About Yesterday: The Yanks Lost to the Astros 4-3

About Yesterday Afternoon: The Yankees Lost to the Astros 4-3

By Tim Kabel

May 10, 2024

***

On Monday I wrote that the Yankees needed to win this series against the Astros. They did. Not only that, but they also won the season series against them six games to one. They also won five out of six games on this homestand. Today, the Yankees will play their 40th game of the season. They have reached the quarter pole. They have won 25 games and are 1/2 game behind the Orioles for first place. The Orioles have played three fewer games so far. The Yankees are on a pace to win 100 games. It is hard to quibble about a game they lost 4-3. It is hard to even make a case that this was a game they should have won. Every team loses games. This is one the Yankees lost. We shouldn't make too much more of it than that. Marcus Stroman looked as if he was going to be knocked out of the game in the first inning. He wasn't. He wasn't spectacular but he lasted 5 2/3 innings. This is a game you shake off and move on to the next game.

Quick Stats – 

·       The Yankees have the most wins of any American League team with 25.

·       Aaron Judge’s home run measured 473 feet, which is tied with Mike Trout for the longest home run of the season.

·       Aaron Judge is now tied with Juan Soto for the team lead in home runs with 9. Giancarlo Stanton has 8.

·       Wednesday night was the first time that Judge, Soto, and Stanton all hit a home run in the same game. My prediction is it will happen just once more this year because something will happen with Stanton, whether it be his annual injury or simply a prolonged slump. I hope I'm wrong.

·       I guess the fears of Aaron Judge being washed up were a bit premature.

Big Story – 

The Yankees seem to be humming along very nicely. They are not in first place, but they have the most wins in the American League. Only the Phillies and the Dodgers have one more victory than the Yankees. The Yankees are doing this without Gerrit Cole, Jasson Dominguez, and DJ LeMahieu. All of them were expected to make contributions to this team. They probably still will in some fashion.

It is hard not to be excited about the Yankees’ prospects for this season. This could be the year when they win the whole ball of wax. (I never understood why anyone would want to win a ball of wax, or even a portion of a ball of wax but, maybe the folks at Yankee Candle would want to.) I find myself becoming excited and then I remember that the manager is Aaron Boone. People might say I'm being unfair or unkind. I don't think I am. I am being realistic Boone has done this to us before. He is Lucy and we, the fans, are Charlie Brown hoping against hope that this time, we will kick the football. We won't; we should know better. I should know better but like everyone else, I will try to kick that football and when I'm lying on my back moaning in pain, I will remember that Aaron Boone is the manager.

Player of the Game – 

I don't believe Aaron Judge’s home run has landed yet. It's good to see that he is getting hot. I never doubted that he would.

Notable Performances – 

Anthony Volpe had two hits, including his 5th home run. He seems to be heating up as well. Let's just hope he doesn't become Homer-happy like my high school English teacher.

Luke Weaver, Dennis Santana, and Ron Marinaccio combined to pitch 3.1 innings of scoreless relief.

Better to Forget – 

Not much to complain about. You can't win them all. If I told you in February that the Yankees would win six of seven against the Astros this year, I think you would have been happy.

.

My Take –  

A few thoughts about the season:

·      Once again, the Yankees went bargain hunting by claiming reliever Colby White off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays. He has been assigned to AA. However, he does take up a 40-man roster spot. I understand that this strategy has worked well for the Yankees in the past but, it now seems to be their only strategy. It should be only one tool in the bag, not the only tool in the bag.

·      Every time I am ready to write Giancarlo Stanton off, he hits a few home runs. He hits very long, very hard home runs. He is on a pace to hit over 30 this season. That would be amazing. Unfortunately, he has proven to be very streaky and injury prone in the recent years. I don't know if it's a pace he can maintain. I doubt that it is.

·      Gleyber Torres is barely hitting above .200 and has one home run and a handful of RBI. He continues to make base running and fielding blunders on a regular basis. In the past, his hitting made up for those. Now it does not. I don't know that he could be traded for anything unless someone desperately needs a second baseman and thinks a change of scenery will help. Even so, he would probably not bring back much at this point. I think if he continues to be invisible, the Yankees may have to consider playing DJ LeMahieu at second base rather than at third, because Oswaldo Cabrera is more productive than Torres at this point. Until LeMahieu returns, the Yankees should use Jon Berti to spell Torres for a day or two. Maybe an off day would help him regain his focus.

·      If things continue in the way they have been going, it would be hard to justify pulling Clarke Schmidt or Luis Gil out of the rotation in deference to Marcus Stroman when Gerrit Cole returns. The only possible justification would be if the Yankees felt Schmidt would be a more effective reliever than Stroman would be. I'm not saying that Stroman is a bad pitcher. He isn't. He is fine. It's just that right now, Schmidt and Gil are pitching better.

Next Up – 

Tonight, the Yankees open a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays at 6:50 PM at Tropicana Field. Clarke Schmidt, (3-1, 3.50 ERA) will face Tampa Bay’s Taj Bradley, (0-0 O.00 ERA).