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Series Recap
·5 min read

Series Recap: Yankees escape eye of the Tiger

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The New York Yankees took another series and another doubleheader against the lowly Detroit Tigers. Yet, the injuries continued to mount and they were all parts fluky, bizarre and awful. Luckily Scott Reinen played two softball games without incurring an injury, so all of us writers are in the clear.

GAME 1

This game felt like it should’ve been played in Lakeland, Fla. in March. The Bronx Bombers kept the home run engine humming but the pitching staff was gasoline alley in a 12-11 loss to the Motor City Kitties. Hopefully, this one doesn’t cost home-field advantage.

TWO GARD TOUCHDOWN

The New York lineup rocked Edwin Jackson, who, I’ll be honest, I didn’t know was still in the league. In the first frame, Brett Gardner posted the savages on the board with a solo smash to right.

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In the second stanza, the offense returned for more. A Mike Ford RBI-single, Tyler Wade RBI-triple and a second home run by Gardner, upped the Yankees lead to 6-0.

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BLED TO DEATH

Growing up in the early ’90s I remember the Cecil Fielder, power-hitting Tigers at the bandbox known as Tiger Stadium. This was not that.

During the third inning, between Nestor Cortes Jr. and Luis Cessa, the Tigers collected four singles and benefitted from a big error by second baseman Gleyber Torres and were able to square the contest at six.

POWER BACK

The Bronx Bombers were able to re-take the lead against Tyler Alexander, on solo homers by Torres and Didi Gregorius in the fourth and fifth innings respectively.

NO GAS CAP

The bullpen continued to leak through and Christin Stewart homered off Cessa in the fifth.

Detroit tied the game on a sac fly by Miguel Cabrera off Jonathan Loaisiga in the sixth. Jeimer Candelario, who had a three-hit evening, gave the Tigers a 10-8 lead with a tw0-run single.

MORE HORSEPOWER

In the seventh inning, the Bronx Bombers player power ball again.

Edwin Encarnacion connected for a two-run tater off John Schreiber to square the contest at ten.

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Gregorius jumped the Yankees back in front with a solo swat off Daniel Stumpf.

DROPPING THE BALL

Even with Adam Ottavino on, the Yankees still botched. Jordy Mercer walked around two strikeouts in the seventh and advanced on a passed ball by Gary Sanchez. A Harold Castro single to right plated Mercer for the equalizer.

Chance Adams entered in the ninth and it was basically over before it started. With one down, Grayson Greiner doubled to left. Pinch-runner Willi Castro would eventually score on a Mercer single to center to end the game.

GAME 2

The Yankees decisively won the battle but may have lost the war. New York’s 10-4 victory was not without a cost, Encarnacion and his oblique and J.A. Happ and his biceps were evaluated after the game.

BASHING BOYD

Remember when Matthew Boyd whiffed 13 Yankees back in April and you added him to your fantasy baseball team? Remember when he was a hot trade target and then completely fell off and killed your fantasy team? Well, the Bronx Bombers were able to take advantage of the post-July version in the matinee.

Luke Voit hit the round number mark at 20 when he cranked a two-run tater in the first frame.

Encarnacion followed with a two-run smash of his own in the third inning.

JUST ADEQUATE

Happ was rolling along in the early going, extending his scoreless streak to 20.1 frames. On the afternoon, Happ fanned six, scattered seven hits, walked three, with his lone blip being a home run surrendered to Dawel Lugo in the fifth, as he went 4.2 frames.

FINISHING TOUCHES

The Yankees continued their climb to 10. In the seventh, a Bryan Garcia wild pitch plated Judge. Ex-Tiger Cameron Maybin hugged a two-run double to right-center after choking up on the bat.

Facing Matt Hall in the eighth, Voit added an RBI-single to right and Gregorius placed the cherry on top with a two-run triple.

COME HELLER HIGH WATER

During the eighth inning, Ben Heller made the climb all the way back to the mountain top. Heller surrendered a home run to Travis Demeritte, gave up two hits, walked one and fanned one.

GAME 3

The Yankees won again but lost big again. The 6-4 victory came at the cost of Sanchez and his groin, trying to steal a base no less. It also featured Judge slamming into the right-field wall. Oh, plus Tommy Kahnle had to have his hand checked after slamming it into a sunflower seed bin, so, splendid!

JUDGE GOES OPPO TACO

Facing Spencer Turnbull in the first frame, Judge jolted the Yanks on the board with a two-run tater to right.

FORD FIELD

In the third, Mike Ford was making his case for postseason pinch-runner. After singling to right, Ford trucked it home on a two-out RBI-double to right by LeMahieu.

CC PASSES SMOLTZY

CC Sabathia tried to leg it out as much as he could and made history in the process. In Michigan native John Smoltz‘s backyard, Sabathia passed the Hall of Fame hurler with 3,085 career strikeouts, 16th on the all-time list.

Sabathia fanned five in 3.1 frames, yielding two runs on three hits and one walk.

MINGO RULES

It’s like the “Joba Rules” but it worked. Domingo German came on in relief of Sabathia and tossed four scoreless frames, struck out five, allowing two hits and zero walks.

ROUND NUMBER ALERT

After Wade scored on a Gregorius single and error by Brandon Dixon in right in the fifth, the Yankees continued to add to their lead in the ninth.

Facing Gregory Soto in the ninth, Urshela joined Voit in the 20-homer club, giving the Yankees seven players with 20+ homers on the campaign. The two-run shot to left-center made it 6-2.

ON DECK

At 97-51, the Yankees head to Canada to take on the Toronto Blue Jays for a three-game series starting Friday evening.

Pitching probables, Masahiro Tanaka vs. Anthony Kay, James Paxton vs. Jacob Waguespack, TBD vs. T. J. Zeuch.