The big news of the day saw the Yankees pull off a complete bullpen makeover at the MLB Trade Deadline, landing a pair of closers and a middle innings monster. They broke the seal grabbing Pirates closer David Bednar for a three-player package headlined by catching prospect Rafael Flores. Jake Bird followed with highly-regarded infielder Roc Riggio and one other heading to the Rockies. Then right at the buzzer, they snagged another closer, securing Camilo Doval from the Giants for a four-player return
that included pitcher Trystan Vrieling and catcher Jesus Rodriguez. They even plucked José Caballero from the visitors’ dugout, sending Everson Pereira to Tampa Bay.
However, the results on the field were just as important to the Yankees’ season, the offense striking early to provide a necessary cushion for what turned into another clunker from Marcus Stroman. Giancarlo Stanton and Ben Rice crushed a pair of home runs in the first two innings, and it seemed like they would coast to victory until a Stroman four-run fourth and a 2:45 rain delay made it a slog. Luckily, the bullpen made quick work of the final innings as the Yankees secured the series-winning victory, 7-4
Unlike yesterday, when it took a Trent Grisham eighth-inning solo shot to get the Yankees on the board, the offense wasted no time putting up runs in bunches for Stroman. Paul Goldschmidt hit what looked to be a routine pop up just beyond the infield with one out in the first, but Taylor Walls lost the ball in the sun while the in-blowing wind carried it away from the outfielders so that it landed perfectly between four converging Rays for an improbable double.
Cody Bellinger kept his clutch hitting streak alive, staying on top of an elevated 1-2 four-seamer and grounding it back up the middle to plate Goldschmidt to open the scoring. Giancarlo Stanton has been swinging a hot bat since coming off the IL and he said hold my beer to Bellinger, demolishing a hanging 0-1 slider deep into the bleachers in left for a two-run no-doubter, and the Yankees’ one-run lead had become three.
The Yankees showed a disciplined approach to come back and win the last two games and it was no different today. Ryan McMahon and Anthony Volpe drew consecutive one-out walks in the second to bring Ben Rice to the plate. He worked the count full and didn’t miss the one mistake pitch he saw, clobbering a laser beam into the Yankees bullpen for a three-run tank.
Both Stanton’s and Rice’s homers were hit over 110 mph to the pull side — funny how that works! They kept their foot down in the third, putting runners on the corners with one out after a Jazz Chisholm Jr. walk and Jasson Domínguez single. Austin Slater picked up an RBI in his first game as a Yankee, grounding into a fielder’s choice to plate Jazz and make it 7-0.
It’s a good thing the offense came out swinging early and often, because Stroman reverted to run-dispenser mode again. It all started so promising, Stroman allowing just a lone walk through the first three innings, but then the wheels came off in the fourth. Brandon Lowe led off with a single and advanced to third on a Christopher Morel single — subbed in for Yandy Díaz, who departed with a forearm contusion following a HBP in the first.
Jonathan Aranda drove Lowe home with a single and Junior Caminero plated Morel on a sac fly that Domínguez almost misplayed in left. Josh Lowe grounded into a force out, but Stroman served up a pair of two-out run-scoring hits — a Jonny DeLuca RBI single to plate Lowe after the latter stole second and a Taylor Walls RBI double to score DeLuca after his own steal of second. It’s the second game that Stroman has given up four runs in less than four innings, and with Luis Gil’s season debut scheduled for Sunday against the Marlins, Stroman’s spot should be the one sacrificed in the rotation.
Stroman almost got himself into more trouble in the fifth with the rain really starting to fall. However, he erased a one-out single from Brandon Lowe by inducing the inning-ending double play — the biggest out he recorded in the game as the contest was made official. The Yankees put runners on the corners with one out in the bottom of the fifth, Stanton reaching on an error and being replaced at first by Jazz on a forceout. Jazz then stole second and third and Domínguez drew a walk just in time for the tarp to be rolled out over the infield.
After a two-hour, forty-five-minute rain delay, they inexplicably decided to resume play. Slater had to face triple digits from reliever Mason Montgomery and grounded into the inning-ending double play. In fact, it seemed like the long delay sapped a lot of the energy from both offenses, because the game wound to a thankfully quick end with the flurry of activity in final minutes of the trade deadline taking precedent. The most notable on-field moment saw MLB stolen base leader José Caballero walk from the visitors’ dugout to the home dugout in the seventh inning after being traded for Everson Pereira and a PTBNL.
Yerry De los Santos pitched three dominant innings of relief, striking out the side in the seventh and ending with five Ks. Jonathan Loáisiga was given the save opportunity and navigated around a Matt Thaiss leadoff double to secure the save, 7-4.
After dropping the first game of the series, these were a huge three wins to get back in the series win column. Perhaps the comebacks in back-to-back contests and the offensive outburst today convinced the front office to fully commit to this season at the buzzer of the deadline. Whatever the case, the Yankees pull to within 3.5 games of the Blue Jays.
The Yankees travel to Miami tomorrow with Carlos Rodón getting the series opener against the Marlins. It remains to be seen whether they will face Sandy Alcantara after a failed late push to acquire him. First pitch Friday evening is at 7:10 pm ET with the broadcast remaining on YES.
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