About Last Night: Winners Again!

By Paul Semendinger

April 4, 2025

***

Last night, the Yankees turned to Cookie Carrasco to try to salvage the last game of the three-game series against the Diamondbacks. He pitched the Yankees into the sixth inning. The Yanks hit three homers, but Ryan Yarbrough helped made it too close until Luke Weaver closed it out.

Quick Stats:

WP - Carlos Carrasco

SV - Luke Weaver

Yankee HR's - Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham, Jazz Chisholm

The Game Story:

Carlos Carrasco retired the side in order in the first inning, striking out two. In the bottom of the inning, Ben Rice doubled, Cody Bellinger walked, and then Aaron Judge hit a three-run blast. Jasson Dominguez also singled that inning and scored on a Trent Grisham double. After one inning, the Yankees were up 4-0.

The D-Backs scored a run in the top of the second inning on a single and a double. Carrasco recorded another strikeout as well. The Yankees didn't score. After two, the Yanks were up 4-1.

The top of the third was quiet, but in the bottom of the frame, Anthony Volpe had a two-out single that was followed-up by a two-run homer from Trent "MVP" Grisham. After three, it was 6-1 Yanks.

In the fourth, a walk, a single, a double, and and RBI groundout got Arizona within three runs of the Yankees as the score was 6-3. The Yankees followed with a bunch of runs of their own... Ben Rice walked, stole second, scored on an Aaron Judge single. Judge then stole second and scored on a Jazz Chisholm homer. Yanks up 9-3.

In the fifth, nothing happened. (Everyone needed a break.)

Carlos Carrasco started the sixth. He got an out and then gave up a double. Adam Ottovino then came in for the Yankees. No runs scored. Aaron Judge doubled in the Yankees' half, but he didn't score.

Ryan Yarbrough came in for the Yankees for the seventh inning. This was his line: walk, walk, single, GRAND SLAM. Yankees 9, Diamondbacks 7... Yet Aaron Boone left Yarbrough in the game. Amazing. He got two outs and then the Yankees went to Mark Leiter, Jr... who got a strikeout to end the frame. The Yankees loaded the bases with two outs, but Ben Rice struck out.

In the eighth, Leiter and Luke Weaver kept Arizona from scoring. The Yankees also didn't score.

Luke Weaver pitched a perfect ninth to close out the win. This was Weaver's first save of 2025.

Player of the Game: 

Carlos Carrasco: He pitched into the 6th inning allowing three runs as the Yanks jumped out to a huge lead.

Notable Performances:

Trent Grisham - 3 for 4, double, HR, 3 RBI's

Aaron Judge - 3 for 5, double, HR, 4 RBI's

J.C. Escarra - First Major League Hit! (A double)

Jazz Chisholm - 100th career stolen base

Better to Forget:

Ryan Yarbrough - The first four batters all got on base and scored: walk, walk, single, grand slam

My Takes: 

Carlos Carrasco looks like Ramiro Mendoza when he pitches. They have very similar deliveries to the plate.

J.C. Escarra started his first ever big league game last night as the catcher. The Austin Wells as leadoff hitter lasted for exactly one game (thus far).

I understand giving players days off and all of that, but when a team sits one starter, it would make sense to keep the other starters... starting. Last night, Austin Wells sat, Paul Goldschmidt sat, Aaron Judge was the DH, and Cody Bellinger moved to right field. All of that seems like a lot of moving parts to me. (But when the team hits a bunch of homers, it all matters little.)

Oswaldo Cabrera made a nice catch on a long popout to left field down the line in the first inning.

Aaron Judge played in his 999th Major League game and recorded his 500th career extra base hit when he smashed his fifth home run of the year in the first inning.

I watched this game on the Gotham App which was way behind ESPN GameCast. I knew what was going to happen on TV before it happened. For example, at the moment Rice walked in the fouth inning, Cody Bellinger already had a 2-1 count on GameCast.

I LOVED seeing Jazz Chisholm running fast down the line on a 4-3 groundout.

In the fifth inning, Ben Rice made a nice play on a 3-3-6 double play, getting the out at first and then throwing to Anthony Volpe at second for the tag out.

When the Yankees hit, they're a powerful team. On the other side though, they are giving up a lot of runs. The pitching hasn't been great. In two of their wins, the opponents scored tons of runs, 9 in one game, 7 last night. The Yankees are giving up an average of 5.33 runs a game. That is not sustainable.

Next Up:

The Yankees head out to Pittsburgh for their first road trip of the year beginning tomorrow. Max Fried will take the mound for the Yankees.