YANKEES GO 3 FOR 6 IN EARLY JUNE

After a rough Dodgers series the Yankees proceeded to win only 3 out of their next 6 games.

The first 3 game series was against the Cleveland Guardians.

In game 1 we saw the return of Jazz Chisholm Jr. who hit a tie breaking home run in the seventh inning. Anthony Volpe followed that with his own home run. Carlos Rodon had another stellar outing, pitching 7 innings with 8 strikeouts and only allowed 1 run on 5 hits. Devin Williams gave up a run in the ninth inning but got it together to earn the save. The Yankees won 3-2.

In game 2 Luis Ortiz and the Guardians bullpen shut out the Yankees and combined only allowed 5 hits. Clarke Schmidt allowed 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings and struck out 8. Angel Martinez hit a two run home run in the first inning and Kyle Manzardo hit a solo home run in the eighth inning. The Guardians won 4-0. This was Ortiz’s first win since mid April. It was also their first shut out in Yankee Stadium since 2014. And only the second time the Yankees have been shut out this season.

In game 3 the Yankees shut out the Guardians with ace Max Fried on the mound. Fried gave up 1 hit and struck out 7 in six innings. The Yankees bullpen only allowed 2 more hits. Cody Bellinger hit a 2 run home run in the fifth inning and he and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit RBI singles in the seventh inning. The Yankees won 4-0 this time.

Next the Yankees welcomed the Boston Red Sox to New York for a 3 game series.

Game 1 went to the Yankees. Will Warren pitched against Walker Buehler. Warren had 6 strikeouts and allowed 4 runs in 5 1/3 innings but on the other side Buehler allowed 7 runs (5 earned) in 2 innings. Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a 3 run home run and Anthony Volpe hit a 2 run home run in the first inning giving the Yankees an early lead. The next inning Chisholm hit a RBI single and with bases loaded and Paul Goldschmidt scored when Volpe was hit by a pitch. The Red Sox didn’t score a run until Marcelo Mayer’s solo home run in the fifth inning. Austin Wells scored that inning on an error putting the Yankees up by 7. The Red Sox scored 3 more runs in the sixth inning but Goldschmidt hit another home run leaving them down 5 runs. Rafael Devers hit a 2 run home run in the sixth inning but that was the end of scoring for the Red Sox. The Yankees won 9-6. Volpe left the game after being hit by a pitch but his x-rays were negative. He sat out the next game to recover. Warren earned the win and Devin Williams earned his seventh save.

Now games 2 and 3 went to the Red Sox but both games continued with lots of scoring and the Yankees put up a fight. Here’s what happened.

Game 2: Garrett Crochet gave up 5 runs and struck out 9 in six innings while Ryan Yarbrough gave up 8 runs in four innings. The Red Sox scored first with a RBI single in the second inning but Austin Wells answered with a 3 run home run. The Red Sox scored 5 runs in the third inning off some singles and a double and 2 more in the fourth inning off a home run by Romy Gonzalez. That same inning, Wells hit a RBI double and Pablo Reyes hit a RBI ground out putting the Yankees down 3 runs. In the eighth inning 2 runs scored on a single by DJ LeMahieu putting the Yankees down 1. Ian Hamilton loaded the bases in the ninth inning and 2 runs scored on a single by Trevor Story. The Red Sox won 10-7. Story had 5 RBIs and Aaron Judge struck out 3 times.

Game 3: Carlos Rodon earned his fourth loss against Hunter Dobbins. Rodon gave up 5 runs in 5 innings and struck out 5. Dobbins gave up 3 runs in 5 innings. The Yankees took the lead early with a 2 run home run by Aaron Judge in the first inning. Kristian Campbell hit a 2 run home run in the fifth inning to tie the game but the tie ended quickly with a solo shot by DJ LeMahieu. The sixth inning was when things unraveled. Rodon hit Rafael Devers and walked the next batter before Carlos Narvaez hit a home run. Fun fact, Narvaez was traded by the Yankees last season. Fernando Cruz came in to replace Rodon and loaded the bases before being relieved by Tim Hill. Two more runs scored on a single by Jarren Duran. The Red Sox were now winning by 4. That same inning the Yankees loaded the bases with a single and a pair of walks which allowed a run to score on Jazz Chisholm Jr’s sacrifice fly. They loaded the bases again with a single by Anthony Volpe and another run scored when Trent Grisham walked. Now the Yankees were down by 2. But Abraham Toro and Trevor Story hit back to back home runs in the eighth inning and Devers hit a home run and Story hit a RBI double in the ninth inning which put the Yankees down 6 runs. Three Yankees walked in the ninth inning but only Judge was able to add 2 runs with a home run. The Red Sox won 11-7.

The Yankees will next see the Kansas City Royals before heading to Boston for a rematch against the Red Sox.