By Ethan Semendinger
July 4th, 2024
***
For the second straight night, the Yankees out-hit the Reds, but game up just one run short. This is not fun.
Quick Stats -
Winning Pitcher: Andrew Abbot (8-6. 3.28 ERA)
Losing Pitcher: Carlos Rodon (9-6, 4.45 ERA)
Save: Alexis Diaz (19)
Home Runs (Cincinnati): Noelvi Marte (1), Stuart Fairchild (5)
Home Runs (New York): None
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Big Story - After a back-and-forth weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays where the Yankees offense either exploded, or barely showed up, there was hope in Yankee-land that the offense was going to start clicking again.
And, in the first game of the interleague series with the Reds, the offense fell just short.
On a night with fireworks promised after the game, the Yankees (and their fans) were hoping to see them on the field too.
Here was the line-up for the middle-game of the three-game series against the Reds:
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Player of the Game -
The Bullpen: 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K's
Michael Tonkin: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Tommy Kahnle: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's
Clay Holmes: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's
Notable Performances -
Carlos Rodon: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R (3 ER), 2 BB's, 8 K's
Anthony Volpe: 1-5, Double, 2 RBI's
Juan Soto: 1-3, 2 BB's
DJ LeMahieu: 1-3, BB
Jahmai Jones: 1-3, Run, K
Austin Wells: 0-0, Run, 2 BB's
Better to Forget -
J.D. Davis: 0-3
Gleyber Torres: 0-4
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The Game - The Yankees have been playing the Reds really close. A few lucky breaks going the Yankees way would've turned last night and Monday night's game into wins. In both games the Yankees out-hit them. But, in both games, the Reds out-scored the Yankees.
And, this is a major problem. The Reds- going into this series- were 6 games below .500. They are a scrappy team with some very special talent (especially Elly De La Cruz), but they are not a team with incredibly lofty expectations. They are in the midst of finding their way to potentially fighting again in the NL Central.
And, yet, the Yankees are fighting and losing to them. The Yankees have just not been able to get going, consistently, on either side of the ball. Last night was no exception.
Carlos Rodon lost the game because the Reds hit two home runs. The first came in the 2nd inning, off the bat of Noelvi Marte, scoring two. (Tyler Stephenson got on with a single in the at-bat beforehand.) The second came in the 5th inning, off the bat of Stuart Fairchild, scoring one. Those 3 hits were the only hits the Yankees pitching staff gave up. Yet, the Reds got lucky and/or took advantage of them.
The Reds only had 3 other base-runners all night too: a 3rd inning Jonthan India walk (which turned into Elly De La Cruz after a fielders choice), a 6th inning Jeimer Candelario walk, and a 6th inning Tyler Stephenson walk. The Reds were not pressuring the Yankees pitching much, if at all.
The Yankees, meanwhile, had baserunners in the 1st inning (Soto singled), 2nd inning (Verdugo singled), 3rd inning (Soto and Judge walked), 4th inning (LeMahieu walked), 5th inning (Trevino walked), 7th inning (Jones doubled, Wells walked, Volpe hit a 2-RBI double, Soto walked), 8th inning (Rice walked, LeMahieu singled), and 9th inning (Wells walked).
The Yankees battled. And just kept losing. The Reds left 3 men on base. The Yankees left 9.
There isn't much else to say. The Yankees are in a major rut right now. They just can't get over whatever it is that they need. They can't get that inning-opening hit. Or, they cannot get the big strikeout.
It's not fun to watch. And I'm sure it's not a fun atmosphere in the clubhouse right now either.
I just hope the ship rights itself soon.
...
At least Judge and Soto are going to be starting the All-Star game. That's a bright spot for the team to celebrate at least.
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Next Up - The Yankees (54-34) will continue their three-game weekday series against the Cincinnati Reds (41-45) with a mid-day, Fourth of July, match-up between our old "friend" Frankie Montas (3-6, 4.23 ERA) and our new friend Marcus Stroman (7-3, 3.29 ERA). Television coverage will begin at 1:05 PM on YES.
