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Game 43: Looking For Another Series Win

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(Presswire)

The Yankees picked up their first win in almost a week two games last night, and this afternoon they’re looking to clinch their eighth consecutive series win, ignoring whatever the hell that Nationals series was. They are 20-4 in their last 24 games and 29-13 on the season overall. That is baseball’s very best record. The Yankees have won 29 of their first 42 games for the first time since the 1998 team went 32-10 in their first 42 games. Pretty great.

Today the Yankees are sending their weakest link to the mound. Sonny Gray owns a 6.39 ERA (5.15 FIP) through eight starts and 38 innings, and after two pretty good starts, he took a step back last time out. A quality outing against a pretty bad Royals team today would be appreciated. The Yankees have to get Sonny on track. He is their single biggest problem, in my opinion. Here are the lineups:

New York Yankees
1. LF Brett Gardner
2. RF Aaron Judge
3. DH Giancarlo Stanton
4. CF Aaron Hicks
5. 1B Tyler Austin
6. 3B Miguel Andujar
7. C Austin Romine
8. SS Ronald Torreyes
9. 2B Gleyber Torres

RHP Sonny Gray

Kansas City Royals
1. CF Jon Jay
2. RF Jorge Soler
3. 3B Mike Moustakas
4. DH Salvador Perez
5. 2B Whit Merrifield
6. 1B Hunter Dozier
7. LF Alex Gordon
8. SS Alcides Escobar
9. C Drew Butera

LHP Eric Skoglund

You’re not gonna believe this, but it’s raining in Kansas City. There are on-and-off showers in the forecast all afternoon. It was supposed to rain last night and it never did, so hopefully the Yankees are able to avoid another delay. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting real sick of this lousy weather. Today’s game is scheduled to begin at 2:15pm ET and you can watch on YES locally and MLB Network out of market. Enjoy the game.

Injury Update: Greg Bird (ankle) could return “sometime within the next week,” according to Aaron Boone, so that’s cool … Tommy Kahnle (shoulder, biceps) has been pitching in Extended Spring Training games and is “getting real close,” Boone said. Depending how the next day or two go, Kahnle could rejoin the Yankees at some point during the upcoming series in Texas.

Roster Move: Welcome back, David Hale. Yet again. Third time this year the Yankees have signed Hale to a minor league contract. I’m not sure why he elected free agency and re-signed rather than simply accept the outright assignment. Maybe Hale was able to squeeze a few more bucks and/or an opt-out date from the Yankees? Whatever. Anyway, Hale is back. He’s going to Triple-A Scranton.

Game 42: Rain, Rain, Stay Away

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(Presswire)

After four days of off-days and rainouts, the Yankees returned to action last night, and promptly lost the series opener to the Royals. Sucks. And because those four days off earlier this week weren’t enough, there is more rain in the forecast tonight, and it’s possible this game will be delayed or even postponed. Getting real sick of the rain, you guys.

If the Yankees do play tonight, it sure would be nice to see them beat up on a bad Royals team after last night’s loss. Danny Duffy has been a good pitcher throughout his career, but he currently owns a 6.51 ERA (6.19 FIP) with ugly peripherals (18.7 K%, 10.1 BB%, 2.30 HR/9), and righties are hitting .306/.385/.597 (.417 wOBA) against him. The number of righties in Aaron Boone’s lineup: Nine. Well, eight plus one switch-hitter. Here are the lineups:

New York Yankees
1. CF Aaron Hicks
2. RF Aaron Judge
3. LF Giancarlo Stanton
4. C Gary Sanchez
5. 1B Tyler Austin
6. 3B Miguel Andujar
7. DH Clint Frazier
8. SS Ronald Torreyes
9. 2B Gleyber Torres

RHP Luis Severino

Kansas City Royals
1. CF Jon Jay
2. RF Jorge Soler
3. DH Mike Moustakas
4. C Salvador Perez
5. 2B Whit Merrifield
6. LF Alex Gordon
7. 1B Hunter Dozier
8. SS Alcides Escobar
9. 3B Ryan Goins

LHP Danny Duffy

Like I said, there is rain the forecast tonight, enough to put the game in jeopardy. Tomorrow’s forecast isn’t looking so hot either, but one day at a time. Tonight’s game is scheduled to begin at 7:15pm ET and you can watch on YES locally and MLB Network out of market. Enjoy the game.

Injury Updates: Greg Bird’s return from ankle surgery is “around the corner,” according to Boone. What does that mean, exactly? I’m not sure. Bird has played seven rehab games so far. Maybe he rejoins the Yankees for the start of the homestand Friday? We’ll see … Jacoby Ellsbury is dealing with a back issue now. So he’s gone from an oblique injury to a hip injury to plantar fasciitis to an illness to a back injury since Spring Training.

Roster Update: So long, David Hale. Again. He cleared waivers and elected free agency yesterday, the Yankees announced. He was designated for assignment a few days ago, when the Yankees called up Frazier. Maybe Hale will come back on another minor league deal if he can’t find a team willing to put him on their MLB roster.

Game 38: Gray vs. A’s

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(Elsa/Getty)

Even with last night’s loss, the Yankees totally aced what was, on paper, their toughest stretch of the season. They went 18-3 in consecutive games against the Blue Jays, Twins, Angels, Astros, Indians, and Red Sox. Basically the six best non-Yankees teams in the American League. Going 12-9 or 13-8 during that stretch would’ve been cool. The Yankees went 18-3. Pretty great.

Of course, going 18-3 against those six teams does not mean the Yankees can rest on their laurels. The Athletics are in town for a three-game series this weekend and while they’ve lost three straight games and seven of their last eleven games, they are perfectly capable of making like miserable for the Yankees. The schedule does get easier now. The games won’t win themselves though.

Tonight, Sonny Gray gets to face his former team for the first time, and the same applies to Dustin Fowler. Those two were traded for each other last year. Fowler successfully rehabbed his knee injury, spent a few weeks in Triple-A to start the season, and was called up earlier this week. I hope he does well against every team except the Yankees. Hard not to root for Fowler after what he went through. Here are the starting lineups.

New York Yankees
1. LF Brett Gardner
2. RF Aaron Judge
3. SS Didi Gregorius
4. DH Giancarlo Stanton
5. CF Aaron Hicks
6. 1B Neil Walker
7. 3B Miguel Andujar
8. C Austin Romine
9. 2B Gleyber Torres

RHP Sonny Gray

Oakland Athletics
1. SS Marcus Semien
2. LF Matt Joyce
3. 2B Jed Lowrie
4. DH Khris Davis
5. 1B Matt Olson
6. 3B Matt Chapman
7. C Jonathan Lucroy
8. RF Mark Canha
9. CF Dustin Fowler

RHP Kendall Graveman

It is cool and cloudy in New York today, and there is rain in the forecast later tonight. Much later tonight, so it won’t be a problem for the game. Tomorrow’s game though? That’s another matter. Anyway, tonight’s game will begin at 7:05pm ET, and you can watch on YES locally and MLB Network nationally. Enjoy the game.

Injury Updates: Tommy Kahnle (shoulder, biceps) could rejoin the Yankees at the end of the upcoming road trip, according to Aaron Boone. That puts him about two weeks away … Brandon Drury (migraines) is progressing but is not yet where he needs to be. His 20-day rehab window ends Tuesday, so the Yankees will have to make a decision about activating him or pulling him off rehab pretty soon here … Greg Bird (ankle) and Billy McKinney (shoulder) will have their rehab assignments moved up to Double-A Trenton next week.

Game 36: Looking For Eight Wins In A Row

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(Mike Stobe/Getty)

Sixteen wins in 17 games! The Yankees have not done something like this since way back in 1953. The last few wins haven’t been easy, but the Yankees are rolling right now, and it sure is a lot of fun. Could really go for a blowout win though. Don’t get me wrong, close wins are fun in their own way. A few big innings and an easy game for the bullpen would be appreciated tonight.

Masahiro Tanaka’s overall season numbers are underwhelming (4.39 ERA and 3.81 FIP), but he’s strung together back-to-back-to-back strong starts, and he looks more like the good version of Tanaka we’ve seen over the years. The pitching has been exceptional during the 16-1 streak. The Yankees have a 2.06 (2.54 FIP) during these 17 games. Pretty great. Keep it going tonight, fellas. Here are the lineups:

New York Yankees
1. LF Brett Gardner
2. RF Aaron Judge
3. SS Didi Gregorius
4. DH Giancarlo Stanton
5. C Gary Sanchez
6. CF Aaron Hicks
7. 1B Neil Walker
8. 3B Miguel Andujar
9. 2B Gleyber Torres

RHP Masahiro Tanaka

Boston Red Sox
1. CF Mookie Betts
2. LF Andrew Benintendi
3. DH Hanley Ramirez
4. RF J.D. Martinez
5. SS Xander Bogaerts
6. 1B Mitch Moreland
7. 2B Eduardo Nunez
8. 3B Rafael Devers
9. C Sandy Leon

RHP Rick Porcello

Nice weather in New York today. Good night to be at the park. Tonight’s game will begin at 7:05pm ET and you can watch on YES locally and ESPN nationally. Enjoy the game.

Injury Update: Tommy Kahnle (shoulder, biceps) threw all his pitches in a 20-pitch bullpen session this afternoon, his first time throwing off a mound since being placed on the disabled list. He said everything went well and he’s on track to return sometime this month … Greg Bird (ankle) will begin an official minor league rehab assignment with High-A Tampa tomorrow. The rehab assignment can run as long as 20 days.

Game 35: Rivalry Renewed

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(Presswire)

A well-earned off-day is in the books and the Yankees are back at it tonight with the first of three against the Red Sox. First place is on the line with week, though it is only May 8th, and there are 120-something games to play after this series, so let’s not go overboard with the importance of this three-game set. Still, every head-to-head win the Yankees can bank now is a win they don’t need later.

Coming into tonight the Red Sox (25-9) and Yankees (24-10) have the two best records in baseball, and this is the first time these two teams are meeting with the two best records in baseball since June 2002. Been a while, eh? Pretty cool. It’s good for baseball when the Yankees and Red Sox are both good at the same time. The rivalry had gone stale in recent years. How about a move into first place tonight? Sounds good. Here are the lineups:

New York Yankees
1. LF Brett Gardner
2. RF Aaron Judge
3. SS Didi Gregorius
4. DH Giancarlo Stanton
5. C Gary Sanchez
6. CF Aaron Hicks
7. 3B Miguel Andujar
8. 1B Tyler Austin
9. 2B Gleyber Torres

RHP Luis Severino

Boston Red Sox
1. RF Mookie Betts
2. LF Andrew Benintendi
3. 1B Hanley Ramirez
4. DH J.D. Martinez
5. SS Xander Bogaerts
6. 3B Rafael Devers
7. 2B Eduardo Nunez
8. CF Jackie Bradley Jr.
9. C Christian Vazquez

LHP Drew Pomeranz

It is a wonderful May night for baseball. A little chilly but the sky is clear. Tonight’s series opener will begin at 7:05pm ET and you can watch on YES locally and MLB Network nationally. Enjoy the game.

Injury Updates: Greg Bird (ankle) played in an Extended Spring Training game yesterday and everything is going well. Aaron Boone said the Yankees expect to assign Bird to an affiliate for an official minor league rehab assignment “any day now” … Jacoby Ellsbury (oblique, hip, foot) has been sick the last few days and is doing light baseball activities. Playing in rehab games is still “a little ways off,” according to Boone.

Red Sox Rotation Update: David Price (scared of the Yankees) will not make his scheduled start tomorrow, the Red Sox announced. In all seriousness, Price is experiencing numbness in his fingers and is going back to Boston for tests. He exited his start against the Yankees last month with the same issue. Rick Porcello will start tomorrow and Eduardo Rodriguez will start Thursday.

Game 31: Win The Game, Win The Series

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*squee* (Presswire)

Even with Monday’s loss, the first six games of this seven-game road trip have gone pretty darn well for the Yankees. They’ve won five of the six games so far, including the last two by shutting out the Astros in Houston. They’ve allowed seven runs total in the six games. Also, the Yankees have not allowed a home run in their last four games, their longest such streak since August 2016.

This afternoon’s pitching matchup is a good one: Masahiro Tanaka vs. Lance McCullers Jr. They are the poster children for this new anti-fastball movement that is slowly taking over baseball. Here are the bottom three pitchers in fastball usage since the start of last season:

  1. R.A. Dickey: 16.6% (knuckleballer)
  2. Masahiro Tanaka: 36.0%
  3. Lance McCullers Jr.: 40.5%

Yeah. We might be in for 70% non-fastballs this afternoon, which is fun in its own way. Win the game, win the series. Here are the starting lineups:

New York Yankees
1. CF Brett Gardner
2. RF Aaron Judge
3. SS Didi Gregorius
4. LF Giancarlo Stanton
5. C Gary Sanchez
6. 1B Neil Walker
7. DH Miguel Andujar
8. 3B Ronald Torreyes
9. 2B Gleyber Torres

RHP Masahiro Tanaka

Houston Astros
1. RF George Springer
2. 2B Jose Altuve
3. SS Carlos Correa
4. DH Yuli Gurriel
5. LF Josh Reddick
6. 3B Alex Bregman
7. 1B Marwin Gonzalez
8. C Brian McCann
9. CF Jake Marisnick

RHP Lance McCullers Jr.

It is hot in Houston this afternoon, also cloudy and windy, so the Minute Maid Park roof will be closed. This afternoon’s series finale will begin at 2:10pm ET and you can watch on YES locally and MLB Network out of market. Enjoy the game.

Injury Updates: Greg Bird (ankle) will begin playing in Extended Spring Training games Monday. I imagine he’ll do that a bunch of times before joining one of the minor league affiliates for an official rehab stint. Bird’s timetable is unchanged. He’s still looking at a mid-to-late May return … Tommy Kahnle (shoulder, biceps) has started throwing and everything is going well. Adam Warren (lat) is inching closer to playing catch … Tyler Austin is okay after jamming his hip making a diving play last night. He’s available today. Aaron Boone said Austin was scheduled to sit against McCullers anyway.

Game 30: Win It For Monty

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(Bob Levey/Getty)

The news regarding Jordan Montgomery and his elbow is bad. Could’ve been worse, but it’s bad. He’ll be out 6-8 weeks with a left flexor strain after exiting last night’s game with elbow tightness. Domingo German will step into the rotation and the Yankees will be without Montgomery, their young southpaw, until the All-Star break, give or take. Sucks. It really does.

But, baseball goes on. Every team deals with injuries and the Yankees are no different. They’ll have to weather the storm without Montgomery these next few weeks. Fortunately, staff ace Luis Severino is on the mound tonight, and he can make us all feel better about things quickly. For all the bitching and moaning around the internet the last two nights, the Yankees’ fourth and fifth starters (and a bunch of relievers) have held the Astros to two runs the last two nights. That’ll work. Here are the lineups:

New York Yankees
1. CF Aaron Hicks
2. RF Aaron Judge
3. SS Didi Gregorius
4. LF Giancarlo Stanton
5. DH Gary Sanchez
6. 1B Tyler Austin
7. 3B Miguel Andujar
8. C Austin Romine
9. 2B Gleyber Torres

RHP Luis Severino

Houston Astros
1. DH George Springer
2. 2B Jose Altuve
3. SS Carlos Correa
4. 1B Yuli Gurriel
5. RF Josh Reddick
6. 3B Alex Bregman
7. LF Marwin Gonzalez
8. C Max Stassi
9. CF Derek Fisher

LHP Dallas Keuchel

It is warm and humid in Houston at the moment, so I’m guessing the Minute Maid Park roof will be closed tonight. Tonight’s game will begin at 8:10pm ET and you can watch on YES locally and ESPN nationally. Enjoy the game.

Injury Update: Greg Bird (ankle) is progressing well and he could begin playing in minor league rehab games within a week, according to Aaron Boone. I imagine Bird will start in Extended Spring Training rather than jump right into an official rehab assignment with an affiliate.

Roster Moves: In case you missed it earlier, David Hale was called up to take Montgomery’s roster spot. Jacoby Ellsbury (oblique, hip, foot) was transferred to the 60-day DL to clear a 40-man roster spot for Hale … Also, the Yankees activated Clint Frazier off the concussion 7-day DL and optioned him to Triple-A Scranton, the team announced. His rehab is complete and now he’s a full-time RailRider.

Awards!: Congrats to Sir Didi Gregorius. He was named April’s AL Player of the Month earlier today. Here’s the press release. Gregorius hit .327/.421/.735 (198 wRC+) with ten homers and more walks (18) than strikeouts (16) last month. He’s the first Yankee to win AL Player of the Month since … Aaron Judge last September. So back-to-back AL Player of the Month awards for the Yankees, technically.