But things are shaping up well. They've done well against the A's and Angels this year. Still to come are the pathetic Orioles, the freefalling Mets, the collapsing Red Sox, the awful Texas Rangers, and the struggling Cleveland Indians -- but also those pesky Toronto Blue Jays, and finally the Rays. And the Rays have a much tougher schedule the rest of the way.

Right now, the Yankees are having their best regular-season stretch since the 1996-2001 Dynasty. (Or 1996-2003, if you prefer.) It's still possible to make something special out of this season.

But it would still help a lot to have a single reliable closer, and Chapman doesn't look like it right now.

Yankees Still Giving Themselves a Chance

I don't know what's more shocking: How many bad things -- injuries, COVID contractions, bad transactions, bullpen meltdowns, phony strike calls by umpires, and so on -- have happened to the Yankees this season, or the fact that they're still very much in business as far as qualifying for the postseason is concerned.

Nestor Cortes started the finale of their series with the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field, and he was fantastic. He pitched 5 shutout innings, before allowing a home run by Andrew Vaughn in the bottom of the 6th.

Luke Voit led off the top of the 2nd with a single, and Rougned Odor hit a home run. Kyle Higashioka and Tyler Wade struck out, but DJ LeMahieu singled, and Brett Gardner doubled him home. It was 3-0 Yankees, and remained so until the Vaughn homer.

Stephen Ridings pitched a scoreless 7th. Jonathan Loaisiga pitched a perfect 8th. But a feeling came over Yankee Fans (if Twitter is any guide) that Loaisiga would not also pitch the 9th inning, meaning somebody we trust considerably less would. So we needed insurance runs. We got them when Giancarlo Stanton led off the top of the 9th with a double, and Voit hit a home run, making it 5-1.

Sure enough, Aaron Boone sent Lucas Luetge out to start the bottom of the 9th, and, well, Cliche Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. He walked Yoan Moncada.

Then he gave up a single to Luis Robert. He got Jake Lamb to pop up. Then Zack Collins doubled home Moncada. Rather than let Luetge face the hero of Thursday night's Field of Dreams game, Tim Anderson, Boone took him out, and brought in Wandy Peralta. Anderson singled home Robert. But Cesar Hernandez hit a ground ball to 2nd. Odor stepped on 2nd to eliminate Anderson, and threw Hernandez out to finish the double play and the game.

Yankees 5, White Sox 3. WP: Cortes (1-1). SV: Peralta (4). LP: Lucas Giolito (9-9).

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As I've said before: A good team should be able to gain at least 1 game a week, so if you have fewer games behind than weeks left, you have a chance. There are 7 weeks left in the regular season -- in the Yankees' case, 45 games -- and they are 5 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Eastern Division. They are 2 1/2 games behind the Oakland Athletics for the AL's 2nd Wild Card slot. In the all-important loss column, they are 5 behind the Rays, and 2 behind the A's.

And they are getting healthier. Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery, Gary Sanchez and Anthony Rizzo are coming off the COVID list. Cole starts tonight, in a rainout makeup against the Los Angeles Angels. Then the hated Boston Red Sox come to down, with a doubleheader on Tuesday (including another rainout makeup), and Montgomery will start one of the games.

Rizzo will resume baseball activity today, although it's not clear when he will play again. Domingo German will throw a bullpen session today, and be evaluated thereafter. Sanchez may be activated on Tuesday, after Higashioka performed yeoman duty as the catcher. Aroldis Chapman will soon be making a rehab appearance. Miguel Andujar has been working with the Class AA Somerset Patriots. Corey Kluber started for the Patriots on Thursday, meaning he could make another rehab start tomorrow, meaning he could be back in Pinstripes next week.

It's not all good news. Clint Frazier, who had played for the Patriots, has been transferred to the 60-Day Injured List, due to complications with his head injury. It is now unlikely he will play again this season. Luis Severino is getting an MRI today. Hopefully, it won't be any worse than a minor setback. It's not clear when Gio Urshela and Clay Holmes will return from injury. And I would be surprised if Gleyber Torres returned before the end of August.

There are 6 games left against the Red Sox, 3 at home this week, and 3 at Fenway Park in late September. And there are 3 games left against the Rays, the last 3 games of the regular season, at home. And the Sox and Rays play each other 7 times, 4 in St. Petersburg, 3 in Fenway. Those 16 games, 9 that the Yankees play in, are where the AL East is going to be decided.

And the Yankees are still giving themselves a chance, in spite of everything.

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Days until the next Yankees series against the Boston Red Sox begins: 1, tomorrow afternoon, at Yankee Stadium II.

Days until the next New York Red Bulls game: 3, on Wednesday night, at 7:00 PM, home to the defending MLS Champion Columbus Crew.

Days until the Red Bulls again play a nearby rival: 5, on Saturday night, August 21, against New York City FC, at Red Bull Arena.

Days until the next Arsenal game: 6, on Sunday, 11:30 AM U.S. Eastern Time, home to defending Champions League winners Chelsea. After the Premier League opening disaster against newly-promoted Brentford, no one is optimistic. And with the next League game being away to defending PL Champions Manchester City, the Yankees could have no points after 3 games.

Days until the next Rutgers University football game: 17, on Thursday, September 2, at 6:30 PM, home to Temple University.

Days until the next game of the U.S. National Soccer Team: 17, on Thursday, September 2, at 10:00 PM Eastern Time, against El Salvador, in their national capital of San Salvador. It will bet he USMNT's 1st game since winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup. See, England? That's how you win a continental tournament final on home soil.

Days until the next East Brunswick High School football game: 18, on Friday, September 3, at 7:00 PM, home to arch-rival Old Bridge. 

Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge football game: See the previous answer.

Days until the next North London Derby: 41, on Sunday, September 26, at 11:30 AM, at the Emirates Stadium. TV programming moved the game from the day before. Under 6 weeks.

Days until the New Jersey Devils play another regular-season game: 60, on Friday, October 15, home to the Chicago Blackhawks. Under 2 months.

Days until the New Jersey Devils again play a local rival: 73, on Thursday, October 28, home to the New York Rangers.

Days until the next election for Governor of New Jersey and Mayor of New York City: 78, on Tuesday, November 2. A little over 11 weeks.

Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State football game: 96, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, November 20, at 12:00 noon, at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. A little over 3 months.

Days until the 1st Baseball Hall of Fame election for which Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz will be eligible, and we will know for sure whether steroid use keeps a player out, or if it's only perception that does: 162, on Tuesday, January 25, 2022. A little over 5 months.

Days until the next Winter Olympics open in Beijing, China: 172, on Friday, February 4, 2022. Under 7 months.

Days until the next elections for Congress and for Governor of most States, including New York and Pennsylvania: 449, on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. Under a year and a half, or under 15 months.

Days until the next World Cup opens: 462, on Friday, November 21, 2022, in Doha, Qatar. Under a year and a half, or a little over 15 months.

Days until the next Women's World Cup opens: 699, on Friday, July 10, 2023, jointly held in the neighboring nations of Australia and New Zealand. A little under 2 years, or a little under 23 months.

Days until the next Summer Olympic Games: 1,075, on Friday, July 26, 2024, in Paris, France.

Days until the next Presidential election: 1,177, on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Under 3 1/2 years, or under 39 months.

Yankees Get Their Gioia di Vivere Back, Only to Lose It in 3 Hours

There's a French term that most English-speaking Americans know: "Joie de vivre." It means "joy of living."

With their new Italian-American acquisitions, Anthony Rizzo and Joey Gallo, the Yankees seemed to have found it again. In Italian, the phrase becomes "gioia di vivere."

On Thursday night, the Yankees began a 4-game home series with the Seattle Mariners, knowing that, due to injuries to Corey Kluber and Luis Severino, COVID protocols preventing the appearances of Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery, and Jameson Taillon having pitched the finale of the previous series, none of the 4 games would be started by any of the 5 men they expected to make up their starting rotation this season.

Nestor Cortes started the opening game, allowing 2 runs over 5 innings. He left with the game tied. Chad Green pitched a scoreless 6th, but allowed a run on the 7th, and many fans thought the game was over.

It wasn't. Gallo hit a 3-run homer, and, despite the all-too-frequent unnecessary drama from Aroldis Chapman, the final score was Yankees 5, Mariners 3. WP: Green (5-5, not wholly deserved). SV: Chapman (23). LP: Paul Sewald (6-3).

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The Yankees entered the series not knowing who would be the starting pitcher on Friday night. They went with the "opener" or "bullpen game" strategy, and it actually worked. Of the 27 outs they needed to get in the 1st (and hopefully only) 9 innings, Wandy Peralta got the 1st 5, Stephen Ridings the next 4, Joely Rodriguez 3, Clay Holmes 4, Lucas Luetge 4, Jonathan Loáisiga 4 and Zack Britton 3. Between them, they allowed 1 run (Holmes in the 5th inning) on 7 hits and 1 walk, striking out 8.

But the Yankees didn't hit, either, getting only 1 run, in the 8th, and that without the benefit of a hit. The game went to extra innings and ghost runners. Both teams scored 1 run in the 10th, as Green continued to be ineffective. 

Albert Abreu held the Mariners off with a 1-2-3 top of the 11th. The Yankees started the bottom of the inning with Joey Gallo on 2nd. Gleyber Torres popped up. Then the Mariners walked Rougned Odor to set up the double play. It didn't work: Kyle Higashioka struck out, but Brett Gardner had a heck of an at-bat, Paul O'Neill-style fouling several pitches before singling Gallo home. 

Yankees 3, Mariners 2. WP: Abreu (1-0). No save. LP: Keynan Middleton (0-2).

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Newly-acquired Andrew Heaney started the Saturday afternoon game. He was shaky, allowing 4 runs in 6 innings. He did, however, give the bullpen, used so much the nhght before, a little rest, and, between them, Holmes, Rodriguez and Loáisiga allowed just 1 baserunner over the last 3 innings.

Aaron Judge hit a home run in the 1st, but the Yankees went into the bottom of the 6th trailing 4-1. Giancarlo Stanton led off with a single. Odor hit the shortest of "short porch" home runs to make it 4-3. Online Yankee Haters started with the "little league ballpark" talk -- as if Fenway Park doesn't have closer foul poles, and Kyle Seager hadn't already hit a cheap home run for the Mariners in the game.

Gardner flew out, but Torres reached on an error. The Mariners really did themselves in with bad defense. Higashioka hit a ground-rule double to tie the game. DJ LeMahieu singled, and Rizzo grounded to 1st, and nobody seemed to know what to do: A double play resulted, but not before Higashioka scored the go-ahead run.

Which held up. Yankees 5, Mariners 4. WP: Heaney (7-8, 1-0 as a Yankee). SV: Loáisiga (4). LP: Anthony Misiewicz (3-4).

The Yankees had now won 5 straight -- all since that cat ran into thebfield during their most recent loss -- 10 out of their last 12, and 15 of their last 20, getting themselves legitimately back into the thought-lost race for the American League Eastern Division title.

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And then came yesterday. There were two big pieces of bad news. Aroldis Chapman was placed on the 10-day injured list, with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. That throws the bullpen out of whack. 

Possibly worse, Rizzo, who mentioned that he hadn't been vaccinated, was placed on the COVID list. Neither one of these guys will be available for a week and a half, at least. As a result, for yesterday's game, the Yankees 1st baseman would be Luke Voit, and he turned out to be a terrible option. 

About the vaccine situation: General manager Brian Cashman got the Yankees the Johnson & Johnson "one-time only" vaccine. For too many players, it hasn't worked. And now, he can no longer say, "I still deserve to have my job because I got Anthony Rizzo."

Luis Gil started the game, and pitched 5 shutout innings. He jas now pitched 11 innings in the major leagues without allowing a run. Unfortunately, he is not 2-0, because the Yankees just didn't hit. Torres, who has now broken out of a terrible slump, got three hits, but the rest of the team combined only got three. Yankees left 11 men on base.

Luetge blew it in the 8th inning, but can I really fault him for losing the game, when the Yankees didn't offset the 2 runs he allowed with at least 3 of their own?

Mariners 2, Yankees 0. WP: Sewald (7-3). SV: Drew Steckenrider (4). LP: Luetge (4-2).

The Yankees took 3 out of 4 in the series, but that 1 loss felt like it canceled out the other 3. It reminded Yankee fans of what life is like without Rizzo, and we don't like it. We just don't hit. The gioia di vivere is gone.

With 51 games, over 8 weeks, to go, the Yankees are now 6 1/2 games, 6 in the loss column, behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East, and 2 1/2 games, just 1 in the loss column, behind the Boston Red Sox for the second AL Wild Card slot.

They now start a road trip, first to Kansas City, and then to face the Chicago White Sox, including a game at the Field of Dreams site in Dyersville, the 1st Major League Baseball game ever played in the State of Iowa. (Early in its history, the NBA had a team in Iowa, the Waterloo Hawks, but they didn't last long.) The Field of Dreams Game was supposed to be played last year, but was called off because of the COVID shutdown.

UPDATE: Gio Urshela has had an injury setback, and didn't make the roadtrip. 

Yanks Get Most Improbable Win In Strangest Season

This is, beyond any doubt -- and beyond a statement I made in a post in 2014 -- the strangest season I have ever seen the New York Yankees have.

Given what the starting pitching matchups were projected to be in this 4-game series with the despised Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, yesterday afternoon's game seemed like the least likely for the Yankees to win. And after dropping the 1st 2 games, with much more favorable matchups, that was depressing. 

But, as Yankee broadcaster John Sterling likes to say, "You just can't predict baseball."

Jameson Taillon started for the Yankees, and allowed 1 run in each of the 1st 3 innings. Ordinarily, in Fenway, that might not be so bad. But the way the Yankees have been hitting this season, pretty much any lead the opponent gets can be considered safe.

This time, Taillon settled down, and got through the 7th without allowing another run. It was still 3-0 Sox.

But former Yankee Nathan Eovaldi was pitching, and the Yankees couldn't touch him. They got a man on 1st with 1 out in the 1st, the 1st 2 batters on in the 3rd, a man on 2nd with 1 out in the 6th, and a man on 1st with 2 out in the 7th. None of them scored.

This was the Yankees' season in a nutshell, the organization driving their fans nuts because they're a shadow of their former selves.

But Eovaldi tired in the top of the 8th. Rookie Estevan Florial led off with a double. Rob Brantly's fly ball advanced him to 3rd base. DJ LeMahieu's fly ball wasn't deep enough to score him. But Brett Gardner singled him home.

That convinced Sox manager to take Eovaldi out, and bring in another former Yankee, Adam Ottavino. He embarrassed the Yankees with them last season, and he's  embarrassing them for the Red Sox this season.

But Giancarlo Stanton greeted him with a ground-rule double. Aaron Boone, whose guesses have been pretty bad lately, smelled victory, and pulled the DH Stanton for pinch-runner Tyler Wade.

Roughned Odor doubled home Gardner and Wade. Tie ballgame. Gleyber Torres singled home Odor. 4-3 New York. The Yankees could get no further, but Jonathan Loáisiga, back from the COVID version of the Injured List, got our of a jam in the bottom of the 8th to keep it 4-3.

Now, it was time for Boone to send Aroldis Chapman out to protect a 1-run lead at Fenway Park. My blood pressure was Oy/Vey. So were my pronouns.

He got Alex Verdugo to ground out. And he struck Kevin Plawecki out. So far, so good. But, Cliché Alert: Aroldis gotta Aroldis. He walked Hunter Renfroe. Then, the wacko nature of Fenway Park resulted in another ground-rule double, this time by Christian Vazquez, that meant a man on 1st had to stop at 3rd. 

The batter was Enrique Hernandez, and a lot of Yankee Fans couldn't look. Chapman struck him out. 

Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theeeeeeee Yankees win! Yankees 4, Red Sox 3. WP: Taillon (6-4). SV: Chapman (18). LP: Ottavino (2-3).

In their strangest season that I can remember, the Yankees got their most improbable win.

The series concludes this afternoon, with Domingo Germán starting against Martin Perez.

Yogi and Belushi Were Right

It looked like the American League Eastern Division race, if not yet decided in favor of the Boston Red Sox -- the Tampa Bay Rays are still hot on their heels -- was certainly over for the Yankees. And as the official 2nd half of the regular season got underway, the impression only deepened, as the Sox won the 1st game of the series, and took the lead in the 2nd.

But then, as Yankee Hall-of-Famer Yogi Berra taught us, "It ain't over 'til it's over." And, as John Belushi taught us in the movie Animal House...

What? Over? Did you say, "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell, no! And it ain't over now! 'Cause when the goin' gets tough, the tough get goin'. Who's with me? Let's go! Come on!

The movie was set in 1962, a year in which the Yankees won the World Series. It was released on July 27, 1978, just as the Yankees began a massive Divisional comeback against the Red Sox that resulted in another World Series win.

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So, the series was supposed to start on Thursday night, at the new Yankee Stadium. It didn't, because it rained. The opener was postponed, and will be played as the 1st half of a separate-admissions doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon, August 17.

Which may be lucky for the Yankees: Aaron Judge, Gio Urshela, Jonathan Loaisiga, Kyle Higashioka, Nestor Cortes and Wandy Peralta were all placed on the COVID edition of the Injured List. And all would be missed, even Peralta, who hasn't exactly been great, but we need everybody available for the bullpen. Those guys will be back for the series beginning at Yankee Stadium on August 17, if not for the series starting at Fenway Park this coming Thursday.

So the 2nd game of this series, the Friday night game, became the 1st game, and Jordan Montgomery pitched decently. He allowed 3 runs in 6 innings. That should have been enough for the Yankees' hitters to score enough runs win the game. Instead, this stat came up on the YES Network's broadcast:

He's gotten so little support, he should sue in family court. The Yankee bats just didn't show up, only getting 4 hits all game. Red Sox 4, Yankees 0. WP: Eduardo Rodriguez (7-5). SV: Tanner Houck (1). LP: Montgomery (3-5).

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The Saturday night game wasn't looking too good, either. It started late due to rain. The Yankees had Rougned Odor batting 3rd, a slumping Gary Sanchez 4th, an even-worse-slumping Gleyber Torres 5th, Brett Gardner 6th, rookie Chris Gittens (who hadn't impressed in his earlier callup) 7th, the ordinary Tim LoCastro 8th, and rookie Greg Allen 9th.

Someone wrote on Twitter that LoCastro, Gardner and Allen might have been the worst outfield ever fielded by a Yankee team not trying to "tank."

Gerrit Cole allowed a run in the top of the 2nd. Nathan Eovaldi once again showed how stupid Brian Cashman was to get rid of him, as he pitched shutout ball through 4 innings.

At this moment, effectively, the Yankees were 9 games out of the Division lead, and 5 games out of the 2nd AL Wild Card slot. Getting into the Playoffs was still very possible, but winning the Division was increasingly unlikely, and 12 years without a Pennant a virtual certainty.

And then, with 2 out in the bottom of the 5th, the series, if not (yet) the entire season, turned around. Allen hit a drive to deep right-center, and ended up on 2nd base with a double. DJ LeMahieu singled him home, and the game was tied. In the 6th, the 2 slumpers around whom Cashman once seemed to want to build the next dynasty around, Sanchez and Torres, hit back-to-back home runs.

And then the rains came back, and the umpires called it. Since more than 5 innings were completed, it was an official game: Yankees 3, Red Sox 1. WP: Cole (10-4). No save. LP: Hirokazu Sawamura (4-1).

*

What was supposed to be a Sunday afternoon game got moved back to Sunday night, because ESPN loves 2 things: Airing prime-time Red Sox wins, and airing prime-time Yankee losses.

But Jameson Taillon ripped up the script, pitching shutout ball into the 6th inning. Torres hit another home run leading off the bottom of the 2nd. The Yankees picked up another run in the 3rd, and another in the 5th.

In the 7th, Odor hit one out, and then the Boston bullpen issued 5 walks, including 2 with the bases loaded. In the 8th, Ryan Lamarre hit his 1st major league home run.

Aroldis Chapman was brought in to protect a 9-1 lead. Aaron Boone later said that, if it was a save situation, he would have been brought in anyway. With hardly any pressure on him, Chapman got flyout, strikeout, groundout. Yankees 9, Red Sox 1. WP: Taillon (5-4). No save. LP: Martin Perez (7-6).

There was some bad news: The recently-acquired LoCastro, whose big thing is speed (he stole 17 bases for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2019), tore an anterior cruciate ligament. He had just barely gotten here, having played just 9 games for the Yankees. Now, he's out for the season.

But the Yankees now have hope. They are 48-44, 7 games behind the Red Sox for the Division lead, 6 games in the all-important loss column. They are 3 1/2 out of the 2nd AL Wild Card slot. And while the All-Star Break and the rain played havoc with our perceptions of what had been happening, they have just taken 2 out of 3 from both the Houston Astros and the Red Sox -- both known cheaters.

Maybe these new acquisitions are the new blood, the new energy the Yankees needed. The season is far from over.

Wherever they are now, Yogi Berra is smiling, and John Belushi, a Chicago Cubs fan in life, may be enjoying the show as well.

I Don't Trust This Long Season

Going back to their founding in 1977, a trip west to face the Seattle Mariners has usually meant trouble for the Yankees. This time, with both teams struggling, it looked like such a visit was, Cliche Alert, just what the doctor ordered.

But the Yankees' recent slump was like organized crime, as described by Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in The Godfather Part III (set in 1979, a bad year for the Yankees): "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!"

The series began on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park, formerly Safeco Field. Justus Sheffield, a former Yankee "prospect" that Brian Cashman was actually willing to admit wasn't going to work out, and trade away, starting for the M's, leading some people to think he was going to do what so many former Yankees, especially pitchers, do when we give up on them: Turn into, for this 1 game, the kind of player we'd hoped they would become.

Jameson Taillon, a weak link in the Yankees' starting rotation thus far, pitched his best game with the team, going 7 innings, allowing just 1 run on 4 hits and 1 walk, striking out 9. A performance like that deserved a lot of support, and he got it. Cliche Alert: The Yankees scored early and often. And Sheffield did not have the steel necessary to stop it.

The game began with a single by DJ LeMahieu, a flyout by Aaron Judge that was deep enough for DJLM to tag up and go to 2nd base, a walk by Gary Sanchez, and a home run by Giancarlo Stanton. In the 2nd inning, the Yankees loaded the bases, got a wild pitch, and got a 2-RBI single by Luke Voit. 6-0.

3rd inning: A walk by Rougned Odor, a single by Miguel Andujar, a popup by Tim Locastro, and RBI single by DJLM, and RBI double by Judge. 8-0 Yankees. They didn't score again in the 4th, but another Voit RBI single in the 5th made it 9-0.

Over the 1st 5 innings, the Yankees' scoreline was 33201. That ZIP Code is not in use. If it was, it would be in Miami.

In the 8th, the Yankees added a 3-run homer by Odor. Having an 11-run lead in the 8th is a good time to help a struggling reliever work the kinks out. Although he walked the leadoff man in the bottom of the 8th, Wandy Peralta got the next 3 men out.

Having an 11-run lead in the 9th is a good time to help a struggling reliever work the kinks out. But Aaron Boone did not leave Peralta in. Instead, he brought in the pitcher most in need of a strong outing, the closer who began the year so brilliantly, but has pitched horridly of late: Aroldis Chapman.

He put on the kind of performance that, had it happened earlier in the year, we would have said, "Well, at least he got the job done in the end. But, given his recent outings, this was worrying. He allowed a single, then got a strikeout. He walked a better, then got a strikeout. He delivered another walk to load the bases, bringing a lot of us to ask, "He can't blow an 11-run lead in a pitcher's park, can he?" And then he got another strikeout to end it.

He walked the bases loaded and struck out the side. This is where John Sterling might say to Suzyn Waldman, "You know, Suzyn, you just can't predict baseball." But with Aroldis Chapman, such an occurrence wouldn't be all that hard to predict.

At any rate, it was over: Yankees 12, Mariners 1. WP: Taillon (3-4). No save, not with an 11-run lead. LP: Sheffield (5-8).

*

The Wednesday night game would be less comfortable, on more than one level. Domingo German was supposed to start, but he had to undergo an emergency root canal. So that's 3 times in this turn of the rotation that the Yankees needed an unintended starter. In this case, it was Nick Nelson.

Back-to-back singles in the 1st by Voit and Gleyber Torres gave Nelson a 3-0 lead before he even took the mound, but he couldn't handle it. He started with a strikeout, but then hit a batter, walked the next, nearly allowed a game-tying home run that turned into a long flyout, walked a batter and allowed a run on a wild pitch at the same time, and walked another batter to load the bases.

Boone had seen enough, and brought in Luis Cessa. It seemed a good time to worry. It wasn't: Not only did Cessa get out of this jam, he pitched 3 more innings without allowing a runner past 1st base. It might have been his best performance as a Yankee. And he was rewarded in the 2nd inning with a double by Locastro and a homer by Judge.

With his anesthesia worn off, German was brought in to pitch the 5th. He got 2 strikeouts, then a flyout. So it remained 5-1 in the Yankees' favor into the 6th. But that inning began with an error by Gio Urshela, and that unsettled German, until he allowed a home run that made it 5-4.

But that would be the Mariners' last baserunner. German pitched a perfect 7th, Jonathan Loaisiga a perfect 8th, and Chad Green a perfect 9th. Yankees 5, Mariners 4. WP: Cessa (2-1). SV: Green (3). LP: Yusei Kikuchi (6-4).

*

So that was 3 games in a row that the Yankees, both at the plate and on the mound, had gotten the job done. Things were looking up. Little did anyone know that the Yankees' output in the 1st inning of Game 1 of the series would be greater than their entire output in Game 3.

Jordan Montgomery started the Thursday afternoon finale. He had an average game, getting into the 7th inning and allowing 3 runs. The Yankees should have been able to overcome that.

They didn't. Starting the 2nd inning, Stanton doubled, and Voit was hit by a pitch. And LeMahieu was hit by a pitch in the 9th -- which led to the exchanges of some words and dirty looks. Those were the only baserunneres of the game.

It was reminiscent of an exchange from the move Major League, where Bob Uecker plays Harry Doyle, a broadcaster for the Cleveland Indians, a character based less on his real-life persona and more on Harry Caray of the Chicago Cubs, and says, on the air, "That's all we got? One goddamned hit?" His broadcast partner covers the microphone, and says, "You can't say, 'goddamned' on the air." And Harry says, "That's okay, nobody's listening, anyway."

Peralta gave up a home run in the 8th to make the final score Mariners 4, Yankees 0. WP: Logan Gilbert (3-2). No save. LP: A hard-luck Montgomery (3-4).

*

So the Yankees are 44-42, 9 games (8 in the loss column) behind the Boston Red Sox in the American League Eastern Division, and 4 1/2 games out of the 2nd AL Wild Card slot. According to FanGraphs, the Yankees now have an 8 percent chance of winning the Division, and a 37 percent chance of making the Playoffs.

And now, we have to close out the official 1st half of the season, before the All-Star Break, by going to Houston to play the cheating Astros, who are currently tied with the Red Sox and the Los Angeles Baseball Team for the best record in the major leagues.

This could be a long weekend, especially if the weather predictions hold up, although that won't affect the Yankees, who will be playing under a dome. Throw in the Break, and it could be a long week.

It's already been a long season. In Bull Durham, Susan Sarandon's character, Annie Savoy, said, "It's a long season, and you've got to trust it." And we've heard many times, so I have to say, "Cliche Alert": A baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint.

The New York City Marathon has been canceled twice in the last 9 years.

The Yankees' championship parade has been canceled 11 years in a row. It looks like it will be 12. Because I don't trust Cashman, I don't trust Boone, I don't trust these players, and I don't trust this long season. Do you?

Yankees Survive Wild Ride With Royals, Red Sox Next

If the Yankees are going to drive us all crazy, the least they could do was see to it that we enjoyed the trip.

That would not be the case on Tuesday night, as they opened a 3-game home series against the Kansas City Royals. Gerrit Cole started, and went 7 innings, allowing just 2 runs. Sounds like a building block for success.

But that also requires hitting. Once again, the Yankees got runs from solo home runs, rather than homers with men on base, or "small ball." Luke Voit did it in the 1st inning, and Kyle Higashioka did it in the 2nd.

Later came an exception. In the bottom of the 7th, Voit hit a triple, and scores on a wild pitch. So it was just 3-2 Yankees when Jonathan Loaisiga was brought in to pitch the top of the 8th. 

Here's the result of that: Single, double, strikeout, single, fielder's choice resulting in everybody reaching base safely, strikeout, single, single, before Aaron Boone mercifully pulled him for Lucas Luetge, who got a groundout to end it. Four runs.

The Yankees did put up a fight the rest of the way. With 1 out in the bottom of the 8th, Brett Gardner drew a walk, and DJ LeMahieu hit a home run. And Aaron Judge doubled. But they couldn't get him home.

Gio Urshela singled to lead off the 9th. But Gleyber Torres and Clint Frazier both struck out. Gary Sanchez -- catching now that Cole and his personal catcher, Higashioka, were out of the game -- was walked intentionally to set up a force play. It wasn't necessary, as Gardner popped up.

Royals 6, Yankees 5. WP: Jake Brentz (2-0). SV: Greg Holland (5). LP: Loaisiga (7-3).

An awful game. Afterward, Loaisiga faced the media like an adult, and took responsibility for his failure. He said he was ready to do better.

*

The Wednesday night game was started by Michael King, which filled few people with any confidence, unless they were Royals fans. He didn't get out of the 5th inning. In the bottom of the 4th, walks to Miguel Andujar and Giancarlo Stanton were followed by a double by Frazier, and that tied the game at 2-2.

Chad Green bailed King out of a bases-loaded jam in the 5th inning, and pitched a scoreless 6th and 7th. But Zach Britton allowed a home run to lead off the top of the 8th, and even though it was only 3-2, the game felt lost.

Not so fast: In the bottom of the 8th, Frazier drew a walk, and Rougned Odor hit a screaming line drive into the bullpen to make it 4-3 Yankees.

Aroldis Chapman came on to pitch the top of the 9th, and you never know with him. He's had his best season as a Yankee, but that just makes the times when he doesn't get the job done look even more egregious. Loaded the bases, then walk home a run to tie it, then allowed a hit to give the Royals the lead.

After he  got the final out, a YES Network camera caught him throwing his glove in the dugout. Like Paul O'Neill, he took his frustrations out on himself and his equipment, but not anybody else.

Now, it was Chapman's turn to get bailed out. With one out in the bottom of the 9th, Gary Sanchez, suddenly the hottest hitter in baseball, hit a game-tying home run, and the Stadium crowd erupted.

This was followed by Stanton getting a hit, being replaced as a pinch-runner by Tyler Wade, Wade advancing to 2nd on a wild pitch, and Voit nearly hitting one out, missing a home run by about 2 feet, and Wade scoring the winning run.

Yankees 6, Royals 5. WP: Chapman (5-2, though deserving of the win only according to the letter of the rule). No save. LP: Holland (2-3).

This game was a rough ride for Yankee Fans, but at least they arrived at the proper destination.

*

In spite of it being started by the inconsistent Jameson Taillon, the Thursday afternoon game would have considerably less drama. He pitched very well, getting into the 7th inning, allowing only 1 run.

And the Yankee bats backed him up. They got 2 runs in the 1st inning, on a home run by Judge, and an RBI single by Odor. An RBI single by Judge in the 2nd and a home run by Voit in the 3rd pretty much put the game out of reach early.

Another home run by Sanchez, this one for 3 runs in the 6th, dusted K.C. off. Stanton added an RBI single in the 8th. Yankees 8, Royals 1. WP: Taillon (2-4). No save. LP: Brad Keller (6-8).

*

The Yankees are now 40-34, 4 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Eastern Division, 3 games in the All-Important Loss Column. The Boston Red Sox are half a game behind the Rays, even in the loss column. This comes after the race swept the Sox 3 straight in St. Petersburg.

And now, the Yankees head to Fenway Park for a weekend showdown with the Red Sox. Although the Rays will still have a lot to say about how the Division race turns out, the last generation of baseball suggest that it could come down to Yankees vs. Red Sox, so this series could be key to deciding it. Here are the projected pitching matchups:

* Tonight at 7: Domingo German vs. Martin Perez.

* Tomorrow night at 7: Jordan Montgomery vs. former Yankee Nathan Eovaldi.

* Sunday afternoon at 1: Cole vs. Eduardo Rodriguez.

A Phutile Phoray in Philadelphia

After a rare Friday off, the Yankees had a 2-game weekend series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. This foray, or should I say "phoray," into Philadelphia was completely phutile, and it looks like the Yankees can now phorget about making the Playoffs. 

Jameson Taillon started the Saturday afternoon game, and he was insanely bad. He pitched to 7 batters, allowing single, single, bases-loading single, 2-RBI single, bases-loading walk, RBI sacrifice fly, RBI single.

It was 4-0 when Aaron Boone put him out of his misery, and replaced him with Nestor Cortes, who allowed another single, but then got 2 strikeouts to stop the bleeding.

The Yankees took 2 runs back in the top of the 2nd, on a home run by Gary Sanchez, a single by Miguel Andujar and a triple by Brett Gardner.

Given that CBP is as much of a homer haven as Yankee Stadium II is, there was now plenty of reason to hope -- if, that is, Cortes could give the Yankees the "start" that Taillon couldn't.

He almost did. He got through the 2nd and the 3rd without allowing a run, and gave up just 1 in the 4th. A 5-2 deficit shouldn't have seemed hard to overcome.

But Boone brought Luis Cessa in to pitch the 5th inning. Never bring Luis Cessa in to pitch the 5th inning. 

Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. Cessa allowed walk, single, RBI single, RBI double, and, just like that, it was 7-2 Philadelphia, and it looked like game over.

A homer by Rougned Odor in the top of the 6th seemed like a pointless tease. But an RBI single by Sanchez in the 8th made the game interesting again.

And then, in the top of the 9th, Gardner and Tyler Wade drew walks, and DJ LeMahieu hit one out to tie the ballgame! 7-7!

But Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres then struck out. This failure to get an 8th run meant that the Yankees would have to hold the Phillies off in the bottom of the 9th, and then go with extra innings and the ridiculous ghost runner rule. Chad Green had kept the Phils from scoring in the 8th, and did so again in the 9th.

The "Aristophanes Rule" (I've named it that because it's ridiculous) almost requires you to start an extra inning by trying to bunt the runner on 2nd over, and Gio Urshela couldn't do that in the top of the 10th, as he was thrown out by the Phillies' catcher, J.T. Realmuto, and Torres couldn't advance.

Then Sanchez struck out. And, since this was an Interleague game in a National League park, there was no designated hitter, and the pitcher's spot in the batting order was up. Boone sent Kyle Higashioka up to bat for Green, and he struck out, too.

Boone brought Aroldis Chapman in. Having been near-perfect over the season's 1st 2 months, he has been awful lately, and this game was no exception: Error on the bunt, foul popup, RBI single.

Phillies 8, Yankees 7. WP: Archie Bradley (2-1). No save. LP: Chapman (4-2).

After the LeMahieu homer, somebody tweeted, asking where were all the Yankee Fans who had turned off their TV sets. Just half an hour later,, I wrote back, "On Twitter," telling you they told you so.

*

There would be no drama in the Sunday afternoon game. Domingo German saw to that, allowing 1 run in the 1st inning and 3 in the 3rd, and set up the allowing of 3 more in the 5th.

And Aaron Nola saw to it as well. He pitched 7 2/3rds innings, allowing only a walk to Clint Frazier in the 3rd, a single by LeMahieu to end the no-hit bid in the 6th, a double by Odor in the 7th, and a fielder's choice by Urshela right afterward (on which Odor violated one of those "unwritten rules of baseball," that you never make the 1st out of an inning at 3rd base). A Torres double in the 9th turned out to be meaningless.

Phillies 7, Yankees 0. WP: Nola (5-4). No save. LP: German (4-4).

Joe Girardi, who managed the Yankees from 2008 to 2017, is now the Phillies' manager. After a loss a few years back, he famously said, "It's not what you want." That's become a catchphrase among Yankee Fans. So has what Boone sometimes says: "It is what it is."

This time, with the Yankees 33-32, on pace to go 82-80, having lost 11 of their 1st 17 and now 11 of their last 15, Boone says he is "very concerned... but we've got to find a way to get better."

Very concerned. Like he's the Susan Collins of baseball. Well, Brian Cashman hasn't learned his lesson.

The Yankees now head to Buffalo, COVID-restrictions-induced temporary home of those pesky Toronto Blue Jays.

Never, Ever Give the Game Back

Last night, the Yankees opened a 3-game weekend series with the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. The Tigers are struggling: In the American League, only the Baltimore Orioles have a worse record. And Gerrit Cole was a pitching for the Yankees. Cole went 6 innings, allowing 1 run on 6 hits and 1 walk, striking out 5. He did his job.

The Yankee batters didn't do theirs. Aaron Judge singled with 2 out in the 1st inning, and doubled with 1 out in the 4th. Those were their only baserunners in the 1st 4 innings. Rougned Odor led off the top of the 5th with a home run, to tie the game. The rest of the inning was a missed opportunity: Clint Frazier singled, Kyle Higashioka struck out, Brett Gardner singled, DJ LeMahieu struck out, and Giancarlo Stanton struck out.

The Yankees got men on 1st and 3rd with 2 out in the 6th, but didn't score. Gleyber Torres and Odor singled with 2 out in the 8th, but Frazier hit a ground ball right at Tiger shortstop Harold Castro, and that was that.

With 1 out in the 9th, Miguel Andujar pinch-hit for Gardner, and singled. Tyler Wade was sent in to pinch-run. A wild pitch got wade to 2nd base. LeMahieu drew a walk. Now, it was men on 1st and 2nd with 1 out, and 2 of the most dangerous hitters in the game coming up: Judge and Stanton. Both struck out.

That's where the Yankees lost the game: Having a glorious opportunity to win the game in the 9th inning, instead, they playing 9 innings against a team that is, to put it politely, struggling, and only scored 1 run.

Aroldis Chapman, having been sick for a couple of days, was brought into pitch the bottom of the 9th. He was due for a bad game, and he began by walking Jonathan Schoop. You know how you "just know"? Well, the cliche about walking the leadoff man hit me, and I was sure that Schoop -- or, rather, pinch-runner Akil Baddoo -- would score.

Except Gary Sanchez, much-maligned for his defensive play as a catcher, picked Baddoo off. Chapman took that gift, and got the next 2 batters out.

Extra innings. Meaning, the ghost runner on 2nd. For the Yankees, that would be Judge. Gio Urshela struck out. Torres hit a grounder that got Judge to 3rd. The Yankees didn't look like they wanted to win.

Then, Tiger reliever Bryan Garcia threw a bad pitch. Catcher Jake Rogers couldn't handle it. It was ruled a passed ball. Judge scored, and it was 2-1. The Yankees had seemingly refused to take the game, and the Tigers had seemingly given it to them, anyway.

Odor singled, so there was a chance for more. But Frazier struck out, and 2-1 it stayed.

Justin Wilson was brought in to pitch the bottom of the 10th. I can't fault Aaron Boone for this: Chapman had been sick, and Zack Britton and Darren O'Day are still on the injured list. Pickings were slim.

Wilson got the 1st out. He got the 2nd out. But there was still the ghost runner, Eric Haase, who had advanced to 3rd base.

The batter was Robbie Grossman. Wilson got to a 2-2 count on him. He threw an outside curveball that just missed the strike zone. Lots of #YankeesTwitter people were sure it was a strike. The replays on the YES Network proved it was a ball by the slimmest of margins.

The next pitch was hit by Grossman for a home run. Tigers 3, Yankees 2. WP: Bryan Garcia (1-1). No save. LP: Wilson (1-1).

I wrote on Twitter, "I got my 2nd Moderna vaccine 28 hours ago. I was fine all day today. Now, I feel sick. Than you SO much, @Yankees."

In this game, the Tigers were a convict that tripped and fell into the electric chair. And the Yankees were the warden, flipping the wrong switch, and executing themselves.

When an opponent is willing to give you the game, never, ever give it back. The problem was, the Yankees had already given the game back, and we just didn't know it.

*

Brian Cashman lost this game, building a team designed to bomb opponents out of the yard, and ending up not being able to do so. In 31 games so far this season, in which they have scored 4 or fewer runs, the Yankees are 11-20. In 27 games scoring 3 or fewer, they are 10-17. In 18 games scoring 2 or fewer, they are 6-12. That includes 3 straight games (May 19-21) where they scored 2 and won.

And in 6 extra-inning games, they are 3-3.

A lot of people forget that losing is a team effort, just as winning is, and will say nasty things about Justin Wilson. The heck with 'em. This game wasn't lost because of one pitch he threw. It was lost because of several pitches the Yankees didn't hit.

The series continues this afternoon, with a first pitch of 4:10 PM. Deivi Garcia makes his 2nd major league appearance of the season, starting against Spencer Turnbull.

Ten Runs Make Cole a Merry Old Soul

In recent times, a trip to Baltimore has been a cure for what ails the Yankee bats. This time, all they could get from a 4-game series at Camden Yards was a split.

They need to get better, and fast. They closed April by starting a weekend series against the Detroit Tigers, who are off to an even worse start, 8-18.

Last night, the starting pitching matchup was Gerrit Cole vs. Tarik Skubal. In 13 major league games, Skubal had a record of 1-7 with a 5.47 ERA. But he'd never faced the Yankees before, which was a red flag. Today's matchup is Jameson Taillon vs. Spencer Turnbull, whose name sounds like that of a soap opera character, another red flag. Sunday's is Corey Kluber vs. Jose Urena. I don't know much about Urena, but except for his last start, Kluber hasn't done too well since coming here.

The Yankees really needed to break out the lumber to support Cole. And they did. Gio Urshela singled home a run in the bottom of the 1st. Theoretically, that was all Cole needed. But the people want a lot of runs. The people got a lot of runs.

Clint Frazier hit a home run in the 2nd. The Aarons, Judge and Hicks, each hit one in the 3rd. These were all solo home runs. In the 4th, Buck Farmer replaced Skubal on the mound for the Tigers. Cliche Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. Kyle Higashioka led off with a walk. Rougned Odor popped up. DJ LeMahieu singled. Giancarlo Stanton singled. Judge came up again. He had never hit a grand slam in a regular-season game. He has now.

Brian Garcia came in for the Tigers. He got Urshela to fly out. But he walked Gleyber Torres, and Hicks singled him home. It was Hicks' best game of the season. It brought his batting average up to .155. (Frazier's went up to .156. Odor, .192. Torres, .234.) Odor hit a home run in the 5th.

The Yankees scored 10 runs in the 1st 5 innings. Ain't no man alive more jealous of another than Jacob deGrom is of Gerrit Cole -- and not just because Cole is a better pitcher.

The Yankees went into cruise control. Cole went 6 innings, allowing 4 hits, and no walks. He struck out 12. He finished April with 62 strikeouts. In the long and glorious history of the New York Yankees, only one pitcher has ever struck out more batters in a single month: Ron Guidry in 1978. That included the June 17 game when he set a team single-game record that still stands, by striking out 18 California Angels.

The Yankees matched that last night. Luis Cessa pitched a hitless 7th inning, allowing the Yankees' only walk of the night, striking out 2. andy Peralta pitched a perfect 8th, striking out 1. And Lucas Luetge pitched a perfect 9th, striking out the side.

Yankees 10, Tigers 0. WP: Cole (4-1). No save. LP: Skubal (0-4). For us: 10 runs, including 5 homers. For them: 18 strikeouts. 1 walk. 4 hits. No runs. Cliche Alert: Damn, that felt good. Baseball has a specific definition of "perfect game." But, on an emotional basis, it's difficult to come up with a better game than this. Maybe if it was against Boston. Or in October. Or both.

Sure, the opposition was a paper Tiger. Nevertheless, this is the time to get rolling, and get in position to be back.

Then again, so was a 4-game series in Baltimore.

The Yankees are now 12-14, 4 1/2 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the American League Eastern Division, 4 in the loss column, with a game in hand.

The series against the Tigers continues this afternoon. As I said, Jameson Taillon vs. Spencer Turnbull. Wasn't he the Prime Minister of Australia? No, that was Malcolm Turnbull (2015-18, with Scott Morrison holding that office now).

Nelson's Riddle Blows Chance at Yank Sweep of Tribe

Before this series between the Yankees and the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field, if you had told me the Yankees were going to take 3 out of 4, I would have gladly taken it.

And when they took the 1st 3, I was very pleased.

It's so much that they lost the 4th game, it's how.

Jameson Taillon started, and was fine for the 1st 3 innings, allowing just 1 baserunner, a single, and striking out the side in the 3rd inning.

Manager Aaron Boone tinkered with the batting order again. He put Brett Gardner in the leadoff spot, Giancarlo Stanton as the DH and batting 2nd, Aaron Judge 3rd, Rougned Odor at 2nd base and batting 4th, Gleyber Torres 5th, Gio Urshela 6th, Mike Ford at 1st base and batting 7th, Gary Sanchez 8th, and Mike Tauchman in left field and batting 9th.

And in the top of the 4th inning, this lineup looked like it might have paid off. Torres, who has really responded well to the criticism he faced earlier in the week, led off with a single. Urshela hit a home run to put the Yankees on the board. Then Odor hit one out, the first back-to-back home runs for the Yankees on the season -- in their 21st game. Which is an indication that general manager Brian Cashman's strategy of "Bomb the opposition out of the yard" hasn't worked too well.

Especially considering that the Indians not only erased that 3-0 lead in the bottom of the 4th, but took it. Taillon allowed single, single, single, home run, with Franmil Reyes' blast giving the Tribe a 4-3 lead.

The Yankees had their chances thereafter. Judge led off the 5th with a single, and advanced to 2nd on a groundout and 3rd on a wild pitch. Tauchman doubled and Frazier walked in the 6th. Odor reached on an error in the 7th. Sanchez was hit by a pitch in the 8th. None of them scored.

And if the Yankees had lost 4-3 like that, I wouldn't have liked it, but I could have lived with it. But that's not what happened.

Because, for the bottom of the 5th inning, Boone (almost certainly on the order of Cashman) brought in Nick Nelson. Yes, Nick Nelson, ol' Number 79, who pitches, as Colonel Sherman T. Potter (played by Harry Morgan) would have said on M*A*S*H, with all the efficiency of a one-legged man at a butt-kicking contest. Remember: The Yankees were only down by 1 run. But, to me, bringing Nelson in was a message: "This game is already lost."

Cliche Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. Nelson began the 5th with walk, lineout, wild pitch, single, sacrifice fly. 5-3 Indians.

Uncharacteristically, Boone left Nelson in for the 6th: Triple, groundout, RBI double, strikeout, RBI single. Luis Cessa, surprisingly, pitched a perfect 7th and a perfect 8th, but it didn't matter.

Indians 7, Yankees 3. WP: Sam Hentges (1-0). No save. LP: Taillon (0-2).

The Yankees are now 9-12, 4 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the American League Eastern Division, 3 in the loss column, as they have 2 games in hand. By the way: In those 1st 21 games, the Yankees still haven't scored a run in the 1st inning all season.

After the game, Nelson was sent down to the Yankees' "alternate site." A game too late, it would seem. He's a riddle. Not to be confused with mid-20th Century music giant Nelson Riddle.

The Yankees move on to 4 away games against the Baltimore Orioles. Deivi Garcia makes his 1st start of the season, against former Met "ace" Matt Harvey. We're all hoping Garcia pitches like 2015 Harvey -- not like 2016 onward Harvey. And we're hoping the Yankees do in Camden Yards what they usuall do there: Treat it like their own personal home run playpen. Come on you Bombers!

Face the Music: King Cole Beats Bieber

The 3rd game of this 4-game series between the Yankees and the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field was billed as a great pitching tool between Gerrit Cole and Shane Bieber. And it lived up to that description: The game was scoreless going to the bottom of the 4th.

That was when the Indians struck first. With 1 out, Jose Ramirez hit a triple, and Eddie Rosario singled him home. Cole struck Franmil Reyes and Josh Naylor out to get out of it, but, given the opposing pitcher and the Yankees' hitting so far this season, that 1-0 deficit may as well have been 5-0.

But the Yankees managed to back "King" Cole up, and face the music, straighten up and fly right. Aaron Hicks decided to treat Shane Bieber as if he was Justin Bieber, and hit a long home run to tie the game. Bieber then struck Clint Frazier and Kyle Higashioka out, but Rougned Odor again justified his recent acquisition with a home run of his own. It was 2-1 Yankees.

That was all Cole needed, as he breezed through the 5th, the 6th and the 7th. Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone let him keep going because both Aroldis Chapman and Chad Green were unavailable for relief duty, since each had pitched 2 nights in a row.

Justin Wilson got into a little bit of trouble in the 8th, and Jonathan Loaisiga was needed for a 4-out save. Yankees 2, Indians 1. WP: Cole (3-1). SV: Loaisiga (1). LP: Bieber (2-2).

That's 3 in a row for the Yankees, for the 1st time all season. With the Boston Red Sox losing, the Yankees are now just 3 games behind them in the American League Eastern Division, 2 in the all-important loss column. We may have fully shaken off that horrible start to the season.

The series with the Indians concludes this afternoon, as the Yankees go for the sweep. Jameson Taillon pitches for us, Triston McKenzie for them.

Lineup Switch Boosts Yanks vs. Tribe

Maybe getting out of New York was, as I half-jokingly suggested, just what the Yankees needed. Or maybe it was some deviating from the established lineup by Aaron Boone, at long last.

Boone kept DJ LeMahieu as the leadoff hitter, but moved Giancarlo Stanton up to 2nd, ahead of Aaron Judge, moving Judge down to 3rd, Gleyber Torres up to 4th, Gio Urshela back down to 5th, Aaron Hicks to 6th, Gary Sanchez to 7th, Clint Frazier to 8th, and Rougned Odor to 9th.

Jordan Montgomery was the starting pitcher, and he started shaky, alowing the Cleveland Indians 3 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning. After that, he settled down, and gave the Yankee bats the chance to bail him out.

They did. Hicks and Odor both hit home runs in the top of the 2nd, tying the game. In the 3rd, Stanton crushed one to left field, giving the Yankees the lead. In the 5th, he hit another long drive to right-center, making it 5-3 Yankees.

In 1961, it took until around this time of the year for manager Ralph Houk to move Roger Maris to 3rd in the batting order, ahead of Mickey Mantle, to give Maris better pitches to hit. The result was Maris hitting 61 home runs, Mantle 54, and the team roaring to a 109-win season and a World Championship. Now, 60 years later, is putting Stanton ahead of Judge the equivalent? Will we look at this Boone lineup change the same way?

Montgomery allowed a couple of runners in the 5th. He was 1 out away from qualifying for the win, presuming the Yankees could hold their lead. But Boone took him out, and he was upset.

The bullpen got the job done the rest of the way. Lucas Luetge came in, got the last out in the 5th, and pitched a scoreless 6th. Darren O'Day pitched a perfect 7th. Chad Green pitched a scoreless 8th. And Aroldis Chapman didn't tease us with any wild pitching, tossing a perfect 9th.

Yankees 5, Indians 3. WP: Luetge (1-0, his 1st win as a Yankee). SV: Chapman (4). LP: Logan Allen (1-3). That's 2 in a row, both games on this roadtrip so far.

The series continues tonight, and it's each team's ace: Gerrit "Old King" Cole for the Bronx Bombers, and Shane "Don't Call Me Justin" Bieber for the Tribe.