Daily Report – 7/29/26
Yankees
Trade deadline season is well underway, but for now, the shorthanded Yankees are winning games however they can. Last night, they did just enough to beat the White Sox 3-2, and Boston and Tampa Bay both lost. But Chicago made it interesting down the stretch.
David Bednar entered the ninth inning with a three-run cushion to work with. It had been 24 innings since he had last allowed a run, but in his fourth appearance in five days, fatigue caught up with him. But his velocity was sharp, and his spin rates were up.
Bednar’s biggest issue was locating his splitter, which he hung to Chase Meidroth. With two outs and a runner at second base, Meidroth launched a two-run home run 406 feet to left field, putting Chicago on the board. But the Yankees, who had scored three runs, didn’t back down.
Bus, as his teammates call him, dug as deep as he could to send pinch-hitter Everson Pereira down swinging to end the game. Pereira forced Bednar to throw eight pitches, but the last one was his splitter, the same pitch Meidroth sent soaring.
What makes Bednar so excellent is that if he cannot locate one of his three pitches, he doesn’t switch to another; he bears down and continues to throw the same pitch. Bednar’s confidence and consistent approach set the tone for the American League’s best bullpen.
Behind Bednar are three relievers who have resurrected their careers or cemented themselves as Big Leaguers: Brent Headrick, Angel Chivilli, and Paul Blackburn.
Headrick leads the league with 46 scoreless appearances, Chivilli has pitched the most scoreless innings in the Majors since July 5, including an eight-pitch inning yesterday, and Blackburn, formerly a starter, owns a 1.39 ERA in 57 innings this season. His previous career-best ERA was 3.22 in 10 starts in 2017.
Matt Blake, the Yankees’ pitching coach, deserves a lot of credit for turning these almost unknown arms into top relievers, but the Yankees’ pitching culture begins with Gerrit Cole. His influence helped the Yankees land Max Fried last year. Also, he has guided Clarke Schmidt through his rehab from Tommy John surgery and has helped Cam Schlittler chase his first Cy Young Award.
Last night, in his 12th start since returning from Tommy John, Cole twirled six scoreless innings for the third time this season. He struck out seven batters, including five with his fastball, which continues to improve each time he toes the slab.
“We’re trying to play as clean and as crisp baseball as we can, in all facets of the game,” Cole said. “Keep trying to improve, keep trying to push ourselves. Just keep pushing, pushing, pushing, to get a little bit better. We know we have some guys that are injured, but at the same time, that shouldn’t affect the way we go about our business and the way we try to play our brand of baseball.”
Cole labored through the fourth inning, grinding through several long at-bats before Chicago loaded the bases. But once he got Tristan Peters to end the inning with a flyout, Cole retired six of his next eight batters.
“My instincts are sharper, my reads are better,” Cole said. “I’m in the flow of things. I’m getting pitch ideas or pitch locations that are proving to be the right ones. That comes with sharpening up all facets of the game, and our catchers have been great. They deserve a lot of credit for the run prevention.”
But Yankees’ pitchers called off Austin Wells twice to field pop-ups, including one in the second inning that Cole nearly dropped. Because of where Wells was standing, Cole had to reach far behind himself to grab the ball. As he extended his arm, the ball fell out of his glove, and he nearly dropped it as he backpedaled onto the mound. He jokingly flagged Wells for pass interference on the play.
“I started to work back into the ball after I called it, and Austin stepped on my foot,” Cole said. “I thought I was cooked. I thought I was going down, but luckily, I made some juggling act and saved it.”
Meanwhile, the Yankees’ offense scored three runs in the second inning, but managed just two hits afterward. Jasson Domínguez led off the second inning with a single off Anthony Kay, Trent Grisham singled, and a wild pitch advanced both runners.
Then, Anthony Volpe slammed a hanging slider off the top of the left-center-field fence, scoring the Yankees’ first run. Two batters later, Max Schuemann bounced a pitch through the left of the infield for a two-run double.
When asked about Cole’s performance, Volpe said, “It’s just a testament to the work he puts in, and just the person he is. It’s fun to watch, and it’s fun for me to see every progression of it from the beginning of this year until now. I think we’re all just going to keep getting better.”
That’s the hope, right? The shorthanded Yankees have miraculously won 11 of their last 15 games, and they must continue to hold their own as the American League standings tighten. But for them to continue winning without three pillars of their lineup, their pitching will have to keep shining.
Tonight, at 7:40 PM, RHP Cam Schlittler (10-6, 2.07 ERA) will start for the Yankees against RHP Davis Martin (9-5, 3.49 ERA) (Prime Video).
Here is tonight’s starting lineup for the New York Yankees:
CF Trent Grisham (L)
DH Ben Rice (L)
RF Jasson Domínguez (S)
1B Paul Goldschmidt (R)
LF Spencer Jones (L)
2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L)
3B Ryan McMahon (L)
SS José Caballero (R)
C Austin Wells (L)
SP: RHP Cam Schlittler (10-6, 2.07 ERA)
Schedule
7:40 PM: NYY at CWS; Prime Video; SP: RHP Cam Schlittler (10-6, 2.07 ERA) vs. RHP Davis Martin (9-5, 3.49 ERA)
Cover Image Courtesy: New York Yankees
