About Yesterday Afternoon: The Yankees Felled the Giants 7-5
By Tim Kabel
June 3, 2024
***
The Yankees swept the Giants with an exciting, come-from -behind 7-5 win on Sunday. The Yankees now have the best record in Baseball. They are the first team to win 42 games. They are 23 games over .500 They lead the Orioles by three games. This was a game they were losing and came back to win. This was the type of game that can lead to a championship season.
Quick Stats –
· Aaron Judge went 6-10 with 3 home runs, 6 RBI and 2 stolen bases in the 3-game series. He gave the Giants’ fans a taste of what might have been.
· In May, Aaron Judge hit .371 with 36 hits, 14 home runs and 26 RBI. Gleyber Torres might not have that many home runs and RBI for the season.
· Juan Soto leads the American League with a .322 batting average. He has 16 home runs and 53 RBI.
· The Yankees have a 5-game winning streak They will now play the Twins. Do wins against the Twins count twice?
· On June 2. 1925, Lou Gehrig began his streak of 2,130 consecutive games as the first baseman of the Yankees.
· On June 2, 1935, Bab Ruth retired as a Boston Brave, not a New York Yankee. There is something wrong about that.
· On June 2, 1941, Lou Gehrig passed away, 17 days shy of his 38th birthday.
The Big Story –
The Yankees swept the series against the Giants and went 7-2 on the road trip. They won all three series on the West Coast road trip, which is not easy to do. They have a 5-game winning streak going into their next homestand, which opens with a three-game series against the Twins. This is a good time for the Yankees and their fans. Let's ride it for as long as we can.
Player of the Game –
Juan Soto continued his hot hitting by going 3-5 with 2 home runs and 3 RBI.
Notable Performance –
Anthony Volpe had two hits, including an RBI triple in the 9th inning.
Better to Forget –
Dennis Santana gave up 2 runs in 1.1 innings.
My Take –
The Yankees are in first place and have the best record in Baseball. They are on pace to win 112 games. The sun is shining brightly in Yankeeland. You would think that this team has no concerns, issues, or problems. Unfortunately, they do.
Gleyber Torres continues to be inconsistent and unreliable on defense. His base running blunders frequently cost the team outs and runs. Although he has improved offensively, he is not having a productive season. He is on pace to have less than 50 RBI and 10 home runs for the season. That does not make him an offensive threat. In the playoffs, he could become a major liability unless by chance, he is having one of his increasingly rare hot streaks. The Yankees may need to consider bringing up Caleb Durbin when he returns from the IL in Scranton.
Anthony Rizzo appears to be in a steep decline in his career. He is unproductive offensively. He is streaky. He is no longer a reliable bat in the lineup. Most surprisingly, he has become very shaky on defense after being a platinum glove winner. The Yankees may need to upgrade at first base as they head into the playoffs. They will need more protection in the lineup for Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. Alex Verdugo has been fine but, he needs someone behind him.
Giancarlo Stanton is like an illusionist. He creates the impression that he is a productive hitter. He is still very streaky and occasionally hits home runs. Those are tantalizing and impressive but, overall, he is someone who can be pitched to. When the team gets into the playoffs, he might fade away. I don't know if he is tradable but if he is, this would be the time to do it because otherwise, the Yankees are saddled with him for three more years. He does have a no-trade clause in his contract, so he may refuse to be traded. With Jasson Dominguez heating up on his rehab, Stanton would seem to be the odd man out.
The bullpen is becoming more of a concern on a daily basis. As has been noted many times by many people, the bullpen is by and large a collection of cast offs and seems to have been assembled from inhabitants of the Island of Misfit Toys. The Yankees need to acquire or promote effective relief pitchers rather than trying to resurrect pitchers who have failed in other settings. Caleb Ferguson, Dennis Santana, and Michael Tonkin are not long-term answers. If they are, I don't want to know the question.
It is hard to complain about the success the Yankees are having right now. The problem is that right now is not the issue. The Yankees need to be a team that can win all the way through the regular season and into the playoffs, right up until the last game of the World Series. In order to do that, they need to address their areas of concern. If Gleyber Torres is is not going to snap out of his funk, he needs to be replaced sooner rather than later. It is obvious that he won't be on this team next year. If he can't help the team win the World Series this year, he should go now. Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo are also becoming liabilities. Stanton’s power has been impressive but, it is sporadic and inconsistent. Rizzo is simply fading. The Yankees need to upgrade in both of those positions, as the lineup needs to be productive and dangerous all the way through. The bullpen needs some tweaking in order to be one that can take the team to a World Championship. The Yankees need to determine if they have internal solutions for these issues. I believe they do in Caleb Durbin and Jasson Dominguez and possibly some relief pitchers. They may have to acquire a more productive first baseman but, that can certainly be done. The point is that although it's nice to have the best record in Baseball on June 3rd, it is much better to win the last game of the World Series.
Next Up –
On Tuesday, the Yankees open a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium. Luis Gil, (7-1, 1.99 ERA) will face the Twins’ Bailey Ober, (5-3, 4.90 ERA). Let’s hope it’s Ober and out quickly for Bailey.
