Series Recap: Yankees Lose Two of Three vs. Blue Jays
Lifeless. Timid. Complacent. Distracted. Unmotivated. Pick any one of those to perfectly describe how the Yankees presented themselves in the series against the Blue Jays in Dunedin. Other than a few players, the Yankees lacked competitive fire, emotion, and drive to put out a dominating performance and carry the franchise to victory. In fact, the team has been difficult to watch often times through the club’s first 12 games. The Yankees are now 5-7 with all 12 games coming against division opponents. Let’s look closer at the previous three against Toronto.
Game 1 (Yankees 3, Blue Jays 1)
The ace was on the mound for the Yankees, and it is usually is a good thing when that is the case. The first game of this series was no different because Gerrit Cole came ready to pitch. The first inning was rocky, as the Blue Jays hit back-to-back ground ball singles by Bo Bichette and Vlad Guerrero Jr. (Bichette advanced to third base on Guerrero’s). A Randal Grichuk groundout brought home the first run of the game for a 1-0 Blue Jays lead, but Cole did not allow the damage to go any further.
The Yankees’ offense had extreme trouble with Toronto’s Robbie Ray. Through 4 innings, the offense had no hits. With one out in the 5th inning, Rougned Odor singled to get the Yankees in the hit column. Catcher Kyle Higashioka followed it up with a 2-run blast to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead.
Gerrit Cole finished 6 innings, struck out 8 Blue Jays, and only allowed one run in what turned out to be another dominant outing. Cole did not allow an extra base hit and retired the last 15 hitters he faced. The Yankees grounded into three double plays in the game’s first 6 innings, so it was still close at 2-1 when Cole exited.
In the top of the 8th, Higashioka came back for seconds, hitting a leadoff solo dinger off of Ryan Borucki. The Yankees clung onto a 3-1 lead as Darren O’Day squeezed himself out of trouble in the bottom half of the inning. The baton was then passed to Aroldis Chapman. He allowed one hit, but no runs in the 9th as he locked in his first save of the season.
The top 6 spots in the Yankees’ lineup combined to go 0 for 19 with 5 walks and 7 strikeouts. It also accounted for all three of the team’s double plays. If Gerrit Cole was not on the mound, this likely would have been another awful performance by the Bombers.
Yankee of the Day: Kyle Higashioka (1): 2 for 3, 2 HR’s, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Game 2 (Yankees 3, Blue Jays 7)
Prior to the game, the Yankees lineup was announced and there were some peculiar changes. Gleyber Torres was not a part of the lineup, which we later learned was due to a jammed finger. The Yankees decided to put Jay Bruce at first base, Rougned Odor at second base, D.J. LeMahieu at third base, and Gio Urshela at shortstop. The ball found Urshela immediately. He made two plays in the first inning, but also made an error later on in the game (albeit had nothing to do with him being at shortstop).
Jameson Taillon made his second start in nearly two seasons, so clearly growing pains are expected. If Taillon started this season off perfectly, it rightfully would have been a surprising story. Post-Tommy John surgery command issues are not at all uncommon. The command issues for Taillon did not necessarily make him miss the plate (1 walk, 1 hit batsman, and 1 wild pitch), but had him leaving pitches over the heart of the plate (8 hits allowed in 3.2 innings). Fatigue may have played a factor because Taillon looked sharp early in his outing, but missed a lot of spots as his pitch count grew. He allowed 5 earned runs and left the game with a runner on second base.
The Yankees’ offense was tasked with facing lefty ace Hyun-Jin Ryu. He spoiled the Yanks’ Opening Day already this season, but the offense did not possess the plan for revenge. Ryu had quite a wide strike zone from the home plate umpire Erich Bacchus, but he may not have needed the assistance anyways. The Yankees got themselves out all game. Once again, the Yankees grounded into 3 double plays. Even when the Bombers had a chance in the 8th inning with the tying run at the plate while down 6-3, the team found a way to get itself out. Gary Sánchez drifted too far off first base to get back to the bag when a pitch bounced away from Toronto catcher Danny Jansen. Sánchez was thrown out to end the inning. The Yankees dissipated lifelessly into the abyss and lost the game 7-3.
Yankee of the Day: D.J. LeMahieu (1): 2 for 3, 2B, BB, R.
Game 3 (Yankees 4, Blue Jays 5)
A weekday game at 1 o’clock usually is not intensely watched by most fans, but the intensity was lacking on the side of the Yankees more than any other. With a day off approaching the next day, the Yankees decided to give Giancarlo Stanton, D.J. LeMahieu, and Clint Frazier a rest. Manager Aaron Boone decided to go with the struggling switch-hitter Aaron Hicks in the leadoff spot, but it was Aaron Judge in the 2-hole who was truly setting the tone.
Judge hit a liner over the left field wall to give the Yankees a quick 1-0 lead. The rest of the Yankees went down in order (with help from one double play because of course) until Judge’s next at bat. Judge stepped in with the Yankees down 3-1 thanks to a 2-run home run from Toronto’s backup catcher, Alejandro Kirk, and a solo jack from star shortstop Bo Bichette. Judge once again launched one, inching the Yankees with the score 3-2.
This time, Judge’s homer woke up the offense. After a Brett Gardner walk and Gleyber Torres double, the Yankees had two runners on and one out for Jay Bruce in the 4th inning. Bruce struck out swinging on 4 pitches, but he was bailed out by Gio Urshela. Gio lined a double to left field, scoring Gardner and Torres to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead.
On the pitching side, starter Corey Kluber failed to make it to the 5th inning. He surrendered the home runs to Kirk and Bichette, totaling 3 earned runs in just 4 innings of work. Kluber struck out 4 batters, walked 2, and had one hit by pitch. Jonathan Loaisiga took over in the 5th and quickly retired two batters. Cavan Biggio then smacked a sinking line drive in Aaron Judge’s direction. Judge misplayed the ball, allowing it to go by him all the way to the wall. Judge made a strong throw from the warning track into third base and nabbed Biggio who rounded the bag too far and was tagged out. Loaisiga loaded the bases in the 6th inning, but could not get out of it without allowing one run on a wild pitch. The score was tied 4-4 after 6 innings.
Judge delivered the only Yankees hit from there out: a single. LeMahieu, Frazier, and Stanton were not deployed as pinch hitters, even when first baseman Jay Bruce stepped up to the plate representing the go-ahead run in the 9th inning. The Yankees were held scoreless and the game was still tied until the bottom of the 9th. Reliever Chad Green left a curveball middle-middle on Bo Bichette. The young, talented shortstop punished him for it by sending it over the wall in right-center for a walk-off home run.
Yankee of the Day: Aaron Judge (1): 3 for 4, 2 HR’s, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Series Talking Points
Jay Bruce Problem: The largest looming problem for the Yankees in this series was the glaring need to improve at first base. Jay Bruce struck out 3 times and looked uncomfortable fielding throws at first base in his two games, a pattern that has also shown throughout the season. Until Luke Voit returns to the lineup, the Yankees are taking a HUGE hit offensively. When you add a major defensive downgrade to the equation, it makes little sense to even keep Bruce on the roster. Bruce is offering none of the traditional five tools for a baseball player.
Gerrit Cole Shines, but No Other Starters Do: Another theme that is taking shape this season is the “stud or dud” separation between Gerrit Cole and the other starting pitchers. When the Yankees’ stud is not on the mound, starting pitchers have a 6.14 ERA on the season. Cole himself currently holds a 1.47 ERA in exactly half as many innings as the other 4 starters. Jordan Montgomery had a stellar first start against the Orioles, but was knocked around by the Rays at the Trop. Kluber has had major control issues and has not yet recorded an out in the 5th inning this season. Taillon is in the middle of reinventing himself and will need time to develop. Domingo Germán was sent to the Alternate Site after back-to-back poor outings. If the Yankees want to compete long term, a few of those guys need to step up and pitch well.
Kyle Higashioka Impresses: Aaron Boone will not say that Kyle Higashioka is Gerrit Cole’s personal catcher, but he did say Higgy would catch Cole “a lot.” In the first game of the series, the Cole-Higashioka tandem took over at the plate and on the mound. Higashioka hit two home runs and continues to take good swings. Since he and Cole are extremely familiar with each other and Sánchez will obviously need rest days, it makes sense that the Yankees will try to pair the two as often as possible.
Infield Rotation: The Yankees infield has been rotating throughout the first 12 games of the season. Expect to see D.J. LeMahieu play some first base while Odor mans second. Gleyber Torres has looked solid at shortstop since his throwing error against Baltimore, but it is clear he will not be a Gold Glove caliber player at that position. Until Luke Voit returns, the best Yankees defensive infield (and likely offensive as well) is to have LeMahieu at first, Odor at second, Urshela at third, and Torres at shortstop.
Series Totals
Hitting
D.J. LeMahieu: 2 for 7 (.286 AVG), 1 BB (.375 OBP), 1 R, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 4 K (.804 OPS), 0 SB
Aaron Judge: 3 for 10 (.300 AVG), 2 BB (.417 OBP), 2 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K (1.317 OPS), 0 SB
Aaron Hicks: 3 for 8 (.375 AVG), 0 BB (.375 OBP), 0 R, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 K (.375 OPS), 0 SB
Giancarlo Stanton: 1 for 8 (.125 AVG), 0 BB (.125 OBP), 0 R, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K (.250 OPS), 0 SB
Gleyber Torres: 1 for 5 (.200 AVG), 3 BB (.500 OBP), 1 R, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 K (.700 OPS), 0 SB
Gary Sánchez: 1 for 7 (.143 AVG), 1 BB (.250 OBP), 1 R, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2 K (.393 OPS), 0 SB
Jay Bruce: 1 for 7 (.143 AVG), 0 BB (.143 OBP), 0 R, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3 K (.429 OPS), 0 SB
Gio Urshela: 1 for 11 (.091 AVG), 1 BB (.167 OBP), 0 R, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K (.258 OPS), 1 SB
Clint Frazier: 1 for 5 (.200 AVG), 1 BB (.333 OBP), 1 R, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2 K (.533 OPS), 0 SB
Brett Gardner: 0 for 4 (.000 AVG), 1 BB (.200 OBP), 1 R, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 K (.200 OPS), 0 SB
Rougned Odor: 1 for 10 (.100 AVG), 0 BB (.100 OBP), 1 R, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K (.200 OPS), 0 SB
Mike Tauchman: 1 for 3 (.333 AVG), 0 BB (.333 OBP), 0 R, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 K (.667 OPS), 0 SB
Kyle Higashioka: 2 for 6 (.333 AVG), 0 BB (.333 OBP), 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 1 K (1.667 OPS), 0 SB
Pitching
Gerrit Cole: 6 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 0 HR, 8 Ks, 1.50 ERA
Jameson Taillon: 3.2 IP, 5 R, 5 ER, 8 H, 1 BB, 1 HR, 3 Ks, 12.27 ERA
Corey Kluber: 4 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 HR, 4 K, 6.75 ERA
Jonathan Loaisiga: 2 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 0 HR, 0 Ks, 4.50 ERA
Justin Wilson: 2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 HR, 1 Ks, 0.00 ERA
Darren O’Day: 2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 0 HR, 3 Ks, 0.00 ERA
Luis Cessa: 2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 HR, 2 Ks, 0.00 ERA
Lucas Luetge: 1.1 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 HR, 3 Ks, 6.75 ERA
Chad Green: 0.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 HR, 0 Ks, INF. ERA
Albert Abreu: 1 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 H, 2 BB, 0 HR, 1 Ks, 9.00 ERA
Aroldis Chapman: 1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 HR, 2 Ks, 0.00 ERA
Nick Nelson: No appearances