About Yesterday Afternoon: The Yankees Hold Off the Rays 10-6

About Yesterday Afternoon: The Yankees Hold Off the Rays 10-6

By Tim Kabel

May 13, 2024

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The Yankees won another series and continue to lead the American League in victories. Because they have played fewer games than the Orioles, they are in second place since the Orioles have a better winning percentage. They will probably battle the Orioles all season long unless of course this season is a replica of 2022 and the Yankees fade in the second-half. If that happens, they won't catch the Orioles.

Luis Gil was dominant again and left after six innings, winning 6-0. The bullpen almost blew the lead by giving up five runs instantly in the 7th inning. The Yankees padded the lead and managed to hold off the Rays to win the game 10-6.

Quick Stats – 

·       The Yankees have the most wins of any American League team with 27.

·       Aaron Judge now has 10 home runs and 27 RBI.

·       Luis Gil is 4-1 with a 2.51 ERA this season.

·       Luke Weaver has made nine consecutive scoreless relief appearances. 

·       Caleb Ferguson gave up four runs in 1/3 of an inning.  His ERA is now 6.43 and his WHIP is 1.50. The technical term for that is dreadful.

·       Jasson Dominguez will begin his minor league rehabilitation games on Tuesday with single A Tampa. He will serve as a designated hitter for the first two weeks of his rehab.

·       Yesterday would have been Yogi Berra’s 99th birthday. In his honor here is my favorite Yogism. He ordered a pizza, and the pizza maker asked him if he wanted it cut in four slices or six. Yogi responded, “You’d better make it 4 because I don't think I'm hungry enough to eat 6.”

Big Story – 

The Yankees are playing as well as we could reasonably expect them to.  They have hit a few bumps, notably against the Orioles, but those things happen. Unfortunately, the Orioles are the Yankees’ primary rival at this point. It is likely that they will be very tough competition for the Yankees for the remainder of this year, and quite possibly the next several years. The Yankees need to win as many games against other teams as possible so that the games against the Orioles will not be as crucial in the standings. Ideally, they will also have a winning record against the Orioles as well. But we don't live in an ideal world do we?

Player of the Game – 

Luis Gil pitched another gem of a game and is quickly becoming a key member of the starting rotation. He was supposed to go to the minor leagues before Gerrit Cole went on the IL. It's hard to imagine him going anywhere, other than possibly the All-Star Game, once Cole returns.

Notable Performance – 

Jahmai Jones hit his first Major League home run.

Better To Forget-

Caleb Ferguson and Nick Burdi attempted to blow the game in the 7th inning. Aaron Boone was the architect of this plan as yet another one of his give-away days.

My Take –  

The Yankees’ bullpen has been much ballyhooed this season. Unfortunately, I believe the success they have achieved has been accomplished by smoke and mirrors rather than ability that will stand the test of time.

Other than Clay Holmes, the bullpen consists of Nick Burdi, Caleb Ferguson, Victor Gonzalez, Ian Hamilton, Dennis Santana, Michael Tonkin, and Luke Weaver.  It is a collection of cast-offs and reclamation projects. The only one who has any sustained success is Ian Hamilton, and he has struggled lately.  

It would be fine to have one or two pitchers in the bullpen without a solid history, but it is not a great idea to have the entire bullpen comprised of such people. This is not The Dirty Dozen and Aaron Boone is not Lee Marvin.

Tommy Kahnle is due back soon and Scott Effross is on the horizon. Lou Trivino has been shut down but is not expected to miss significantly more time. Those pitchers could all help but, sending Ron Marinaccio down was a questionable move. Also, Clayton Beeter pitched well in spring training and in his only Major League inning this season, he retired the side on three pitches. It's hard to do better than that. I realize the Yankees want him to start but, they have a much greater need in the bullpen than they do in the rotation. They have other options for the rotation.

Marinaccio and Beeter could replace Tonkin and Ferguson. When Kahnle comes back, he could supplant Santana. The point is that it is only a matter of time before the patches in the bullpen begin to leak. Again, each individual pitcher is not the problem; it is the fact  that the bullpen is made up entirely of unproven commodities. It's fine to take a chance on one player but not on the whole bullpen. 

Today was an example of what can go wrong with the approach the Yankees are taking. Caleb Ferguson and Nick Burdi almost completely gave away a six-run lead. If a few balls had bounced differently, they would have. As usual, Aaron Boone had no answers.

Boone has no instinct for the game and simply seems to make moves because he thinks he's supposed to. I know many people feel that Boone does not make the lineup or most of the decisions. I do not ascribe to that theory. He has repeatedly stated on the record that he makes those decisions. To me, the worst thing you can do is call someone a liar. I will take him at face value and believe that he is telling the truth. Therefore, I question the majority of his decisions, particularly in developing the lineup, sitting players, and the use of the bullpen.

Part of the problem is that this bullpen does not seem designed to stand the test of time. It doesn't seem to be designed to last more than a few weeks. It's like sailing across the ocean in the paper mache boat. The chances for success are not great.

Next Up – 

Tuesday, the Yankees open a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins at 7:40 PM at Target Field. Carlos Rodon, (2-2, 3.68 ERA) will face Minnesota’s Chris Paddack (3-1, 4.78 ERA).