Series Recap: Yankees take ful-phill-ing series
Traveling to Philadelphia, the New York Yankees erased the bad taste of Tampa and took two-of-three games in their series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Luis Severino and Aaron Hicks continued to shine and the bullpen continued its mastery as well.
GAME 1
Playing at the much more aesthetically pleasing yard in Philadelphia, the Yankees were a lot livelier doubling up the Phillies 4-2. With the victory, the Yankees snapped a three-game losing streak.
JOHNNY ON THE SPOT
Jonathan Loaisiga was spot on, carrying a no-hit bid into the sixth and saving the bullpen. According to Katie Sharp, Loaisiga became the first Yankees more than five innings of yielding three hits or fewer and zero earned runs in two of his first three outings. On his ledger, Loaisiga worked 5.1 frames, fanning eight, yielding one hit while walking two.
GLEYBER GOOD START
Gleyber Torres hoisted the Yanks on the board, lining a 2-2 slider from Vince Velasquez to right, plating Greg "the dude" Bird for the 1-0 advantage in the second.
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JUDGE'S HISTORIC RULING
During the fifth, Aaron Judge doubled the New York lead to 2-0, belting a 2-2 slider from Velasquez into the left-field stands. Judge's 110.9 mph rocket was home run No. 20 on the campaign. Judge has 20 home runs before the All-Star break for the second consecutive season.
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DOUBLE SWITCH DELIGHT
Manager Aaron Boone got crafty in the sixth, lifting Loaisiga and pulling a double switch which brought David Robertson in at pitcher and Neil Walker at first for Bird. Robertson pitched out of the jam with a strikeout and a groundout and Walker caught the ball on each putout, so, you know, strategy.
GET TO THE CHOPPA
After the Phillies touched up Robertson with a Scott Kingery RBI-single to left in the seventh, the Yankees hacked back in the eighth.
Following a Didi Gregorius bunt hit, the bases were packed for Giancarlo Stanton.
Stanton delivered against Yacksel Rios, chopping a two-run double over the head of the shortstop Kingery, making it 4-1 New York.
DELLIN GOES SHEFF
Dellin Betances held down the Phillies in the seventh and recorded a pair of outs in the eighth. Making waves though was his Gary Sheffield bat waggle during the top half of the eighth. Waves and misses but the big guy certainly didn't hold anything back with the bat.
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CHAP CLOSES THE DOOR
Aroldis Chapman recorded a four-out save. His only blemish was a full count slider left up to Maikel Franco for a solo home run during the ninth.
GAME 2
They were playing across the street but it didn't stop the Yankees from tossing up a touchdown on the Phillies, winning 6-0.
PICK HICKS
Aaron Hicks provided punch and set the table with a leadoff home run in the first off a 2-0 sinker from Jake Arrieta to straightaway center. The home run was Hicks' first in a New York uniform and the third of his career, posting the Yankees to a 1-0 lead.
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GLEYBIRD
During the third, an error, coupled with a two-run single to left by Gleyber Torres and an RBI-single left by Greg Bird, helped increase the Yankees lead to 4-0.
FANCY FEET FOURTH
Austin Romine started a Yankee rally with a double in the fourth. On a wild pitch which quickly bounced back to Phillies catcher Andrew Knapp, Romine was able to dance around a tag at third.
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A sac fly to right by Hicks, made it 5-0.
Hicks would also make a nice grab later in the game to cap off a superb evening.
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DIDI CAPS IT OFF
During the fifth, Didi Gregorius drilled a 0-1 Arrieta curveball to right, increasing the New York advantage to 6-0 with home run No. 15 on the campaign.
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SENIOR SEVY SMOKE SHOW
Luis Severino was lighting it up and in a groove. Sevy touched as high as 101 mph on the radar gun. Sandwiched between Loaisiga and Luis Cessa, Severino's outing gave the Yankees length. On his ledger, the Yankees ace turned in seven scoreless frames with nine K's, six hits and zero walks.
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GAME 3
Having won the series, the Yankees were playing the long game, resting Judge, Romine and Bird (save for a pinch-hit appearance) and running out the bullpen in a 3-0 defeat to the Phillies.
CESSA LIVING DANGEROUSLY
Luis Cessa gave the Yankees what has been his prototypical outing. Cessa wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam with a pair of K's in the first. During the second, Rhys Hoskins and his ridiculous double flap face guard batting helmet clocked a three-run homer to right off a 1-2 slider from Cessa, for the difference maker.
Cessa nearly got his fielders killed in the third, Brett Gardner made a wall-crashing catch, Giancarlo Stanton made a nice running grab against the wall in right and Kyle Higashioka got nicked with a wild pitch but Cessa was able to escape unscathed on the scoreboard.
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BULLPEN BRIGHT SPOT
Once again the bullpen thrived, even the secondary guys. If Jonathan Holder is this year's version of 2017 Chad Green, maybe Giovanny Gallegos is the June version of Holder. Gallegos impressed by fanning six in three scoreless frames, allowing two hits.
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Holder would follow with a scoreless frame and Domingo German would do the same.
LACKING LINEUP
As mentioned, a decent amount of the lineup was on the bench and there was no DH in the NL park. Hicks continued his hot hitting with two of the four Yankee hits, with Gregorius and Miguel Andujar accounting for the other two.
ON DECK
At 52-26, the Yankees return home Friday to Yankee Stadium to face the Boston Red Sox in a three-game series.
Pitching probables, Eduardo Rodriguez vs. CC Sabathia, Chris Sale vs. Sonny Gray, David Price vs. TBD (likely Luis Severino).