Despite a lengthy rain delay on Sunday afternoon, the New York Yankees eventually beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4–3, securing a series win as they gear up to face off against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night.
Gerrit Cole started the performance slow, giving up two earned runs in the second inning, but he shut things down afterward, pitching 5.2 innings, six hits, four strikeouts, and 91 pitches. Cole has seen better days, but it is clear he needs more time to find his groove. Normally, an immaculate locator with the ball, he is still missing the strike zone and struggling to force batters into uncomfortable positions.
The Yankees’ Offense Got The Job Done
Offensively, the Yankees tallied 10 hits with six strikeouts. Torres and Juan Soto combined for four hits, but struggling veteran utility man DJ LeMahieu walked it off in the end. DJ recorded two RBIs on the day, including a sacrifice fly to center field in the sixth inning to tie the game and a single to center field in the bottom of the 10th to drive in the winning run.
LeMahieu has been bad this season but had a few big performances over the past week. In fact, over the last seven days, he’s hitting .286 with a .857 slugging rate, including seven RBIs. His recent stretch has helped fuel the Yankees, but they need far more consistency from the veteran, whose numbers are propped up by a six-RBI performance earlier this past week.
Walking Aaron Judge Works Well Apparently
Once again, Toronto utilized the strategy of walking Aaron Judge, who got on base three times and recorded a hit with one strikeout. At this rate, Judge is getting on base at over 45% and, over the last 30 days, is hitting .346 with a .518 OBP and 1.222 OPS. Judge is simply in a world of his own, and the Yankees can’t afford to waste another MVP-caliber season.
At the moment, the Bombers are tied for first place with the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East, who secured another win against the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday. Both teams have won two games, and it is evident that Baltimore isn’t going to let up — the Yankees have to match their production and continue to beat bad teams.
The Angels are one of the worst teams in baseball, and the Yankees’ schedule in August is extremely favorable. They will face off against Texas, Chicago, and Detroit, giving them four consecutive series they should be able to win without a problem.