About Last Night: The Yankees Blanked the Rockies 3-0

About Last Night: The Yankees Blanked the Rockies 3-0

By Tim Kabel

August 24, 2024

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The Yankees shut out the Rockies last night. It was their third shutout victory in a week. They have now won three games in a row They are in first place by 1 1/2 games over the Orioles and with 76 wins they are tied with the Dodgers for the most by any team. They are seemingly a lock for the playoffs. They just need to follow the advice Lucien Lauren gave Ron Turcotte before the Belmont Stakes in the film, Secretariat, “Don’t fall off.”

Quick Stats – 

·       I know some people don’t put much stock these days in wins as a statistic for starting pitchers.  I do. Carlos Rodon is now 14-8.

·       Aaron Judge hit his 49th home run of the season and is on a pace for 62- again.

·       This was the Yankees’ eighth shutout victory this season, and second in a row.

·      Clarke Schmidt had his first rehab start for the Somerset Patriots last night.  He pitched 3.2 innings, giving up one run on a solo home run. He struck out six, walked one, and threw 48 pitches. He should be back soon.

·       Today is Old Timers’ Day. The Yankees will be celebrating the 15th anniversary of their most recent World Series victory in 2009. Let's hope that the players from that team can rub off on this year's team.

Big Story –

The Yankees are 76-53. They are on a pace to win 95 games. The 2024 Yankees are not a great team. They have many flaws. The thing is that this year there are no great teams. As flawed, streaky, inconsistent, and unreliable as the Yankees are, they are tied for the best record in baseball with the Dodgers. This seems to be the year of “good enough."  It is almost a case of “well someone has to win; it might as well be us.” Let's hope that philosophy carries the Yankees deep into the playoffs. 

Player of the Game – 

Carlos Rodon pitched six shutout innings, allowing four hits and one walk. He struck out five in route to winning his 14th game.

Notable Performance –

Aaron Judge hit another home run, his 49th, in what could be another MVP season. It would be even better if he was both the MVP and a World Series Winner.

Giancarlo Stanton hit his 22nd home run. It was the 11th time this season that he and Judge hit home runs in the same game.

Better to Forget 

Alex Verdugo was hitless again, dropping his average down to .226. He and DJ LeMahieu are locked in a battle as to who is the worst veteran player on the team. Their theme song should be, “Anything you can do, I can do worse.”

My Take –  

A few thoughts on last night's game and the current state of the Yankees:

·       Alex Verdugo is playing himself right off the postseason roster. He is starting to make Joey Gallo and Aaron Hicks look appealing I don't think it will be long before Verdugo is replaced in the lineup by Jasson Dominguez.

·       Aaron Boone has taken great pains to state repeatedly that Austin Wells has earned the bulk of the catching time for the Yankees. Apparently bulk means something different wherever Aaron Boone went to school. The Yankees have played seven games since Jose Trevino returned from the IL. Trevino has caught four of those games. Hopefully, this won't take away from Wells’ confidence. I'm sure it will erode whatever trust he had in the manager in the first place.

·       Austin Wells should be careful today. Boone may grab Francisco Cervelli and Jose Molina off the Old Timers’ roster and put them ahead of Wells on the depth chart.

·       There has been a lot of talk recently about possibly sending Anthony Volpe down to the minors to work on his swing. He might not be having an All-Star caliber season but, it is not horrible either. His batting average this year is 40 points higher than it was last year. There are 33 games left in this season and Volpe has already surpassed his totals from last year in runs scored, hits, doubles, and triples. Volpe has one fewer stolen base this year than he did all of last year. The people advocating for Volpe to be sent down to retool his swing should leave him alone and focus on Alex Verdugo, DJ LeMahieu, and possibly, Gleyber Torres instead.

·       There is no reason for DJ LeMahieu to remain on this roster. However, he will, and he will continue to play a lot. I also believe that when Anthony Rizzo returns, first base will become a platoon between Rizzo and LeMahieu, which will bite the Yankees at some point in the playoffs.

·       Aaron Boone is not a good manager. He does not adjust well during games. He makes dubious decisions frequently. He has very few skills that would make him a good manager. It is unlikely that after seven years he will suddenly develop those skills. Apparently, he is fascinated by the “Name that Yankee” contest and he spends a great deal of his time imitating people, including Juan Soto during an ESPN game. Next year, instead of being the manager, he could be the team mascot. That would allow him to engage in all the goofy activities he likes but not have any influence on the actual games or their outcomes. 

Next Up -

Today, the Yankees will play the second game of the three-game series against the Colorado Rockies, at 2:05 PM at Yankee Stadium. Will Warren, (0-1, 8.59 ERA) will face Colorado’s Bradley Blalock, (0-0, 2.92 ERA). Hopefully for the Yankees, where there's a Will, there’s a way to a win.