Yankees Gotta Keep Going

After a rough 12-game stretch, the Yankees could look forward to a comparatively easy last 13 games of the regular-season, right?

Well, on Tuesday night, they opened a 3-game series against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis, and calling it a disaster would be too kind. Carlos Rodón pitched well for 6 innings, but in the 7th, Luke Weaver -- Was it really that long ago that we thought he was going to be the new closer? -- allowed double, double, sacrifice bunt, walk, walk, double. Camilo Doval came in, and allowed an RBI single, before getting a double play. That was 5 runs on only 1 out, before that double play.

Meanwhile, Simeon Woods Richardson allowed just 2 hits in 6 innings, striking out 11. All told, the Yankees got just 2 hits and 5 walks, striking out 14 times. No Yankee even reached 3rd base. Twins 7, Yankees 0. An embarrassing loss -- and the Toronto Blue Jays won, pushing the Yankees a further game back in the standings.

The Wednesday game started out great. The Yankees scored 2 runs in the 1st inning, 4 in the 2nd, 3 in the 3rd, 1 in the 4th. They didn't score in the 5th, but it looked like that wouldn't be necessary. That linescore of 24310? That is not a ZIP Code currently in use, but, if it were, it would be in Atkins, in the panhandle of southwest Virginia. Trent Grisham hit a home run, and Ben Rice went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

Cam Schlittler took a 10-1 lead into the bottom of the 5th, the inning a starting pitch must complete to be eligible to be declared the winning pitcher -- and he couldn't finish it. Fernando Cruz had to get the last out in the 5th inning.

Did Aaron Boone leave Cruz in to pitch the 6th? No, he brought Ryan Yarbrough in, and he got smeared, allowing 4 runs while getting only 1 out. David Bednar allowed a home run to Trevor Larnach in the bottom of the 9th, to pull the Twins to within 10-9. Losing this game would have been the embarrassment of the season. Fortunately, Bednar closed it out from there, for the save. Mark Leiter Jr. was credited as the winning pitcher.

The Twins over the last 5 innings were 34001. That's also not a ZIP Code currently in use. If it were, it would be in southwestern Florida, near Fort Myers.

Even last night's game got too close for comfort, for a while. Luis Gil was fine for 4 innings, and 2 home runs by Grisham were part of a 7-2 lead to which Gil was staked. But he couldn't get out of the 5th, and Cruz had to bail him out. He, Devin Williams, Weaver and Doval cruised from there, allowing no runs and only 2 his, no walks over the last 4 innings. The Yankees extended their lead late, including a home run by Cody Bellinger.

Yankees 10, Twins 5. The Yankees took 2 out of 3, on the road, from a bad team.

*

With 10 regular-season games to play, the Yankees are 85-67, 4 games behind the Blue Jays in the American League Eastern Division. They still hold the 4th seed, and thus home-field advantage for the 1st round, in the AL Playoffs.

The rest of the way, they've got 4 games in Baltimore against the awful Orioles, 3 at home to the even worse Chicago White Sox, and 3 at home against the Orioles. It's going to take a lot to overtake the Jays and win the Division, including some slip-ups by the Jays themselves. The Wild Card, particularly the 4th seed, seems much more likely.

Gotta keep going, though.

Horrible Bullpen, Horrible President, Good Finale for Yanks vs. Tigers

"Take your stinking paws off me, you Don dirty ape!"

Going into this rough 12-game, 4-series stretch, I said the Yankees needed to win at least 2 of 3 in each series in order to win the American League Eastern Division, and guarantee themselves 1 of the top 3 seeds in the AL Playoffs. They did take 2 out of the 3 away to the Houston Astros. And they took 2 out of the 3 at home to the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays. So far, so good.

Then the AL Central-Division leading Detroit Tigers came in. The Tuesday night game started out all right, with Will Warren pitching 6 innings and allowing 2 runs. Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger each hit a solo home run. It was 2-2, and Warren had thrown only 91 pitches. Clearly, the right thing to do was to leave Warren in.

Aaron Boone is not there to do the right thing. He is there to do what Brian Cashman tells him to do. So he saw that Warren had thrown over 90 pitches, and took him out, and brought in Fernando Cruz. Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you. Cruz gave up ground-rule double, walk, bases-loading walk, RBI single, bases-loaded walk.

Boone pulled him, and brought in Mark Leiter Jr. He gave up an RBI single, leaving the bases still loaded. He hit a batter with a pitch, forcing in a run and keeping the bases loaded. He faced Gleyber Torres, once the face of Yankee prospects who didn't pan out, who so frequently made dumb outs when we needed big hits, and walked him to force another run home. Then Leiter threw a wild pitch to force home another run. Then he gave up a triple.

Boone pulled him, and brought Tim Hill in. Hill got a groundout, intentionally walked the next batter to set up the double play, but could only get a forceout on the next play. After another single, Hill finally ended the inning. Maybe he should have started it, so that the Tigers wouldn't have scored -- how many times, Ed Rooney? Nine times. It was the single worst Yankee bullpen meltdown I have ever seen.

The Tigers scored 1 more run in the 8th, for a final score of 12-2. The last 5 innings, the Tigers had a linescore of 20910. That's a ZIP Code in Silver Spring, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C.

Just as the TV networks are still in Summer reruns, the Wednesday night game was a rerun of the one the night before. Carlos Rodón started, pitched 6 innings, and allowed 3 runs, 1 on an RBI single by Torres. He threw 102 pitches, and, with the Yankees having gotten only 2 hits and a walk, he left the game after 6 innings.

Boone went right to Leiter for the 7th this time. He wasn't nearly as bad, but was bad enough, allowing 2 singles, then getting a strikeout... and then, having faced the minimum 3 batters, was removed. Why would you ever remove a pitcher after a strikeout? Boone brought in Camilo Doval. The batter was Torres. He grounded to 2nd, and that allowed a run to score. 3-0 Detroit.

It was in the 8th, with Doval and then Hill, that the game fell completely apart, as the Tigers scored 5 runs. They added 2 more in the 9th. This time, their scoreline for the last 5 innings was 20153. That ZIP Code is on the other side of D.C., in Chantilly, Virginia. Austin Wells hit a home run in the bottom of the 8th, for all the good that did. Tigers 11, Yankees 1. No chance at 2 out of 3 now.

And then, last night, came the ultimate indignity -- and on September 11, no less. Donald Trump took advantage of a day of patriotism to show up at a ballgame, mainly to take attention off the American people's demand to see the Epstein Files. He shouldn't have been let into the ballpark. He shouldn't even have been let into the City, especially on September 11, after the lies he told about that day in 2001.

He came into the Yankee locker room, blathered, did his stupid "accordion hands" gesture, and talked about how every time George Steinbrenner invited him to the old Yankee Stadium, the Yankees won.

It's not true. Besides, like Richard Nixon after he left the Presidency, Trump went to Yankee games and Met games, depending on who was winning at the time. Fat Bastard is a front-runner. Always has been, always will be.

Judge looked very uncomfortable shaking hands and talking to Trump. Giancarlo Stanton and Jazz Chisholm stood together in the back, looking like they were trying to avoid him. After the game, when the YES Network's Meredith Marakovits asked Judge about it, he danced around the question and shifted the focus back on the team. He would make a better White House Press Secretary than anybody Trump's ever given the job to.

When Trump was shown on the scoreboard, the goombahs from Staten Island, Bensonhurst and Bergen County cheered him. Everybody else booed him, and the YES Network turned the sound down so the booing couldn't be heard.

"The Star-Spangled Banner" was sung by a member of the New York Police Department. At the 7th Inning Stretch, "God Bless America" was sung by a member of the Fire Department of New York. Both were women; the former was black, and the latter was Hispanic. Also during the Stretch, the Yankees honored their Veteran of the Game, an Army Bronze Star awardee from Vietnam, a war Trump lied to get out of serving in. The veteran was black.

None of these 3 selections was intended as such, but each could be interpreted as telling Trump that we value these people, while you call them "losers" and "suckers."

Remember when Trump showed up for a game between the University of Alabama, then ranked Number 1, and Louisiana State University (LSU), at Alabama? Alabama lost. Trump jinxed them.

He did not jinx the Yankees. Having already passed Yogi Berra on the all-time home run list with 358, Judge hit Numbers 360 and 361, surpassing Johnny Mize and tying Joe DiMaggio. Stanton hit Number 449, to tie Jeff Bagwell and Vladimir Guerrero Sr. None of the 3 homers were of the "short porch" variety. These were frozen ropes. Blue darters. Seat-seeking missiles.

Cam Schlittler started. He went 6 innings, allowed 1 run, and, because he threw 95 pitches, Boone didn't let him start the 7th. This time, though, Boone didn't trust Cruz, or Leiter, or Hill. He trusted Ryan Yarbrough, who went the rest of the way, and wasn't very good, but was good enough to not let the Tigers get close. 

Yankees 9, Tigers 3, to salvage the series finale. The Yankees' linescore for the 1st 3 innings was 12240. That's a ZIP Code in Albany, New York.

*

The Yankees are 81-65, guaranteeing their 33rd straight .500-or-better season. They are on a pace to go 90-72. With 16 games left, they trail the Blue Jays by 3 games in the AL East, with the Red Sox 3 1/2 games back. If the current standings hold to the end of the season, the Yankees will have the 4th seed in the Playoffs, the Sox the 5th, and they will play each other, with the Yanks having home-field advantage.

And now, they have to play the Sox in Fenway Park. And I'm hoping they don't follow a familiar pattern: Many times, I have seen them score a lot of runs right before going to Boston, and then struggle to score runs in that little green pinball machine.

Here are the times, networks, and projected starting pitchers:

* Tonight, 7:10, on Apple+: Luis Gil vs. Lucas Giolito.

* Tomorrow, 4:10, on YES (despite the starting time and the day of the week, Saturday, not on Fox): Max Fried vs. Bryan Bello.

* Sunday, 7:10, on ESPN (of course): Will Warren vs. Garrett Crochet.

Come on you Bombers! Beat The Scum!

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.

Yankees Barely Escape Texas

Ben Rice (left) and David Bednar

Most of the Yankees series away to the Texas Rangers was awful. Arguably, they deserved to get swept.

The Monday night game might have been their worst of the season, feel-wise. Max Fried, perhaps the front-runner for the American League Cy Young Award in the 1st half of the season, suffered from "onebadinningitis," allowing 4 runs in the bottom of the 2nd. Otherwise, he was fine, and the Yankees led, 5-4 after the top of the 4th inning. Thanks to a perfect inning each from Luke Weaver and new acquisitions Camilo Doval and David Bednar, they held that lead all the way to the bottom of the 9th.

But, as we have seen, Devin Williams can't handle being the Yankees' closer. He got the 1st out in the bottom of the 9th, then gave up a game-tying home run to former Los Angeles Dodgers star Joc Pederson, who had been struggling mightily lately.

In the top of the 10th, a grounder to short by Jazz Chisholm got ghost runner Jasson Domínguez to 3rd base, and Anthony Volpe drew a walk, but Austin Wells grounded into a double play. New acquisition Jake Bird got a strikeout and a groundout, but manager Aaron Boone ordered an intentional walk to Wyatt Langford, to set up the force play. Big mistake: Josh Jung crushed a home run to end it: Rangers 8, Yankees 5.

The reaction online was horrible, although Boone bore the brunt of it, rather than Williams. The "keyboard warriors" seemed to pity Williams, while demanding Boone's head.

*

Saturday's game brought what might be general manager Brian Cashman's worst transaction back to haunt us. Yes, worse than refusing to sign either Hideki Matsui or Johnny Damon after the 2009 World Series. Worse than trading for Jeff Weaver. Worse than signing Carl Pavano or Jacoby Ellsbury. Worse than bringing in Vázquez, Scott Proctor, and Adam Warren twice each. Worse than dismantling the bullpen in 2016 for a bunch of prospects, the best of whom turned out to be Gleyber Torres. (Which was predicted. But he failed, which was not -- except by me.)

From April 10 to August 30, 2015, Nathan Eovaldi went 14-2 for the Yankees. But he got hurt in a loss on September 5. He only went 9-8 in 2016, pitching just 1 inning on August 10. He had his 2nd Tommy John surgery, and would be out the rest of the way, and for all of 2017. He was 26 years old, and Cashman gave up on him, releasing him on November 23, 2016 -- the day before Thanksgiving. Happy Holidays, kid.

Eovaldi pitched and won the clinching game of the 2018 AL Division Series -- against the Yankees, for the Boston Red Sox. He has continued to pitch well against the Yankees, and did so again on Saturday, for the Rangers. He went 8 innings. Here's a list of the baserunners he allowed: A double to Volpe with 2 out in the 3rd. That's it. That's the list. Ryan McMahon singled off reliever Phil Maton to lead off the 9th, but we couldn't get him home. All that despite Aaron Judge coming off the Injured List: Not once did he look like he would reach base. (Hitting a home run counts as "reaching base," but he never looked like he would hit one, either.)

The thing is, this pathetic offensive output wasted some really good pitching. Will Warren allowed 3 hits and 3 walks over 5 innings, Doval pitched a scoreless 6th, and Luke Weaver a scoreless 7th. Of course, Williams was brought in to pitch the 8th, with the score 0-0. Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you. After starting with a groundout, he allowed double, walk, walk, single. Final score: Rangers 2, Yankees 0.

Eovaldi is 101-84 for his career -- 23-11 as a Yankee, 63-37 since Cashman dumped him.

*

Wednesday would be a day game after a night game, so the Yankees could fly home on Wednesday night, and then have the next day to rest. Former Yankee (and Met) Al Leiter and former Yankee Mark Leiter Sr. were at the game. Al's son Jack started for the Rangers, and Mark's son Mark Jr. relieved for the Yankees.

Carlos Rodón started for the Yankees, and was a little shaky through the 1st 3 innings, falling behind, 1-0 in the 3rd. The Yankees took a 2-1 lead in the 4th, but Rodón couldn't hold it, and the Rangers tied it in the 5th.

The hero would be Paul Goldschmidt: With 1 out in the top of the 7th, he cranked one to deep left field. Tim Hill and Yerry de los Santos pitched a scoreless 7th. de los Santos got the 1st out in the 8th, but then Boone took him out, which made no sense. He brought in Bednar to get a 5-out save. For the 1st 4, Bednar was fine. But with 2 outs in the 9th, he walked Corey Seager and gave up a single to the seriously struggling Marcus Semien. Finally, he showed some character, and struck Adolis García out.

Whew: Yankees 3, Rangers 2. They barely held off the sweep. And maybe, just maybe, we have a closer, in Bednar. Definitely not one in Williams.

*

With 47 games remaining in the regular season, the Yankees are 61-54, for a winning percentage of .530, which works out to 86 wins over a full season. They are in 3rd place in the AL Eastern Division, 6 1/2 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays, with the Red Sox 4 back. If the current standings hold to the end of the season, the Yankees would be the 6th and last seed in the AL Playoffs.

That is unacceptable, especially with the bullpen trades that Cashman made 2 weeks ago.

The Yankees have returned home, and will play a 3-game weekend series with the cheating Houston Astros. Tomorrow is Old-Timers Day. Hopefully, they won't embarrass the legends.

Disaster In Toronto Drops Yanks From 1st

The Yankees just got swept in a 4-game series, away to those pesky Toronto Blue Jays. Not good.

Carlos Rodón started the Monday night game, allowing 2 runs over 5 innings. Thanks in part to a home run by Jazz Chisholm, he left with a 3-1 lead over the Jays and their starter, "warrior god" Max Scherzer. But because Carlos Rodón had thrown 96 pitches, Aaron Boone wasn't allowed to leave him in, and he replaced him with Mark Leither Jr., who allowed 3 runs in the 6th.

The Yankees stranded a runner on 1st with 1 out in the 7th. Cody Bellinger led off the 8th with a home run, and the Yankees had men on 1st & 2nd with 1 out, but scored no more. They got a runner on with 2 out in the 9th, but couldn't get him home. Blue Jays 5, Yankees 4.

Since July 1 is Canada Day, a holiday, the Yankees had the dreaded day game after a night game. Since it was Canada Day, the Blue Jays wore red jerseys and caps instead of their traditional blue. Max Fried was strong for the 1st 3 innings, but allowed 2 home runs to score 4 in the 4th.

He got through the 6th, but, because he had thrown 99 pitches, Boone wasn't allowed to leave him in, and he replaced him with Luke Weaver, who got an out, then allowed a single and a walk. Having reached the 3-batter minimum, Boone took Weaver out, and put Leiter in. This is not a recommended way to run a pitching staff. Leiter allowed an RBI single and a grand slam.

Geoff Hartlieb made his Yankee debut. The righthander from the Chicago suburbs is 31. He made 14 major league appearances over the previous 4 seasons. His career ERA coming into this appearance was 7.47. And Brian Cashman thought him worthy of acquisition? He pitched 1 inning, and allowed 2 singles and 3 walks, 1 of those with the bases loaded, allowing the Jays to score 3 runs, and raising his career ERA -- in 1 inning, mind you -- by 0.15.

The Yankees scored a run in the 9th, but it was meaningless. Blue Jays 12, Yankees 5.

Will Warren started on Wednesday night. Boone decided to save his bullpen, so he left Warren in to be abused by the Toronto bats. Here's the 1st inning's abuse: Single, single, walk, 2-RBI single, 3-run home run, groundout, walk, 2-run home run, flyout, single, strikeout. 7-0 Toronto.

He only allowed 1 more run over the next 3 innings. Ian Hamilton went 2, allowing none; Tim Hill, 1 in 1. The Yankees mounted a grand comeback, scoring 6 runs in the 5th inning, thanks to Giancarlo Stanton finally hitting his 1st home run of the season. They scored a run in the 6th. The Jays scored a run in the 7th, but the Yankees scored 2 in the 8th, including a home run by Aaron Judge. It was 9-9.

But Devin Williams, originally intended as the closer, allowed 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th, and the Yankees went down meekly in the 9th. Blue Jays 11, Yankees 9.

Clarke Schmidt started on Thursday night. But he left due to "forearm stiffness" after 3 innings. Great, just what the Yankees needed: Another injury to a starting pitcher, one who already missed his 1st 3 starts of the season due to injury.

Clayton Beeter allowed 2 runs in 2 innings. George Springer hit a home run off Schmidt, and one off Beeter. Trent Grisham hit a home run, but it proved of no use. Blue Jays 8, Yankees 5.

With that game, the Blue Jays took over 1st place in the American League Eastern Division. The Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays are both one game behind them.

And now, the Yankees have to go to Flushing Meadow to play the Mets. And, with today being the 4th of July, it's another day game after a night game. Seems a fitting punishment for such a lousy performance in Toronto.

Yankees Survive Frustrating Series In Cincy

The Yankees played an Interleague series with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. It was very frustrating.

Aaron Judge hit a home run in the 1st inning to stake Allan Winans to a 1-0 lead on Monday night, but it didn't last. Winans is a typical Brian Cashman pickup: The righthander from Bakersfield, California turns 30 in August, didn't make the major leagues until just before turning 28, and had a grand total of 8 major league appearances, with a 1-4 record, a 7.20 ERA, and a 1.575 WHIP before the Yankees claimed him off of waivers this past Winter. There was no good reason to acquire him. And here, he was starting -- because Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil and Marcus Stroman, intended for the starting rotation, are injured.

Making his Yankee debut, wearing Number 62, Winans wasn't terrible, but he was bad enough, going 4 1/3rd innings, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits -- but no walks. And the bats didn't help him or the bullpen: After Judge's homer, the Yankees did not score again, despite runners on 1st & 3rd with 1 out in the 2nd, a leadoff double by Cody Bellinger in the 3rd, 1st & 2nd with 1 out in the 5th, and 1st & 2nd with nobody out in the 8th. Reds 6, Yankees 1.

Carlos Rodón started on Tuesday night, and he was fantastic: 6 innings, non runs, 4 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts. Thanks to a leadoff home run by Ben Rice and a 2-run triple by Anthony Volpe in the 4th, he left the game with a 3-0 lead.

Aaron Boone should have left him in to pitch the 7th. But he'd thrown 88 pitches, and Cashman wouldn't let Boone leave him in. Instead, Jonathan Loáisiga came in, and let the Reds tie the game. In the top of the 9th, home plate umpire Mark Wegener made a bogus strike call on Jazz Chisholm, leading to him striking out swinging. As Chisholm took the field in the bottom of the 9th, he was still yelling at Wegener, who threw him out of the game.

In the 11th inning, thanks to the "ghost runner" rule, the Yankees got a run on a groundout and a wild pitch. But Mark Leiter Jr. couldn't get a single out, and the Reds won, 4-3.

This made the Wednesday night game a must-win. Max Fried pitched like he knew it: He went 7 innings, allowing 1 run, unearned, on 4 hits and 1 walk, striking out 7. He is now 10-2 -- 8-1 after Yankee losses. On that basis, he is already drawing comparisons to the 1978 season of Ron Guidry.

Chisholm redeemed himself with a home run. Trent Grisham and Jasson Domínguez each got 4 hits. Yankees 7, Reds 1, to salvage the finale of a frustrating series in Cincy.

*

Believe it or not, we are now at the halfway point of the regular season: The Yankees' next game will be the 81st out of 162. In spite of a recent slump, they lead the American League Eastern Division by half a game over the Tampa Bay Rays, 3 over the Toronto Blue Jays, 7 over the Boston Red Sox, and 12 over the Baltimore Orioles. In (Cliché Alert) the all-important loss column, the Yanks lead the Rays by 1, the Jays by 3, the Sox by 8 and the O's by 12.

Tonight, they begin a home series with the Athletics:

1901 Team born in Philadelphia

1955 Moved to Kansas City

1963 Threatened to move to Dallas

1964 Threatened to move to Louisville

1968 Moved to Oakland

1978 Very nearly moved to Denver

1979 Threatened to move to New Orleans

2025 Moved to Sacramento

2028 Scheduled to move to Las Vegas

Not our problem.

Yanks Sweep Royals, Head to Boston

So, in between series against the hated Boston Red Sox, the Yankees went to Kansas City to play the Royals. Max Fried started on Tuesday night, went 7 innings, and allowed only 2 runs on 6 hits, with no walks. He was backed by home runs by Aaron Judge and Austin Wells. The Yankees won, 10-2.

Clarke Schmidt started on Wednesday night, and pitched 6 shutout innings. The Yankees scored 5 runs in the top of the 2nd inning, including another homer by Judge. It was 6-0 Yankees going into the bottom of the 9th, by Mark Leiter Jr. had nothing. Devin Williams had to come in and close it out. Despite my fears, he actually did it. Yankees 6, Royals 3.

How many pitchers does it take to pitch a 5-hit shutout? If you're Brian Cashman, apparently, 5. Will Warren allowed 4 over the 1st 5 2/3rds last night. Tim Hill got the last out in the 6th and the 1st 2 in the 7th. Leiter got the last out in the top of the 7th. It was still 0-0.

In the top of the 8th, Pablo Reyes singled. Judge struck out. Trent Grisham grounded out. But... Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you. Ben Rice drew a walk. Paul Goldschmidt hit a drive just over the outstretched glove of Royal 2nd baseman Jonathan India. Reyes tried to score, then stumbled, leaned back to 3rd base, then decided he could score, anyway. 1st baseman Vinnie Pasquantino made a bad throw to the plate, and Reyes scored.

Jonathan Loáisiga pitched a perfect 8th, and Williams pitched a perfect 9. It was the Yankees' 4th 1-0 win of the season so far.

The Yankees head into Fenway leading the American League Eastern Division by 4 1/2 games over the Toronto Blue Jays, 6 1/2 over the Tampa Bay Rays, 9 1/2 over the Sox, and 15 over the Baltimore Orioles.

This series is hardly a must-win, but you want to win as much as you can, especially against, as they say in English soccer rivalries, that lot. Here's the prospective pitching matchups:

* Tonight, 7:10, on YES: Ryan Yarbrough vs. Garrett Crochet.

* Tomorrow, 7:15, on Fox: Carlos Rodón vs. Hunter Dobbins.

* Sunday, 1:35, on YES: Max Fried vs. Brayan Bello. That's right: Not the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball broadcast. Instead, they will show the National League's greatest rivalry, the San Francisco Giants at the Los Angeles Dodgers.

I Don't Get It, But I'll Take It

He might not get it, either.

At this moment, Aaron Judge has a .423 batting average, a .510 on-base percentage, a .777 slugging percentage, a 263 OPS+, 11 home runs and 33 RBIs.

He has played in 34 games. At his current rate, he would end the season with 52 home runs and 157 RBIs.

That's insane. That's Babe Ruth numbers, or Barry Bonds on steroids numbers, plus a batting average that even Ted Williams would bug out at.

Judge is 6-foot-7 and 280 pounds of muscle, playing with short fences that the Babe, Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson would have given a tooth to hit toward, and not just at his home park -- on any given day, the Yankees can turn any ballpark into "a little league field" -- against pitchers who, when they find the plate at all, are throwing 100 miles per hour but they're mostly meatballs, and not as good as the best pitchers of previous generations.

Yes, he's special. But don't act so surprised at the results. Eventually, a player like Aaron Judge was going to happen. It's not like with Shohei Ohtani, who's big, but not that big: 6-foot-3 and 210, and shouldn't be putting up shocking numbers. (That doesn't make Ohtani better, but, even without the pitching, it might make him harder to believe.)

Anyway, do the Yankees miss Juan Soto? No. He's batting .256, with 5 homers and 14 RBIs. All by himself, Judge is making up his production.

*

But it's not just Judge: The rest of the team has to produce, too.

On Friday night, they started a home series against the Tampa Bay Rays, and produced just enough. Max Fried hit a batter in the 1st inning, walked one in the 2nd, walked another in the 3rd, allowed a single in the 5th, and had a batter reach base due to an error in the 7th. Paul Goldschmidt hit a 3-run home run in the 5th, and that was all the scoring in the game: Yankees 3, Rays 0.

The rest of the series was rainy and depressing. On Saturday, one of those hole-in-the-rotation days, Judge and Austin Wells each hit a home run. Ryan Yarbrough threw 64 pitches over 4 innings, allowing 1 run on 1 hit and 3 walks. He should have been left in for the 5th.

Instead, Aaron Boone brought Ian Hamilton in. He pitched a scoreless 5th. He should have been left in for the 6th.

Instead, Boone brought Fernando Cruz in. He pitched a scoreless 6th and 7th. He should have been left in for the 7th.

Instead, Boone brought Mark Leiter Jr. in. He blew it, allowing single and a walk, getting a strikeout, then allowing a single and a fielder's choice, and turning a 2-1 Yankee lead into a 3-2 Yankee loss.

Injuries to the starting rotation. Cashman instructing Boone not to trust the starters who take their place. Boone's total inability to handle a bullpen. Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu, Jazz Chisholm and now, in this game, Anthony Volpe being injured. Put it all together, and it was Rays 3, Yankees 2.

Yesterday was another hole-in-the-rotation day. Will Warren didn't get out of the 5th inning, and it was 5-0 Rays. It was miserable.

How miserable was it? You know how Yankee broadcasters, going back at least as far as Phil Rizzuto, will sometimes talk about anything but the game they're actually getting paid to describe? Well, when it was 5-0 Rays, Michael Kay and former reliever Jeff Nelson were doing the game on YES, and they were talking about not a game at Yankee Stadium, but another New York Sunday institution: The New York Times Sunday Crossword Puzzle.

I occasionally do crossword puzzles. My mother loves them. So did hers. But the real crossword whiz in the family was Mom's Aunt Catherine, who died late last year at the age of 96. Until her eyesight started going at 93, she did the puzzle every day. All 4 of us (me, Mom, Grandma and Aunt Catherine) were in agreement that the Times puzzle starts easy on Monday, then gets progressively harder during the week, until Sunday when it's the hardest. The Times plans it that way, so it's not an opinion, and not an accident. Kay was trying, without success, to convince Nellie that the puzzle is actually at its hardest on Saturdays.

Good thing The Sopranos isn't still on the air, or Kay might have been talking about that.

Cody Bellinger hit a home run in the bottom of the 6th, getting the Yankees to within 5-2. That was given right back in the top of the 7th, by Carlos Carrasco: Single, single, walk, strikeout, 2-run single. 7-2.

As comedian and Yankee Fan Vic Dibitetto would say, "You know what ticks me off?" One thing that ticks me off is when a comeback falls short. In the bottom of the 8th, the Yankees got to within 7-5, and brought the go-ahead run to the plate. But they could get no closer, and the side was struck out in the 9th, ending the game at 7-5.

*

So, 34 games into the season, a little over 1/5th of the way into the season, the Yankees are 19-15, a percentage of .559, or a pace of 90-72. But they lead the American League Eastern Division, by 2 games over the Boston Red Sox, 3 each over the Tampa Bay Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays, and 5 1/2 over the Baltimore Orioles. In the all-important loss column, they lead the O's by 5, and each of the others by 3.

I don't get it. But I'll take it.

Tonight, the San Diego Padres come in for a 3-game Interleague series. Then, the Yankees make their 1st-ever trip to Sacramento, to face the temporarily exiled Athletics.

Yankees in 1st Place After 1st Month

The Yankees faced the team now known as the Cleveland Guardians in the Playoffs last season, and have faced them in 4 of the last 8 postseasons -- winning all of them. But they knew that beating them in the regular season wouldn't be easy.

Last Monday night, Clarke Schmidt allowed 4 runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning, and that was basically it. The Yankees lost, 6-4, despite getting home runs from Jasson Domínguez and Jazz Chisholm Jr.

But getting a good start doesn't guarantee a win. On Tuesday night, Will Warren allowed 2 runs in 5 innings, and was backed by a Ben Rice home run in the 1st inning and a Chisholm sacrifice fly in the 6th. But Aaron Boone left Warren in for the 6th, and he allowed 2 singles before Boone replaced him with Mark Leiter Jr. A wild pitch, a walk, 2 singles and a double later, and it was 3-2 Cleveland. That was the final score.

Carlos Rodón started on Wednesday night, and after allowing an unearned run in the 1st inning, he was fine, allowing no more runs until the 7th. Paul Goldschmidt got 3 hits, Domínguez and Aaron Judge each got 2, and the Yankees won, 5-1, to salvage the series finale.

*

The Yankees came home to play those pesky Toronto Blue Jays. Carlos Carrasco started with 5 shutout innings, throwing 67 pitches. Boone should have left him in for the 6th. He didn't, burning Tim Hill, Ian Hamilton and Fernando Cruz over the 6th, the 7th and the 8th. Hill allowed a home run by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to start the top of the 6th.

In the bottom of the 7th, Anthony Volpe led off with a double, and Oswaldo Cabrera singled him home. In the bottom of the 8th, Cody Bellinger doubled, Chisholm drew a walk, Volpe was hit with a pitch, and Austin Wells brought Bellinger home with a sacrifice fly. The Yankees led, 2-1, going into the top of the 9th inning.

Boone brought Devin Williams in to close. I realize that all Yankee relievers after Mariano Rivera will fall short of him, but do they have to fall this far short? He pitched to the now-mandated minimum of 3 batters: He gave up a single to George Springer, he hit Andrés Giménez with a pitch, and he gave up a double to Alejandro Kirk. Boone brought Leiter in, and he gave up a double to Addison Barger.

Rice doubled with 2 out, but that was all the Yankees would get in the bottom of the 9th. Jays 4, Yanks 2. Boone announced that the much-hyped Williams, with 36 saves in 2023, and a 1.83 ERA and a 1.023WHIP in what amounted to 4 full seasons as a Milwaukee Brewer, but an 11.25 ERA and a 2.375 WHIP as a Yankee, would no longer be the closer.

After that horrible Friday night meltdown, Saturday's game was rained out, setting up an old-fashioned single-admission doubleheader for yesterday. And when Max Fried allowed a run in the 1st inning of the 1st game, it looked bleak for the Pinstripes.

Fried was fantastic the rest of the way, getting through the 6th inning with no further runs. The Yankees exploded for 6 runs in the bottom of the 3rd. Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you. With 1 out, Cabrera and Rice drew walks, Judge singled, Bellinger hit a sacrifice fly; then 3 straight walks by Goldschmidt, Chisholm and Volpe; the Wells doubled.

The Yankees got 3 more runs in the 7th, including a homer by Volpe, and another in the 8th, to win, 11-2. Fried is now 5-0.

Schmidt bounced back with a good start in the 2nd game, allowing 1 run over 5 innings. The Yankees got home runs from Trent Grisham in the 1st, Judge in the 6th, and J.C. Escarra in the 8th, and the Yankees won, 5-1. Tim Hill was the winning pitcher.

*

So, after a full month of play, the Yankees lead the American League Eastern Division by 2 games over the Boston Red Sox, 3 over the Tampa Bay Rays, 4 over the Toronto Blue Jays, and 6 1/2 over the Baltimore Orioles. Cliché Alert: In the all-important loss column, they lead the Sox and Rays by 3 each, the Jays by 4, and the O's by 6.

Tonight, they start a new series in Baltimore. Since Gleyber Torres is no longer a Yankee, where the Orioles put the left-field fence will no longer be an issue.

Yanks Salvage Finale of Cold Series In Detroit

After winning the 1st 2 games of a roadtrip in Pittsburgh, the Yankees lost the last game of the series. They went on to Detroit, for 3 games against the Tigers at Comerica Park. All 3 games were played in the afternoon, the 1st of them the Tigers' home opener, and all 3 were cold: 38, 34 and 42 degrees. The  Yankees' bats went cold, too.

Carlos Rodón started on Monday, but he allowed 6 runs in 6 innings. Aaron Judge singled home a run in the top of the 5th inning, and the Yankees got another run on an error in the 8th, but that was it. The Tigers won, 6-2.

Carlos Carrasco started on Tuesday, but allowed 4 runs in 4 1/3rd innings. Tarik Skubal, who won the Triple Crown of Pitching and the American League's Cy Young Award last year, pitched 6 innings, followed by 3 from Brant Hurter, combining on a 6-hit shutout: 3 by Paul Goldschmidt, 2 by Judge, 1 by Ben Rice. The Tigers won, 5-0.

But yesterday, it was Max Fried's turn to pitch superbly. He went 7 innings, allowing 5 hits and no walks, and struck out 11. Luke Weaver pitched a scoreless 8th. The Yankees got 2 runs on a home run by Rice in the 7th, and another 2 on a single by Judge in the 9th. New closer Devin Williams was sent out to protect a 4-0 lead -- and, unlike its predecessor, Tiger Stadium, Comerica Park is a pitcher's park, and it was cold. Circumstances seemed to make for an easy inning.

It wasn't. Williams brought back memories of Clay Holmes, Aroldis Chapman, Boone Logan, Scott Proctor and Kyle Farnsworth. Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. Williams allowed a leadoff walk. He struck out the next 2 batters, then allowed a single and a walk. He threw a wild pitch that scored a run, and allowed a single that scored 2 more.

Aaron Boone saw enough: He pulled Williams, and brought in Mark Leiter Jr. He got a pop-up to end it. Yankees 4, Tigers 3.

*

The Yankees are 7-5, half a game behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Eastern Division. The Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays are 2 back, and the Baltimore Orioles 3 back.

It's not a bad place to be in, given that 3 starting pitchers are injured, Gerrit Cole for the season, Luis Gil for probably another month, and Clarke Schmidt might be back a little sooner than that; and that Giancarlo Stanton is also still out with an injury; and that there still isn't a closer, because Boone trusts Williams too much and Weaver not enough.

They are off today. Tomorrow night, they begin an Interleague series with the San Francisco Giants. At 10-3, they have the best record in baseball.

Yankees Take 2 of 3 In Pittsburgh

Yesterday, as the game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh went to extra innings, there were about 8,000 fans left, and one of them managed to start a chant of "Yankees suck!"

The Pittsburgh Pirates haven't had a winning season in 7 years. They have missed the Playoffs the last 9 seasons, and 29 of the last 32. And they haven't won a Pennant, much less a World Series, in 46 years.

I'm just saying: If you want to say that the opposing team "sucks," make sure your own team has a better recent record than the Pirates.

However you want to define "recent." And that includes having played 28 innings at home without having won a game.

The Yankees went into Pittsburgh on Friday, for the Pirates' home opener. Max Fried had a considerably better 2nd start for the Yankees than his 1st start. Fernando Cruz wasn't very good out of the bullpen, but Brent Headrick and Devin Williams were. The Yankees got a home run from Aaron Judge, 3 hits and an RBI from Anthony Volpe, and 3 hits and 4 RBIs from Oswaldo Cabrera, and beat the Pirates, 9-4.

Marcus Stroman started the Saturday game, and he was no good, allowing 4 runs in 4 innings. But the Pirates' starter was named Bailey Falter, and that's what he did: He faltered, giving up 7 runs in 4 innings, including 2 home runs to Trent Grisham. Grisham had 4 RBIs, Volpe 3 on 2 hits, and Paul Goldschmidt went 3-for-4 with an RBI. The Yankees won, 10-4, with Mark Leiter Jr. credited with the win in relief.

The Yankees may have used up all the runs in their new "torpedo bats," because they went 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position on Sunday. Every Yankee starter got on base at least once, and Grisham went 2-for-5 with 2 RBIs, but Volpe was the only other Yankee to get on base more than once.

Will Warren copied Stroman by allowing 4 runs in 4 innings, and it looked like that would be it. Andrew Heaney struck out 10 Yankees, walking only 1 (Judge, one of those "unintentional intentional walks," designed to prevent a home run). A comeback in the 9th tied the game, but the Yankees fell victim to the "ghost runner" rule in the bottom of the 11th, and lost, 5-4. Williams was tagged with the loss, but might not have lost if not for the stupid rule.

So, a week and change into the season, the Yankees are 6-3. They lead the American League Eastern Division by half a game over the Boston Red Sox, a game and a half over the Toronto Blue Jays, 2 over the Tampa Bay Rays, and 2 1/2 over the Baltimore Orioles.

Having taken 2 out of 3 in Pittsburgh, the roadtrip continues, as they play 3 afternoon games against the Detroit Tigers.

Yankees Salvage Series Finale vs. Arizona

The Yankees began the season by sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers, outscoring them 36-14 over 3 games. Things were looking good.

Then the Arizona Diamondbacks came into Yankee Stadium II for 3 games. Suffice it to say, they got better pitching.

Will Warren pitched 5 innings for the Yankees on Tuesday night, allowing 2 runs on 1 hit and 4 walks. Former Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes did not pitch well, and gave up home runs to Jasson Domínguez and Anthony Volpe. The Yankees led 4-2 after 7 innings.

But Tim Hill and Mark Leiter Jr. flopped in the 8th, allowing 5 runs between them. A homer by Ben Rice in the 9th made no difference, and the Diamondbacks won, 7-5.

Between them, Carlos Rodón over 6 innings and Yoendrys Gómez over 3 allowed only 3 hits on Wednesday night. But, Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you. And, between them, they walked 7 batters. The Yankees trailed 4-0 going to the bottom of the 9th. Volpe hit another homer, but it wasn't enough, and the Diamondbacks won, 4-3.

The Yankees were now 3-2 on the season, and people were beginning to wonder if their success in the Milwaukee series was a fluke, or because the Brewers are simply a bad team, despite having made the Playoffs in the last 2 seasons, and 6 of the last 7.

Carlos Carrasco, a former Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) ace, now 38 years old, started last night, and allowed 3 runs in 5 1/3rd innings. Add Adam Ottavino to the list of failed Yankee pitchers that general manager Brian Cashman has brought back. I guess Cashman didn't notice that Ottavino had been released by the Red Sox after a bad Spring Training. Or that he'd been awful with the Mets the last 2 seasons. Or that he was 39. But he wasn't part of the problem last night, pitching to 3 batters and getting 2 of them out.

Ryan Yarbrough was part of the problem, allowing a grand slam to Geraldo Perdomo in the 7th. Suddenly, a 9-3 Yankee lead, aided by home runs by Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham and Jazz Chisholm, was 9-7. Luke Weaver was needed for a 4-out save, and the Diamondbacks did not score again. Carrasco had his 1st win as a Yankee, the 111th of his career.

The Yankees are now 4-2, half a game behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Eastern Division. They hit the road, going to Pittsburgh and Detroit. They'll be lucky in one respect: The rotation means that they won't face the Pirates' Paul Skenes, the most exciting young pitcher in baseball.