Series Recap: Yankees spit the bit against Angels
BRONX, N.Y. — While the fourth game of this series was postponed to Aug. 16, at best the New York Yankees could tie their series against the Los Angeles Angels and at worst drop three of four. Losing two of three at home to a team with zero pitching and the way they lost was downright pathetic.
GAME 1
One can't blame Halos starter Dylan Bundy, sometimes the sight of the 2021 Yankees makes us vomit too. Again the pinstripes fell behind early and never truly recovered in their 5-3 loss.
The first frame continued to be Michael King's bugaboo. Shohei Ohtani cranked a full-count curveball to right-center for the first run of the game. The Angels doubled their lead as Jared Walsh sliced an RBI double to the gap in left-center.
New York did bounce back on a Gary Sanchez ground out in the first frame and a Gio Urshela solo smash to left in the second stanza.
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Yet, the Halos capitalized on a Yankee miscue in the fifth frame. An Anthony Rendon one-out double chased King. With Lucas Leutge entering, Walsh reached on a DJ LeMahieu error. A Max Stassi ground out regained the lead for L.A.
An inning later, Leutge was left to labor, even with a fresh Chad Green in the bullpen, and yielded a solo homer to right-center to Juan Lagares.
Giancarlo Stanton pulled the Bronx Bombers within one after slugging a solo swat to left-center off Jose Suarez in the home half of the sixth. Yet, that was all the heavily righty lineup could muster against the southpaw Suarez.
https://twitter.com/Yankees/status/1409683656616996865?s=20
GAME 2
Now that's what I figured about 90% of the Yankee victories would look like this season. It only took 79 games in for the formula of bludgeoning the opposition with round-trippers and having the bullpen carry the water for a blah starter and bring it all home for an 11-5 win.
Neither starting pitcher was particularly awe-inspiring. Jameson Taillon toiled for 5.1 frames versus Andrew Heaney's three, so I guess there's that. New York finally took advantage of its heavy right-handed lineup.
The Bronx Bombers' offense finally played like a team with urgency and knew who was on the bump for them. Gary Sanchez set the table with an oppo taco Tuesday home run in the first frame for the 1-0 edge.
After Jose Iglesias clocked a two-run tater to left-center in the second stanza, the Yankees quickly regrouped.
There was some small ball and blasting alike in the home half of the second. Gio Urshela scored on a Brett Gardner foul out to left and a heads up Miguel Andujar tagged up and moved to second on the play. That was also big because Andujar would score on a LeMahieu single to right. The ensuing batter Aaron Judge drilled a two-run homer to Monument Park, increasing the lead to 5-2.
Yet, in the third, Ohtani reminded the Yankees why it was important to not take the foot off the gas, clocking a solo homer to right-center.
The pinstripes didn't let up though. In the fourth frame, Andujar went oppo taco for a first-pitch homer to right.
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Gardner would follow with a walk that would end Heaney's night.
After James Hoyt recorded two outs, Sanchez kept the rally going, plating Gardner from first with an RBI double to left. Fancy that. Following a Stanton walk, Luke Voit traded spaces with Sanchez on an RBI double to center. Finally breaking out was Gleyber Torres, who used what the Angels gave him with a wide-open hole at second base, perfectly placing a two-run single to right. Torres recorded two hits and a walk on the evening. Baby steps.
While Ohtani smoked a laser homer to right in the fifth frame, for a two-run tater.
Capping off the Yankee scoring in the sixth inning was Andujar and his RBI double to left for a three-hit evening.
Nestor Cortes Jr. and Albert Abreu tossed a combined 3.2 scoreless frames to finish it out.
GAME 3
On a night when the New York Mets lost 20-2 to the Atlanta Braves, somehow that was only the second-worst loss of the evening by a New York baseball team. Practically everything about this game was miserable. Multiple rain delays and an 11-8 loss that ended with fans shifting from "F--k Altuve" chants to "Fire Boone!"
Somehow the Yankees lost a game where Ohtani recorded a mere two outs in the first frame before exiting. Even though they batted around, it was about the softest seven-run outburst you'd ever want to see. With the bases loaded and zero outs, Stanton and Torres collected consecutive RBI singles to left. Andujar plated a run with a soft ground out to third. Gardner coaxed a four-pitch walk to chase Ohtani.
LeMahieu seemingly broke it open with a bases-clearing double to right off Aaron Slegers. Hence, the pinstripes jumped Ohtani's ERA from 2.58 to 3.60.
https://twitter.com/Yankees/status/1410385587576750082?s=20
Yet, Domingo German is a garbage person and a trash pitcher. After putting the pinstripes in a 2-0 hole on a Phil Gosselin homer to right in the first frame, German would allow another run and the rain coupled with his terrible pitching meant a three-inning outing.
Fast forward to the ninth inning and scumbag Aroldis Chapman was completely off. Unfortunately, manager Aaron Boone was too afraid of his lunatic closer yelling at him again and so he left him in to give up a game-tying grand slam to Walsh. Luetge didn't fare much better and allowed the Halos to plate three more.
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In the home half, with Judge and Urshela on the bench, perhaps Boone was sending a message to general manager Brian Cashman, allowing Rougned Odor to strike out for the final out of the game.
ON DECK
At 41-39, the Yankees host the New York Mets at Yankee Stadium for a three-game Subway Series starting Friday evening.
Pitching probables, Taijuan Walker vs. Jordan Montgomery, Marcus Stroman vs. Gerrit Cole, Tylor Megill vs. TBD.