Yanks Club Cubs, Complete Sweep

On Friday night, Yankee Fans, myself included, were complaining about a lack of runs, as we saw them tied 1-1 with the Chicago Cubs after 12 innings, before winning it 2-1 in the 13th. They've made up for it in the 2 games since, smacking the ball all over the yard.

Ian Happ hit a home run off Jameson Taillon in the top of the 1st inning. It would be the last time the Cubs had hope. The Yankees scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 1st, 3 in the 2nd, 2 in the 3rd. A linescore of 53200? That's a ZIP Code in Milwaukee.

And this time, it wasn't all home runs. The 1st-inning runs came on doubles by Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Joey Gallo, a single by Aaron Judge, an error that allowed Marwin González to reach base, and 3 straight walks, drawn by Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu and Matt Carpenter. (Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you.)

There were, of course, home runs. Carpenter hit one in the 2nd, and another in the 6th. Kyle Higashioka hit one in the 3rd, and another in the 8th, his 1st and 2nd of the season. But the Yankees scored 5 runs in the 7th, without a homer.

Believe it or not, there was a save situation. Taillon pitched the 1st 5 innings, and was taken out: No need to risk him further, with a 7-run lead. Miguel Castro pitched a scoreless 6th. And then Manny Bañuelos pitched the last 3 innings. According to the rule, a pitcher is credited with a save if he is the finishing pitcher, but not the winning pitcher, in a game won by his team, and he fulfills at least 1 of these 3 requirements:

1. He comes in with a lead of no more than 3 runs, and pitches at least 1 inning; or

2. He comes in with the tying run either on base, at bat, or on deck; or

3. "He pitches effectively for at least three innings."

That's exact text on 3. "Effectively" is open to interpretation. Bañuelos came in with a 9-run lead. Theoretically, he could have allowed 8 runs in 3 innings, and still qualified for the save. He allowed 1 run in 3 innings. He got the credit for the save.

Yankees 18, Cubs 4. WP: Taillon (7-1). SV: Bañuelos (1). LP: Keegan Thompson (6-2). It was the 1st time the Yankees had scored at least 18 runs since September 15, 2020, a 20-6 win at home to the Toronto Blue Jays. That was also the last time the Yankees won a game by 14 or more runs.

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So here's where things stand, 10 weeks into the 26-week Major League Baseball regular season:

* The Yankees are 44-16. They have won 4 straight games, 11 of their last 12, and 37 of their last 47. They are on a pace to win 119 games, which would be a new major league record.

* They lead the American League Eastern Division by 8 1/2 games over the Toronto Blue Jays, 9 over the Tampa Bay Rays, 12 1/2 over the Boston Red Sox, and 18 1/2 over the Baltimore Orioles. In the all-important loss column, it's 8 over the Jays, 9 over the Rays, 13 over the Sox, and 19 over the O's.

* In the race for home-field advantage throughout the Playoffs, the Yankees lead the AL West-leading Houston Astros by 7 games, the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins by 9, and the team with the best record in the National League, the Mets, by 5 (6 in the loss column).

* Injuries? On this front, the news is mostly encouraging. Gleyber Torres wasn't feeling well yesterday, and Jose Trevino had back tightness. Both are day-to-day, and are the only regulars who were night in the lineup yesterday.

Jonathan Loáisiga is on the personal leave list, tending to a family matter in his native Nicaragua, and could be back in a few days. Aroldis Chapman has been throwing in bullpen sessions, while Domingo Germán is about to start minor-league rehab, and both could be back by the end of the month.

Zack Britton might be back in August, but Chad Green had Tommy John surgery, and will be out until at least next year's All-Star Break.

The Yankees have today off. Tomorrow night, the Rays come in for 3 games. This could tighten the race back up, or it could, effectively, knock the Rays out of it. Come on you Pinstripes!

Yankees Close to Perfect, Injury Situation Improving

One night after Jameson Taillon pitched 7 perfect innings against the Los Angeles Angels, and then nearly lost the game because he got no run support, and then finally got just enough, the Yankees started a 3-game home weekend series against the Detroit Tigers.

Gerrit Cole started, and pitched like he deserved the big bucks and the term "ace." He took a perfect game into the 7th inning, then allowed 2 singles, before getting a strikeout to end the threat. Despite still having a shutout going, he was done for the night: No runs, 2 hits, no walks, 13 strikeouts.

The Yankees' public relations department has been referring to Gerrit as "the Cole Train," a plan on the jazz legend John Coltrane, a man so skilled (How skilled was he?), he could make "My Favorite Things," a silly song from The Sound of Music, sound cool.

Well...

Pitching so fine it keeps men off the bases

aiding the ballclub in its Playoff races

backed up by defense and powerful swings:

These are a few of my favorite things.

Jose Trevino and Aaron Judge hit home runs in the 3rd inning, and the game was effectively over. It was Judge's 20th home run of the season. He's on a pace for 62 home runs, which would break not just the Yankee record, but the un-steroided record of "61 in '61" by Roger Maris.

Personally, I don't care who hits how many. Stats don't matter. Winning does. As with Maris in 1961, if Judge hits 59, and the Yankees win the World Series, I'll take it; if he hits 61 and the Yankees don't win, then what was the point?

The Yankees got 3 more runs in the 4th, and 7 in the 5th, including home runs by Anthony Rizzo and Matt Carpenter. So Cole pitched his last 2 innings with a 12-run lead.

Remember Manny Bañuelos? From 2008 to 2012, he was one of the Yankees' top prospects. He was going to be one of the pitchers of the future. He and Dellin Betances were known as "The Killer B's." (So was the Miami Dolphins' defense of the early 1980s, getting them to 2 Super Bowls but losing both.)

Then he got hurt, and was never the same: He had Tommy John surgery, missed the entire 2013 season, spent 2014 in the minors, and got traded to the Atlanta Braves, making his major league debut for them in 2015. He made just 14 appearances, all in the minors, in 2016. He didn't get called up in 2017 or '18, either, but made 16 appearances for the Chicago White Sox in 2019. He pitched in Mexico's Winter league, and spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons in Taiwan's league.

Now, at age 31, the Yankees have brought him back. After 7 appearances in Triple-A ball, he finally made his Yankee debut last night -- oddly, wearing Betances' old number, 68. He pitched the 8th inning, allowed a long fly ball that was caught and an infield single, but no runs. The Yankees got 1 last run in the 8th, before Bañuelos pitched a 3-up-3-down 9th.

Yankees 13, Tigers 0. I'm sure, somewhere, some alleged Yankee fan is blaming Joey Gallo (who didn't even play last night) for missing the extra point. WP: Cole (5-1). No save. LP: Elvin Rodriguez (0-1).

The Tampa Bay Rays won last night, but the Toronto Blue Jays lost, so the Rays jumped ahead of the Jays: The Yankees lead the Rays by 6 games, and the Jays by 6 1/2.

The series continues this afternoon, with Luis Severino starting against Beau Brieske. I don't need another explosion of runs, or another near-perfect pitching performance. I just need another win.

Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Donaldson have been activated from the Injured List. However this means that Miguel Andújar has been sent back down. Tim LoCastro has also been activated, but assigned to Triple-A Scranton.

In other injury news, Jonathan Loáisiga and Domingo Germán are expected back in mid-June, Aroldis Chapman in late June, backup catcher Ben Rortvedt in late July. Zack Britton will probably be a September callup, and since he was out due to injury, not in the minor leagues, he would still be eligible for the postseason roster. And Chad Green underwent Tommy John surgery, so we shouldn't expect him back before the 2023 All-Star Break.

What Is Wrong With Ivan Nova?

The Yankees lost the opener of their series in Detroit last night, 7-2 to the Tigers. Justin Verlander (12-7) struck out 14 batters.

It might not have mattered if Ivan Nova (10-6) had also pitched well, but his slump continued: 5 1/3 innings, 11 hits (but no walks), 7 runs (all earned). That he didn't walk anyone, and threw 49 of his 68 pitches for strikes, suggests his control was good. He just got hit hard.

For a while, from late last season through early this season, Nova couldn't lose. But he's won just once since June 17.

He doesn't appear to be hurt, or drinking, or using drugs, or have personal problems. His attitude is good, and his control isn't the issue, either. He's just getting hit.

Hopefully, one good start will turn him around. Let's hope it comes in his next start, probably on Saturday in Toronto.

Also, for the 1st time in 21 games since he came to the Yankees, Ichiro Suzuki was held hitless. And an elbow bruise has convinced the Yankees to shut down top pitching prospect Manny Banuelos for the season. He hasn't pitched since going for Triple-A Scranton on May 18. He's 21, so he should be back just fine next season. He'll probably spend most of 2013 in Scranton with the occasional callup in the event of a starter going down with an injury.

(UPDATE: Going into the 2018 season, Banuelos was 27 and in the Los Angeles Dodgers' minor-league system. He had pitched all of 7 major league games, all with the Atlanta Braves in the 2015 season.)

There were good signs from last night: Joba Chamberlain pitched an inning and 2/3rds without allowing a run, and David Phelps pitched a scoreless inning. Eric Chavez got 3 hits, Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano 2 each. And there were no errors.

But the Baltimore Orioles also won, so the Yankee lead was cut to 5 1/2 games, keeping the Magic Number to clinch the East at 48.

Tonight, Phil Hughes starts against Rick Porcello.