This roadtrip has loomed large since last year, when the schedule first came out. Regardless of how the standings would look, we knew a nine-game slate against the Yankees, Astros and Brewers would be brutal. A year and change later, it’s still scary, but the silver lining of the 50th Flop is that it’s deadened much of the terror. I won’t speak for everyone, but this weekend I personally released my remaining hope (and subsequent frustrations) like a small coterie of bedraggled, mostly flightless
pigeons. As a friend pointed out yesterday, going 3-6 on this trip would feel like a big win. We’ve written plenty on this site about the power and beauty of holding hope and expectations, but at this point, with what this team has shown, it’s freeing to look at each remaining game as simply a day with baseball.
I don’t know, dude. They’re the Yankees, what more do you want me to say? They’ve won a lot of baseball games. Not as many as they have in the past, and definitely not as many as the Rays, which has to annoy them, but mostly is just messing up the Wild Card race.
I look forward to the 2044 court case, when Aaron Judge sues Ben Rice for siphoning his health this season. With Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton all shelved with various maladies, the Yankees focused on bringing in some potent bats at the trade deadline. They added Luis García Jr. and Heliot Ramos and called up their top prospect George Lombard Jr. García is in the midst of a huge power breakout this year and Lombard should be the shortstop of the future after Anthony Volpe flamed out.
Probable Pitchers
From a previous series preview:
The new man in the starting rotation, Ryan Weathers is a product of the Marlins pitching development pipeline. He’s struggled with a bunch of different injuries over the last few years but none of them have required surgery. His raw stuff leveled up during spring training last year, adding a tick of velocity to his entire repertoire and adding a ton of movement to his changeup and sweeper. We didn’t get to see that revamped arsenal in action for very long before a lat strain derailed his season. His raw stuff was even more impressive this spring; his fastball was regularly touching 99 mph, which would make him one of the hardest throwing left-handed pitchers in all of baseball. His two secondary pitches are fantastic at generating whiffs and he’s confident enough with his changeup to use it against both righties and lefties. There’s a lot of unfulfilled promise with Weathers — he’s yet to prove that he can stay healthy and that all this raw stuff can produce outs regularly — but he’ll get an opportunity to prove it all with the Yankees this year.
Weathers has had a bit of an up-and-down season for the Yankees, but he’s stayed healthy and has posted back-to-back scoreless outings. In his first start of the season way back in April, he held the Mariners to just a single run in 4.1 innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out seven.
Thanks to the injury to Gerrit Cole last spring, Will Warren earned a spot in the Yankees rotation out of the gate last year and posted a solid first full season in the big leagues. His 4.44 ERA was a bit higher than his 4.07 FIP, but his peripherals gave him a solid foundation to build off of. This year, he’s taken a small step forward. His ERA and FIP are still a little out of sync, but he’s cut his walk rate by nearly two points while maintaining his excellent strikeout rate. His low arm slot gives his pitches plenty of horizontal movement and his four-seam adds a generous amount of ride for his arm angle. He’s got a pretty good sweeper to pair with his fastball, but it can get hit around a bit, especially by left-handed batters.
From a previous series preview:
After signing a massive eight-year free agent deal with the Yankees in December 2024, Max Fried posted one of the best seasons of his career in New York. His velocity was up two ticks and he rejiggered his pitch mix to emphasize his cutter against right-handed batters. With two fantastic breaking balls, a solid changeup, and three different fastball looks, he’s got a weapon for any situation. If he needs a swing and miss, he’ll turn to one of the best curveballs in baseball. If he needs a groundball out, he’ll go to his sinker or changeup. That deep repertoire paired with excellent command makes him one of the toughest pitchers to face in the AL.
A bone bruise on his throwing elbow interrupted Max Fried’s season in May. He missed a month and a half of the season but recently returned from the IL at the end of July. He’s leaned pretty heavily on his cutter this year and it’s been one of the most effective pitches in the majors. Back in April, he held the Mariners scoreless across seven innings, allowing just three hits while striking out six.
The Big Picture:
Don’t look at this. That’s not healthy. Maybe leave this alone for a little bit. We can check back before they go to Houston, maybe.
