Daily Report – 6/3/25

Yankees

It took a couple of bumps – and some bruises – but on Sunday, the Yankees finally found a way to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers. Meet Ryan Yarbrough, the silencer. After the Yankees lost to Los Angeles 18-2 on Saturday and coughed up the lead in Max Fried’s start on Friday, Yarbrough stopped the bleeding with six one-run innings, permitting four hits, zero walks, and five strikeouts.

At the back end of the Yankees’ rotation lives a veteran southpaw named Ryan Yarbrough. His velocity doesn’t exceed 90 mph, but he can strike batters out with five different pitches. With his unusual, deceptive delivery, he can also silence the game’s best hitters, including Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.

Yarbrough is a former Dodger, which may have helped him on Sunday night. When the Yankees arrived at Dodger Stadium on Friday, Yarbrough received a World Series ring for his contributions to the 2024 World Champions. He accepted the ring, but now that he bleeds Yankee blue (not Pantone 294), he was motivated to dominate the Dodgers’ offense, propelling the Yankees to a 7-3 win.

“He’s fun to watch,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who decided a little over a month ago to add Ryan Yarbrough to the Yankees’ rotation. “He’s different than anything you see.”

As for the Yankees’ seven runs, you can thank everyone in the starting lineup – except Aaron Judge. Judge homered twice in Saturday’s loss, recording the Yankees’ only two RBIs, but on Sunday, he went without a hit. It didn’t matter, though, for the Yankees rocked Los Angeles’ ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, forcing him off the mound after seven innings. Yamamoto gave up four earned runs to the Yankees after giving up just one run across his previous 13 1/3 innings against them.

It began with an RBI single by Jasson Domínguez in the first inning to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. After Tommy Edman homered in the second inning to tie the game, the Yankees knew they had to respond. In the third inning, Aaron Judge worked a walk and Ben Rice drove him in with a 425-foot two-run home run to dead center field. The ball landed in the netting inside the batter’s eye, and it was only the third long ball Yamamoto had allowed all season.

The third inning continued with singles from Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells. Once Volpe scored on a wild pitch to give his team a 4-1 lead, the Yankees never looked back. DJ LeMahieu finished the evening with his first four-hit game since 2021, including an RBI single in the fifth inning and an RBI double in the ninth.

“Would’ve loved to win the series,” said LeMahieu, whose role in the 2024 World Series was limited to the locker room. “After that mess of a game [on Saturday], to come back like we did showed a lot.”

Unfortunately, while warming up for Sunday’s game, Luke Weaver felt something grabbing at his hamstring. Tests later revealed that Weaver had strained his hamstring, which will sideline him for at least four-to-six weeks. Jasson Domínguez also suffered an injury on Sunday, jamming his thumb while sliding into a base. There is currently no reported injury stint for him.

In positive news, Jazz Chisholm Jr. has returned to the Yankees lineup, and he will play third base for the foreseeable future. DJ LeMahieu will play second base tonight against Cleveland. Fernando Cruz is also back, so perhaps the Yankees can use him as their new closer if Devin Williams struggles. Weaver’s injury is unfortunate, but it is not a death sentence. The Yankees have the bullpen arms to cover the loss.

Finally, it was announced today that for the second straight month, Aaron Judge has been named the American League Player of the Month. In May, he recorded a .364 average, a 1.251 OPS, 11 home runs, and 18 RBI. Congratulations to the captain!

Tonight, at 7:05 PM, the Yankees will begin a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians (YES, TBS). Their current homestand will feature matchups against Cleveland and Boston. LHP Carlos Rodón (7-3, 2.60 ERA) will toe the slab for the Yankees against RHP Tanner Bibee (4-5, 3.86 ERA).

Here is tonight’s starting lineup for the New York Yankees:

1. CF Trent Grisham

2. DH Ben Rice

3. RF Aaron Judge (C)

4. LF Cody Bellinger

5. 1B Paul Goldschmidt

6. 3B Jazz Chisholm Jr.

7. SS Anthony Volpe

8. C JC Escarra

9. 2B DJ LeMahieu

P: LHP Carlos Rodón (7-3, 2.60 ERA)

Schedule

7:05 PM: NYY vs. CLE; YES, TBS; SP: LHP Carlos Rodón (7-3, 2.60 ERA)