A BUSY WEEK FOR THE YANKEES

Last week the Yankees had a busy schedule wrapping up July with a four game series against the Tampa Bay Rays and a 3 game series against the Florida Marlins to kick off August. In between those series was the MLB trade deadline which the Yankees took advantage of. More of that to come later.

In game 1 against the Rays, Cam Schlittler made his 3rd start of the season and allowed 3 runs in 4 1/3 innings. Drew Rasmussen, pitching for the Rays, had a shaky first inning but ended up allowing only 2 runs in 5 innings. The Rays took the lead first with a 2 run home run by Junior Caminero in the first inning. The Yankees tied it that inning as Rasmussen allowed 3 singles on 1 out to load the bases and then walked two batters. The Rays took the lead again in the fifth inning with a RBI single and added an additional run in the eighth inning. The Yankees were held to only 3 hits the rest of the game and the Rays won with a final score of 4-2.

The Yankees had now lost 8 of their last 12 games.

Game 2 had Max Fried pitching against Joe Boyle. Boyle allowed 6 runs, 4 earned, and struck out 6 in 3 1/3 innings. Fried allowed 4 runs, 2 earned, and struck out 9 in 6 2/3 innings and earned his 12th win of the season. The Rays took the lead first again scoring 2 runs in the first inning off a triple and added another run with a home run by Jonathan Aranda in the third inning. But also in the third inning, Boyle walked two batters who later scored off a home run by Cody Bellinger which tied the game.  The Yankees had a good fourth inning as they scored 3 more runs due to a series of walks and throwing errors. Anthony Volpe hit a solo home run in the seventh inning. The Rays scored two more runs in the game but the Yankees won with a final score of 7-5. Despite having a good hitting day, Volpe continued to struggle on the field with two throwing errors.

Game 3 was another close game as the Yankees tied the game 3 times before ultimately taking the win.  Will Warren pitched a stellar 6 innings and only allowed 1 run. Zack Littell also pitched well only giving up 2 hits in 5 innings. The Rays took the lead first again with a RBI double by Brandon Lowe in the third inning. The Yankees tied the game in the eighth inning with a home run by Trent Grisham and then took the lead the same inning with a RBI single by Giancarlo Stanton. The Rays took the lead in the ninth inning with a 2 run home run by Josh Lowe. But Anthony Volpe tied it again with a home run of his own. Luke Weaver gave up a run in the tenth inning but the Yankees tied it for the third time with a RBI triple by Cody Bellinger. The Yankees won in the 11th inning with a walk off RBI single by Ryan McMahon. Final score 5-4. Volpe had another throwing error in this game.

Now we get to game 4 which took place on the last day of the MLB trade deadline. The Yankees were busy both on and off the field. Marcus Stroman got the start and allowed 4 runs in 5 innings. Ryan Pepiot allowed 7 runs in 4 innings. As this game was going on the Yankees made several trades which I will break down for you in a bit. One of those trades involved Jose Caballero being traded from the Rays to the Yankees for Everson Pereira mid game. This time the Yankees took the lead first with Cody Bellinger hitting a RBI single and Giancarlo Stanton hitting a 2 run home run in the first inning. Ben Rice hit a 3 run home run in the second inning putting the Yankees up 6-0. They added another run in the third inning putting them up 7-0. Stroman struggled in the fourth inning and things began to unravel as the Rays made a comeback by scoring 4 runs off a few hits and two stolen bases. But both bullpens stopped each team from scoring anymore runs. Final score 7-4. The Rays lost three players in this game due to injuries.

Here’s a breakdown of the moves the Yankees made before heading to Florida to play the Marlins.

Acquired relief pitcher David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates for two prospects. One of which was top catcher prospect Rafael Flores.

Acquired relief pitcher Jack Bird from the Colorado Rockies for two double A Somerset Patriots prospects.

Acquired relief pitcher Camilo Doval from the San Francisco Giants for four prospects.

I mentioned the Jose Caballero trade above.

Lastly, sent Oswald Peraza to the Los Angeles Angels for a minor league prospect.

After these trades the following changes were also made:

Released Marcus Stroman and Yerry De Los Santos and Ian Hamilton were designated to Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Now we head into the weekend where the Yankees got swept by the Florida Marlins.

Game 1 was interesting. It started off well for the Yankees. Giancarlo Stanton hit a 3 run home run in the first inning and they scored 3 more runs in the fifth inning off a pair of singles But Carlos Rodon struggled in the fifth inning and allowed 4 runs. Trent Grisham hit a 3 run home run in the seventh inning giving the Yankees a lead of 9-4. Things were looking good for the Yankees until newly acquired relief pitchers Jack Bird, David Bednar and Camilo Doval made their debuts. Bird loaded the bases before giving up a home run to Kyle Stowers. Bednar came in to relieve him and gave up a home run and a single. The Marlins took the lead, 9-10. Anthony Volpe hit a home run in the eighth inning to tie the game and Bednar redeemed himself with 3 outs that inning. Ryan McMahon and Volpe each had a RBI in in the ninth inning giving the Yankees a 2 run lead. Doval pitched the ninth inning and gave up 2 runs and another run scored on a fielding error by newcomer Jose Caballero. The Marlins won 13-12.

The Marlins won game 2 with a score of 2-0. Eury Perez and the bullpen kept the Yankees to 2 hits. The Marlins two runs were home runs by former Yankee prospect Agustin Ramirez. Cam Schlittler earned the loss.

Game 3 saw the return of Luis Gil who pitched against Edward Cabrera. Gil allowed 5 runs in 3 1/3 innings. Cabrera held the Yankees to 1 run and 2 hits in six innings. The Marlins scored 3 runs in the second inning and 3 more in the fourth inning. Kyle Stowers was the key player with a home run and 4 RBIs. The Marlins won 7-3. The Yankees 3 runs came from home runs by Trent Grisham and Jazz Chisholm Jr.

The Yankees will head to Texas for a 3 game series against the Rangers and then return to New York for a 3 game series against the Astros.

In other news, Jonathan Loaisiga was placed on the IL after experiencing back issues but Mark Leiter Jr. and Fernando Cruz are aiming to comeback within the next week or two.

Aaron Judge has been swinging a bat and should be activated Tuesday against the Rangers. He will likely DH for the time being.

Due to the losses the Yankees have had the Boston Red Sox have passed them in the AL East standings. The Yankees are now also 4.5 games out of first place.

Lets hope the Yankees’ newcomers settle in and the return of Aaron Judge will spark some energy into the team so we can start to see some wins.