Daily Report – 3/18/25

Here is today’s report:

Yankees

Nine days to go! The Yankees are nine days away from Opening Day!

Spring Training cannot end soon enough. This Spring has been riddled with injuries, and I have some new updates to share.

First, Clarke Schmidt was scratched from his start yesterday due to shoulder soreness. “He’s just not bouncing back as well as he wanted to,” said Aaron Boone. Thankfully, Schmidt had a successful 24-pitch bullpen session today, but he might not be able to start for the Yankees on April 3 as initially scheduled. The Yankees may be extra cautious and rest Schmidt a couple of extra days in Spring. Assuming his shoulder soreness is not severe, the Yankees must allow him to prepare for the season at a comfortable pace, even if it puts him a couple of weeks behind.

Next, Paul Goldschmidt exited yesterday’s game with back soreness. He is one of MLB’s Iron Men, and he told reporters, “My back has just been a little sore, so [Boone] just made the decision to stop there after three innings. […] I probably could have played the whole game.” He added that he had been dealing with the issue for nearly a week and that the soreness hadn’t worsened. But Goldschmidt has “zero” concerns about making his Pinstripes debut on Opening Day.

Today, Goldschmidt received treatment for his back, and he is expected to play another Spring Training game on Thursday or Friday.

Mark Leiter Jr. is also injured. He didn’t throw his scheduled live batting practice on Sunday because of an issue with his back. “I had either a bullpen or a live BP if I wanted it. […] I feel good,” said Leiter. He added that if this was the regular season, he would have pitched through the back issue. He is scheduled to make a relief appearance in tomorrow’s game against Atlanta.

In positive news, Yankees prospects shined on Saturday night in a Spring Breakout game, and none brighter than the 6-for-7 pitcher Carlos Lagrange. His pitches consistently hit 100-101 mph, which he was quite proud of. The 21-year-old righty has been navigating health and command issues since being signed in 2022, which is a common trend for young pitchers with high velocity. For him to make it to the Majors, consistency is key. “This was a really big opportunity for me,” said Lagrange through an interpreter. He is ranked as the Yankees’ No. 19 prospect (MLB Pipeline).

Next, some funny news was also released on Sunday when former Yankees bust Joey Gallo announced that he is becoming a pitcher.

Finally, RHP Cam Schlittler and C Rafael Flores received the 2024 Kevin Lawn Award today as the Yankees’ “Pitcher of the Year” and “Position Player of the Year.”

Rangers

The time is now. The time is now for the Rangers to prove they deserve the final Eastern Conference Wild Card spot.

Over the weekend, the Rangers shut out Columbus on Saturday and lost to Edmonton on Sunday. Igor Shesterkin started both games for the Rangers, who fell just short of winning three straight.

Against Columbus, the Rangers struggled to execute in the first period, but in the second period, they cleaned up their game, and in the first period, they shut Columbus down. The Rangers blocked 17 shots and defended their blue line beautifully in the third period. Dave Maloney on ESPN 880 compared the Rangers’ style of play to the Vegas Golden Knights, pointing out that they felt they deserved to lead 2-0 entering the final frame.

On Sunday, a couple of bad stick checks and a struggling power play plagued the Rangers against the powerful Edmonton Oilers. “I thought it was a tight hockey game, a good hockey game going into the third period,” said Peter Laviolette. The game was tied after two before Zac Jones made a poor reaching block that deflected Viktor Arvidsson’s odd-man rush shot past Shesterkin. While the struggles defending the rush continue for the Blueshirts, they have allowed significantly fewer odd-man rushes ever since JT Miller returned to Broadway.

Adam Fox returned for the Rangers on Saturday, and his presence has improved the looks the power play has received. Thanks to Adam Fox and JT Miller, the Rangers generated plenty of high-danger chances against Columbus and Edmonton. Against Edmonton, they didn’t read the scouting report on Stuart Skinner. Otherwise, they would have shot the puck more from the blue line and stuffed the crease more often.

JT Miller improves the Rangers’ power play because he has a strong one-timer, as Steve Valiquette pointed out on Sunday night. But players like Adam Fox, Artemi Panarin, and Mika Zibanejad pass the puck around the offensive zone too much. Because Mika Zibanejad also has a one-timer, the Rangers have a powerful man-advantage presence in each circle. They need to use that to their advantage. They also need to take more advantage of Chris Kreider’s net-front presence, especially now that he is healthy.

The Rangers have improved their defense tremendously. They have been playing physical defense, and they are at their best when they create offense out of it. They must turn their defense into offense. It’s the only way to secure a playoff berth.

The time is now.

Tonight at 7 PM (6 PM CDT), the Rangers will host Calgary in the second game of a four-game homestand (MSG). Tonight is Women’s Empowerment Night at Madison Square Garden.

Calgary sits two points out of a Western Conference Wild Card spot, so it will be quite the battle tonight at the Garden. The Rangers must win tonight to hold onto the second Wild Card spot in the East. Ottawa has been red hot with six straight wins, and suddenly a battle for two spots has become a competition for one. Montreal, Detroit, Columbus, Boston, and Long Island are all in contention for one playoff spot.

The Rangers have points in four of their last five games against Calgary (3-1-1) and have points in six of their last nine games against them. They are also 17-10-5 in their last 32 games against the Flames, but they haven’t beaten them this season.

Calgary’s biggest strength is their goaltender Dustin Wolf, who is in the mix for the Vezina Trophy and the Calder Memorial Trophy. Wolf started for Calgary in Toronto last night but was pulled after two periods. Therefore, he may get the start tonight, but Dan Vladar is expected to start instead.

Schedule

7:00 PM (6:00 PM CDT): NYR vs. CGY; MSG