Daily Report – 7/7/26
Yankees
Three hits and 17 strikeouts are unacceptable metrics, but for the second time in franchise history, each of their three hits eclipsed the fence, resulting in a massive 5-1 victory over the first-place Rays. The Yankees won their first game at the Trop this season and pulled within three games of Tampa Bay for the division lead.
The Yankees were in dire need of a spark, especially after dropping two laughers and losing their first home series to the Minnesota Twins in 12 years. Since Cam Schlittler allowed a career-high six hits in seven innings to the Tigers on Tuesday, the Yankees went 1-3 with a -13 run differential. But yesterday, Schlittler silenced the critics with eight one-run innings against the Rays’ challenging lineup.
After Schlittler’s rough performance against Detroit, connected to a string of mediocre starts, several media personalities claimed he was regressing. Many baseball analysts believe a pitcher cannot survive with as high a fastball ratio as Schlittler, who earned all eight of his strikeouts with his superb four-seam without allowing any hard-hit balls against it.
The criticism frustrated Schlittler, the favorite to start the All-Star Game for the American League. “They want to say that there’s f*****g regression because I had one bad outing,” Schlittler said. “It was personal to go out there, have a dominant start, and put this team in the right position.”
Entering this series, Yankees fans’ biggest fears involved getting swept, but thanks to Schlittler, that became a moot point. While the Yankees struck out 17 times against the Rays, including 10 times in five innings against Griffin Jax, Schlittler extended the leash just enough for the offense to break through. His pitch velocities and spin rates were up significantly, and he overpowered the AL’s top team.
On the mound for Tampa Bay, Jax retired each of the first 11 batters he faced. But his control disappeared in the fifth inning when, with one out, Jasson Domínguez and Jazz Chisholm Jr. worked consecutive walks. That brought José Caballero to the plate, and with one mighty swing, he mashed a three-run home run.
The Yankees acquired Caballero from Tampa in the final moments of last year’s trade deadline. The Rays were visiting Yankee Stadium, so he only had to walk through a hallway. As happy as he is to be a Yankee, he wasn’t pleased with how the Rays traded him.
“I’m trying to spark the team somehow, some way,” said Caballero, who now has two multi-home run games in his career (he homered again in the eighth), both against his former team. “We’re struggling right now, going through a bad stretch. Something that can get the team going a little bit and get them excited is always good.”
After the Yankees took a 3-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning, Schlittler permitted his only run in the bottom half. With two strikes, two outs, and a runner in scoring position, Richie Palacios caught up with a high fastball and ripped an RBI single to left field.
But Schlittler didn’t flinch. He retired 10 of his next 11 batters, helping the Yankees maintain their two-run lead. Like a good ace, Schlittler set the tone in Tampa.
“He’s great,” said Caballero, who went deep again in the eighth inning for his career-high 10th home run. “He’s electric. It’s always special. Every time he is pitching, we know it’s going to be a quick one. He’s going to attack the hitters. As a defender, we like that. We don’t stay on the field for too long.”
After an excellent performance yesterday, Caballero has earned a spot in the Yankees’ lineup again tonight. Even though they are facing a lefty, manager Aaron Boone said he is taking the situation with Caballero and Anthony Volpe “day-by-day.” Nevertheless, Caballero is the better shortstop, offensively and defensively. When he starts, the Yankees are 31-18, but when Volpe starts, they are 16-20.
Ben Rice also homered yesterday. In the ninth inning, he clubbed his 25th blast of the season, tying him with Byron Buxton for the third-most in the American League. Rice only hit 26 homers in 138 games last season, but he is on pace for 46 this year. He has also sealed his spot in the Home Run Derby next Monday.
In other news, the Yankees received discouraging news regarding Giancarlo Stanton’s progress. The slugger suffered a right calf strain on April 24, and he was expected to return several days ago, but reinjured his calf during workouts a couple of weeks earlier. Now, he is still shut down from running, and his return date is unknown.
Tonight at 6:40 PM, the Yankees must prove their win over the Rays wasn’t a fluke (YES, Gotham Sports). They haven’t taken the first two games of a road series since June 8 and 9 in Cleveland, but RHP Will Warren (7-3, 3.73 ERA) will try to change that tune against the lefty Ian Seymour (5-1, 4.02 ERA).
Here is tonight’s starting lineup for the New York Yankees:
CF Trent Grisham (L)
1B Paul Goldschmidt (R)
DH Ben Rice (L)
3B Amed Rosario (R)
LF Cody Bellinger (L)
SS José Caballero (R)
2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L)
RF Max Schuemann (R)
C Ali Sánchez (R)
SP: RHP Will Warren (7-3, 3.73 ERA)
Schedule
6:40 PM: NYY at TB; YES, Gotham Sports; SP: RHP Will Warren (7-3, 3.73 ERA) vs. LHP Ian Seymour (5-1, 4.02 ERA)
Cover Image Courtesy: New York Yankees
