Series Recap: NYY vs. BAL 4/5-4/7

After a not-so-fun opening weekend against Toronto, the Bombers have turned it around a little bit, taking two of three from the red hot Baltimore Orioles this week. The Yanks finally started to get the bats going, with some big contributions from Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Pitching was strong as well all around, with possibly Gerrit Cole’s best start in pinstripes on Tuesday.

Photo Credit: Kathy Willens/AP Photo

The series started on Monday, with a huge momentum shifting 7-0 victory. The win goes to Jordan Montgomery, who delivered a phenomenal performance. Gumby stayed out for six shutout innings with seven punch outs and no free passes. Great pitching continued on Monday after Gumby’s night ended with Luis Cessa’s first appearance of the season. He threw two no-hit innings, with only one walk and three strikeouts. Aroldis Chapman closed it out in the ninth, striking out the side and walking just one. The pitching was great, but you can’t win if you can’t score, and the Yanks did. A monster 471-foot grand slam from Giancarlo and RBIs from Judge, Aaron Hicks, and DJ gave the staff more than enough help.

On Tuesday, Yanks fans in the stands got to see their 300-million dollar ace in action for the second time. If you were there that night, you were in for a treat. Gerrit Cole was as sharp as he has ever been, striking out 13 (the most he has in pinstripes) through seven shutout innings. He let up just four hits, and didn’t allow a walk all night. The bats were alive again, as the Yanks pumped out 11 hits and 7 runs once again. It was a big night for Judge, as he went 3-5 with a mammoth homer and drove in four runs. This all came together for a 7-2 Yankees win and moved them over .500 at 3-2. 

Looking to close out the sweep of the O’s, Jameson Taillon took the hill for the first time in pinstripes on Wednesday. Taillon was sharp for not pitching in almost two years, but threw two bad pitches and gave up two homers in his 4 2/3 innings. He added seven strikeouts, and really gave a promising start for the Bombers. The bullpen held the Orioles to just those two runs for the next 5 innings, and Gio Urshela hit an RBI double in the bottom of the 8th that would eventually send the game to extras. Kyle Higashioka tied it up again in the bottom of the tenth with a 2-out single that drove in the hustling Tyler Wade from second. The runner on second rule proved too much for the Yanks, as they dropped this one 4-3 in 11 innings, moving to 3-3 on the season. 

Game 1:  Yankees 7, Orioles 0

W: Jordan Montgomery

L: Jorge Lopez

Game 2:  Yankees 7, Orioles 2

W: Gerrit Cole

L: Dean Kremer

Game 3: Orioles 4, Yankees 3 (11)

W: César Valdéz

L: Chad Green 

SV: Paul Fry

A few rough spots are still very prevalent through the first six games. The Bombers still are struggling to hit with runners in scoring position. Them not hitting in the clutch is going to lose them games, and if it does not change and improve soon then it is going to be detrimental as the season progresses. 

Another very important issue is at shortstop, with a very crucial error from Gleyber Torres last night, which arguably lost the Yankees game three of this series. Torres's defensive faults have been a storyline since he was moved to shortstop and even before, and it will continue to grow throughout the year. He is slowly becoming a total liability and it will soon need to be addressed.

It was a good start to the weekend for the Yanks, albeit having ended on a sour note. A few very promising games for the bats and pitching was strong all around. The Yankees are off today, but are traveling as they head to Tampa Bay to take on the Rays for a weekend series starting tomorrow. On the hill for the weekend will be Corey Kluber, Domingo German and Jordan Montgomery, from Friday to Sunday, respectively. 

Recap by: Matt Zumbolo

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