YANKEES BOUNCE BACK AND WIN 5 

The Yankees bounced back this week winning 5 out of 6 games.

The first three games were against the Minnesota Twins who recently traded numerous players before the trade deadline which resulted in them promoting several minor league players. The Yankees saw the return of Aaron Judge who was filling the DH spot.

Game 1 was Will Warren pitching against Zebby Matthews. Warren allowed 2 runs and struck out 7 in 6 2/3 innings. Matthews allowed 3 runs and struck out 9 in 5 2/3 innings. The Yankees scored first with a home run by Cody Bellinger in the first inning. Giancarlo Stanton and Ben Rice followed that up with a pair of home runs in the third inning. Byron Buxton and Trevor Lenarch also hit home runs putting the Twins within 1. The Yankees scored 2 more runs in the seventh inning off a pair of singles by Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge. Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a home run in the eighth inning and the Yankees won 6-2.

This was the first series opener win for the Yankees since the All Star break.

Game 2 Carlos Rodon pitched against Travis Adams. Rodon allowed 1 run and 1 hit in seven innings. That 1 run was in the first inning. Adams only pitched 2 1/3 innings and allowed 4 runs before being replaced by Thomas Hatch who also allowed 4 runs. Aaron Judge hit a home run in the first inning to tie the game. Anthony Volpe hit a 3 run home run in the second inning giving the Yankees the lead. Giancarlo Stanton also hit a home run in the fifth inning. The Yankees scored 3 more runs in the seventh and 1 in the eighth. They won 9-1 and Rodon earned his 12th win of the season.

Game 3 of the series Cam Schlittler pitched against Joe Ryan. Schlittler pitched well allowing 2 hits and 1 run while striking out 6 in five innings but Yerry De Los Santos relieved him and allowed 3 runs. Ryan allowed 1 run and struck out 7 in 6 2/3 innings. The Yankees lone run was a home run by Cody Bellinger in the third inning. The Twins won 4-1 and avoided the sweep.

There were talks that Paul Goldschmidt might head to the IL after injuring his knee against the Twins but he was able to play in his return to St. Louis where he received a standing ovation in game 3.

The Yankees wrapped up the week against the St. Louis Cardinals. Luis Gil made his second start after returning from the IL and allowed 1 run in 5 1/3 innings. Andre Pallante pitched for the Cardinals. He allowed 4 runs and struck out 8 in 5 innings. The Yankees went up 4-0 early with a groundout RBI by Aaron Judge and a 2 run home run by Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the first inning and a RBI single by Jasson Dominguez in the second inning. The 1 run Gil allowed wasn’t until the fifth inning. The Cardinals scored 2 more runs off Camilo Doval and Luke Weaver in the seventh inning but the Yankees won 4-3. David Bednar earned his second save with the Yankees and 19th for the season. 

Game 2 was a battle of the bats with Max Fried and Sonny Gray on the mound. Fried allowed 7 runs and struck out 6 in 5 innings. Gray allowed 6 runs and struck out 9 in 5 innings. The Yankees scored first with 2 runs in the first inning off a double by Aaron Judge and a single by Jasson Dominguez. The Cardinals down 1 run scored 4 in the second inning off a single and a home run by Masyn Winn to take the lead. Judge hit a solo home run in the third inning putting the Yankees within 2. Ben Rice hit a 3 run home run in the fourth inning giving the Yankees the lead. Three more runs scored in the sixth inning off a double by Rice. Nolan Gorman hit a 2 run home run in the sixth inning putting the Cardinals within 2 but the Yankees scored 3 more runs in the seventh inning. Ryan McMahon hit a home run, Rice hit a RBI single and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a RBI sacrifice fly. Pedro Pages hit a home run in the ninth inning but it wasn’t enough. The Yankees won 12-8. David Bednar earned his 20th save. Ben Rice tied a career high of 7 RBIs and Max Fried earned the win and his 1,000th career strike out.

The Yankees won the last game of the series and swept the Cardinals despite Will Warren struggling a bit. Warren allowed 3 runs, 1 earned in 4 2/3 innings. Miles Mikolas, pitching for the Cardinals, allowed 3 runs in 5 innings. The Yankees scored first, scoring 3 runs in the fourth inning off 3 singles. The Cardinals scored 2 runs in the fourth and 1 in the fifth inning to tie the game. They took the lead in the sixth inning with a home run by Yohel Pozo off Camilo Doval but the Yankees tied it in the seventh with a sacrifice fly by Cody Bellinger. The Cardinals struggled in the ninth inning and the Yankees scored 4 runs due to a pair of walks, some throwing and fielding errors and a double by Paul Goldschmidt. Yankees won 8-4. Luke Weaver earned the win pitching both the 8th and 9th innings.

The Yankees are now 1 game behind the Red Sox and 5 games out of first place in the AL East.

They head into the new week with 2 games against the Tampa Bay Rays and 4 games against the Boston Red Sox. This is their chance to make a push for the AL East.

Let’s go Yankees!!