About Last Night: That... WAS Fun (Yanks 14, Sox 1)

by Mike Whiteman

July 17, 2022

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By Mike Whiteman 7/17/2022 The Big Story: Rafael Devers homered on Jameson Taillon’s first pitch of the game, and weary Yankee fans could have been excused for feeling a sense of a gloom in the midst of the first real dry spell of the 2022 season, but things changed real soon.

The Yanks put four runs on the board in the bottom of the first aided by Matt Carpenter’s three-run home run and they didn’t look back. Carpenter added another three-run shot and a based loaded walk (for a 7 RBI night) and Aaron Judge also homered twice.

On the mound, Jameson Taillon and Ryan Weber stymied the Boston offense, yielding only two more hits the rest of the game. The only real suspense of the evening came in the eighth inning, when Carpenter came up to bat with the bases full. A grand slam would have made for an epic ten-RBI night. Instead, he had to settle for the base on balls and “only” driving in seven.

Yankees cruised to a 14-1 victory. Just what the doctor ordered for a struggling baseball team.

Eighty-one years ago Joe DiMaggio’s historic 56-game hitting streak ended when he was held hitless by Al Smith and Jim Bagby of the Indians. The Cleveland hurlers were aided by the spectacular defense of third baseman Ken Keltner. https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/july-17-1941-dimaggios-streak-stopped-at-56-by-clevelands-stellar-defense/

The Yankee Clipper batted .408 with 15 home runs and 55 RBI during his 56 game hitting streak.

Quick Stats: The Yankees are 63-28, the best record in Major League Baseball. They lead the American League East by thirteen games. As of this morning they are on pace for 112 wins. Matt Carpenter is batting .360 with 13 home runs and 30 RBI through 30 games in Pinstripes. That’s the franchise record for most homers in their first 30 contests with the team. Player of the Game: Carpenter has been a revelation since he was acquired at the end of May. Notable Performances:

• It’s good to see Taillon right the ship. Last night he walked nobody for the eighth start (5+ innings) this year. He leads the American League BB/9IP

• Judge had slashed only .200/.308/.400 in July prior to last night’s contest

• Weber has a 1.17 ERA around his two DFA’s.
  

Better to Forget: Aaron Hicks was the only Yankee starting position player without a hit. My Take: The Yanks were clearly limping into the All-Star break before last night’s game. To be fair, the team has been riding a wave of good performance and good luck most of the season. The 2021 team couldn’t buy a break, the 2022 version seemed to get all the breaks for about half a season.

Tis the trials and tribulations of the 162 game season. Even the 1998 team hit the skids a few times, losing four of five games four times. That’s right, four times. This year’s squad has done this only twice thus far.

The team's historical start has created huge expectations, and the gnashing of teeth has already emerged as they have gone through their first real adversity of the season. Let’s all relax a bit. These guys may not be the 1998 Yankees, but they are not the 2021 edition either. Let’s also take a minute to pat Brian Cashman on the back for the Carpenter pickup. A 36-year old player who had slashed .203/.325/.346 since 2019 and spent the start of 2022 in the minors didn't exactly have clubs lining up for his services. What did Cashman see in him that nobody else did, including the parent organization (Texas) of his minor league team? Carpenter would sure be an upgrade to the Rangers anemic (-0.8 WAR) DH production. Matt Carpenter has played left or right field in about half of his July appearances. Does this development allow the Yanks to pass on an outfielder at the trade deadline and instead utilize their trading chips to firm up the pitching staff?

Next Up:

A series win against Boston going into the break would be great! Gerrit Cole (8-2, 3.05) goes against lefty Chris Sale (0-0, 0.00 in one start) in a matchup of aces. Start time 1:35.