By Derek McAdam
August 28, 2024
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After winning the first game by a score of 5-2, the New York Yankees were defeated by the Washington Nationals in the second game by a score of 4-2. Here’s a quick recap of last night’s game.
Quick Stats: W: Patrick Corbin (4-12): 6 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K
L: Gerrit Cole (5-3): 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
S: Kyle Finnegan (33): 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER
- Aaron Judge’s double in the 1st inning was his 83rd extra-base hit of the season, the best in the MLB.
- The Yankees four defensive errors now adds on to give them 10 total errors committed over the last four games.
The Big Story: The Yankees were looking to take the series win and go for the sweep, but the Nationals had other plans in mind. In the 2nd, with runners on second and third, Joey Gallo grounded out to second base to score Jose Tena and give the Nationals a 1-0 lead.
In the 4th, Andres Chaparro hit his first MLB home run into the left field seats to give the Nationals a 2-0 lead. Tena, the next batter, also went deep for his second home run of his career to extend the lead to 3-0. In the same inning, Dylan Crews recorded his first MLB hit after making his debut Monday night.
In the 6th, another Nationals run crossed the plate on a DJ LeMahieu error, making the new score 4-0.
Patrick Corbin was coming off a solid six-inning, one-run performance against the Rockies, and he picked up right where he left off last night. The Yankees struggled to get the ball in the air and did not present themselves with many opportunities on the base-paths while Corbin was on the mound.
The Yankees would finally get on the board in the 8th. With the bases loaded and no one out, Aaron Judge grounded into a double play, scoring a run and ending the shutout. In the 9th, Anthony Volpe grounded out to get Jazz Chisholm in (he had doubled and stolen third base), making the new score 4-2, but it was not enough.
Player of the Game: Corbin is definitely deserving of this award. He shut the Yankees down and delivered his, arguably, best start of the season.
Notable Performances: Tena and Crews both had multi-hit games, with Crews recording his first two big-league hits. Congratulations to him, as well as Chaparro for his first MLB home run.
The Yankee bullpen also did a nice job of keeping the score as close as possible, although the 6th inning was an absolute debacle defensively.
Better to Forget: The Yankee defense would love to forget last night’s game, as well as the previous few games. Chisholm has five of the 10 errors committed over the previous four games, including one last night. This is one area that the Yankees have to tighten up.
My Take: Losses are never good, but this is a loss that stings on so many levels. First, the Yankees showed some life in the later innings, even though they were down 4-0. But the Judge double play was absolutely devastating. Not only did that kill the momentum for that inning, but it seemed as if that was the immediate sign that the Yankees were not winning this game. They’ve had a very good August, and when they’re playing well anything can happen. But the double play, for me, ruined those chances of a comeback.
Second, Cole had a couple of scoreless starts coming into last night’s game. And sure, he wanted to keep that going, but didn’t have a great night if you look at just the box score. However, with regards to his individual pitches, I liked his start last night more than I did against Cleveland. Sure, he gave up three runs last night, but he was finishing off batters better than against the Guardians. When the counts were full against Cleveland, batters would usually get walked (Cole had 5 BBs in that start.) But last night, he only walked one and struck out seven, and put away many batters on a full count. It wasn’t a terrible outing for Cole, but no doubt a below average start for the ace.
Also, why is it that the Yankees struggle against left-handed pitchers that don’t have high-velocity pitches? It’s a question that the analytics team, nor the Yankee bats, cannot seem to figure out.
Lastly, and definitely the most frustrating part, was the defense. I’m not sure what is going on with Chisholm at third base, whether it’s the fact that he’s still getting used to the position or whether he’s simply not cut out for it. I’d like to see Aaron Boone give him the game off tonight and put Oswaldo Cabrera over at third, just to give him a reset. However, I can’t see that scenario happening due to Boone’s (or Brian Cashman’s) decision-making.
The other three errors all came in the 6th inning, and it was just a circus of an inning to watch. Fortunately for the Yankees, only one run crossed the plate. But one thing that is concerning me is how many errors Austin Wells and Jose Trevino have combined, which is 14. Most of these errors have come on wild throws when runners are attempting to steal a base. Come playoff time, teams are going to be taking full advantage of this flaw, so the Yankees may as well prepare themselves now. This is something that has to be addressed this off-season. Wells is fine to keep for the long-term, but Trevino should be the odd-man out.
It’s a bad loss, but the Yankees need to focus on taking the series tonight and enjoying the off-day tomorrow.
What’s Next?: The Yankees will look to take the series tonight. Carlos Rodon is scheduled to start for the Yankees, while MacKenzie Gore is slated to go for the Nationals. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. from Nationals Park, with the game being broadcast on Amazon Prime Video.
8 LOB, 2 GIDP, 0-for-8 RISP, 2 H off a washed-up pitcher with a 5.73 ERA. These are the gutless punks who will get bounced out of the ALDS. Watch this space -- in horror.
I don't think the bad defense in the 6th inning is the most frustrating part of last night's game. It was a terrible look for a team with WS aspirations but they were already down 3-0 at that point and they would have still lost the game since they only scored 2 runs. To me the most frustrating part of the game was the Yankees letting one of the worst starting pitchers in the game put them in a sleeper hold. The Yankees' ineptness against left-handed pitching is a huge problem that I have no idea how they can solve. Maybe the Martain can help out if and when he's called up but I understand that right-handed is his weaker…
Tip your cap to Corbin. Well pitched game. However, Trevino looks terrible throwing the ball all season. A .230 hitter with a bad arm. He is now a detriment. As much as everyone loved it when Jazz started, i pointed out he wasn't a third basemen when they traded for him, and he still isnt. Not his fault, he'll do anything they ask, but they needed a third basemen, and didn't get one. We've seen this play before. They think they are smarter than everyone else.
Hopefully they get their act together tonight.
Batting DJ in the 9th was so typical of the way this team operates.
"DJ used to be great."
He isn't any longer.