The Yankees‘ AL East magic number remains at one after Wednesday’s 9-7 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
Takeaways
1. Marcus Stroman‘s return to the starting rotation was a dud. Replacing the injured Nestor Cortes, Stroman’s first start in two weeks after he was moved to the bullpen in favor of Cortes’ return to the rotation showed why the Yankees moved him to the ‘pen ahead of October.
Six — yes, six — straight first-inning singles set the tone for one of Stroman’s worst outings all year. He put New York in a 3-0 hole and gave the team no length on his way to allowing six runs on a season-high 10 hits in 3.1 IP.
2. Cody Poteet, called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre amid Cortes’ injury, gave the Yankees a solid 3.1 relief IP — even if the game was already out of reach — in his first MLB game since June 12. He allowed one run on three hits while striking out three and walking one, from two outs in the fourth inning through the seventh.
3. While there weren’t many positives for the Yankees to take from this one, Juan Soto provided a glimpse at what his first October in pinstripes could look like. Soto’s short-porch special off Zach Eflin with two outs and one on in the fifth inning brought the Yankee Stadium crowd back to life despite the 8-3 deficit.
New York fans won’t want to hear it, because the postseason ultimately matters, but Soto is polishing off a magnificent — and perhaps only — season in pinstripes, including his 41st (third among MLB leaders, behind Aaron Judge‘s 57 and Shohei Ohtani‘s 53) home run and 108 RBI. Through 154 games, he is slashing .287/.418/.573.
4. Speaking of Judge, he also isn’t going away quietly into the fall while the Yankees’ postseason push awaits. Despite the loss, Judge’s three-run homer in the ninth capped a 2-for-4 night with a walk and momentarily gave the Yanks life with one down in the final frame. New York lost this game, but it wasn’t because of Nos. 22 and 99.
5. The Yankees can (and probably will) still win the division, but it’s hard to get too excited when a potential ALDS matchup with the Orioles is around the corner. The way that the postseason picture is currently shaping up, the winner of the Wild Card series between the Kansas City Royals and Baltimore would play New York. Based on how the Yankees have played the Orioles, especially this series, it isn’t trending the right direction at the right time.
Who’s the MVP?
Gunnar Henderson, whose 3-for-5 effort included the leadoff single that sparked the Orioles’ hit parade before his two-RBI knock with one out in the fourth inning pushed Baltimore ahead 5-1 and sent Stroman for an early shower.
Highlights
What’s next
The Yankees (92-66) look to salvage their three-game series and avoid a sweep Thursday at 7:05 p.m. when they host the Orioles (88-70) for the finale.
Right-handed aces Gerrit Cole (7-5, 3.67 ERA) and Corbin Burnes (15-8, 2.95 ERA) are the projected starters.
Source Agencies
