Daily Report – 8/20/26
Yankees
It looked like it left the ballpark. The video review clearly showed the baseball crossed the fair side of the yellow pole. Yet, by some miracle, Pete Alonso didn’t homer after all.
Thanks to a lucky break at Camden Yards last night, the Yankees held on to beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-3, winning the series on the backs of their bullpen and middle infielders.
For the second straight night, the Yankees used five relievers, who combined to allow one run on three hits behind Will Warren. The only blemish came against Fernando Cruz in the sixth inning, when he allowed a game-tying home run to Dylan Beavers.
“It’s simple,” said Brent Headrick, whose 54 scoreless appearances lead the league. Also, the Yankees’ bullpen has recorded a 1.38 ERA in its last nine games. “We just want to pick up our guys, before and after. We go out there and just try to compete as best we can, no matter what the situation is.
“When our name is called, we want it just as bad as the next guy.”
The Yankees’ inexplicable lucky break came in the seventh inning with Headrick on the mound. Trying to keep the ballgame tied, Headrick secured his first two outs before Alonso stepped up to the plate. Immediately, he drilled a hanging slider deep toward the left field foul pole.
Much to Alonso’s chagrin, the foul call stood. Three pitches later, he struck out swinging.
“The video room and umpire called it foul,” Alonso said. “[Those] are the only opinions that really matter. Kudos to [the Yankees] for responding.”
That mind-boggling call set the tone for an exciting eighth inning for the Yankees. After Cam Sanders plunked Heliot Ramos, Chisholm worked his second walk of the evening.
It’s no secret that Chisholm has been struggling this season, and the absence of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton has magnified his blunders, especially offensively. Defensively, in the first inning, he spent too much time complaining about a stolen base call at second and forgot to hold the runner at third.
It was the second straight night Chisholm’s argument with an umpire cost his team. This time, it allowed Baltimore to score. But with his first multi-walk game since August 5, and his third since June 14, Chisholm reached base three times.
He walked in the first inning before scoring the Yankees’ first run of the game. In the second inning, he lined out sharply to first base, but Samuel Basallo robbed him of a hit. Then, he singled in the sixth inning and walked in the eighth before scoring an insurance run by sliding home on a pitch that barely got away from Yohel Pozo.
“He was flying,” said manager Aaron Boone. “[Shows] how instinctive a baserunner Jazz is. I don’t think he always gets credit for [it].”
With two outs in the eighth, the Yankees loaded the bases for George Lombard Jr., who chopped a go-ahead infield single. He went 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBI, including a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the second inning. The rookie has been sensational on both sides of the ball since debuting two weeks ago.
In his first 13 games, Lombard is 14-for-44 (.318) with an .857 OPS. He has recorded multiple hits in back-to-back games and is 6-for-12 in his last four contests. Not to mention his eight defensive runs saved through 109 innings. That puts him on pace for 73 by his 1000th frame, 55 more than the league leader at shortstop.
“I’ve just felt comfortable,” said Lombard, who grew up traveling to Major League clubhouses nationwide. “I’m focusing on what I can control, which is helping the team win games. That’s what all my energy has gone toward.”
In the third inning, Ben Rice gave the Yankees a 3-1 lead with a 447-foot bomb to the right field pavilion. It was his 34th home run of the season, the third-most in the American League, and it backed up Warren on the mound, who gave up two runs in four innings.
“That was a bomb,” Chisholm said of Rice’s homer. “That was sick. I’ve never seen a ball hit there in person. Actually, I haven’t even seen one hit there in a highlight.”
In other news, Ryan McMahon exited yesterday’s game early with a sore thumb. He injured it when sliding into second base in the second inning. While he expects to get scanned again tomorrow, he confirmed that nothing is broken. His thumb is just swollen.
Tonight at 6:35 PM, the Yankees will try to sweep the Orioles as RHP Gerrit Cole (6-6, 3.22 ERA) toes the slab against RHP Kyle Bradish (7-11, 3.65 ERA) (YES, Gotham Sports).
Here is tonight’s starting lineup for the New York Yankees:
CF Trent Grisham (L)
DH Ben Rice (L)
LF Heliot Ramos (R)
1B Luis García Jr. (L)
2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L)
SS George Lombard Jr. (R)
RF Spencer Jones (L)
C Austin Wells (L)
3B José Caballero (R)
SP: RHP Gerrit Cole (6-6, 3.22 ERA)
Schedule
6:35 PM: NYY at BAL; YES, Gotham Sports; SP: RHP Gerrit Cole (6-6, 3.22 ERA) vs. RHP Kyle Bradish (7-11, 3.65 ERA)
Cover Image Courtesy: New York Yankees
