Daily Report – 8/26/25
Here is today’s report:
Yankees
Sometimes, the Yankees look really good. When they hit home runs, the Bombers look like an elite championship contender. But whenever they face a tough starting pitcher, they collapse and crumble. In those situations, it feels like the only thing that can help the Yankees is a home run.
The home run is baseball’s finest recipe for success, and the Yankees’ 218 long balls lead all of baseball this season (19 more than the Dodgers, with the second-most in the league). However, the Yankees tend to reserve their home runs for struggling pitchers, like Dustin May and Brad Lord on Sunday and Monday. As has been evident for the past several seasons, when the Yankees face a top starter or a streaking lesser-known arm, they tend to go down quickly and quietly.
This weekend, it was Brayan Bello and Garrett Crochet who shut the Yankees down. The same happened against Minnesota’s Joe Ryan a couple of weeks ago, and before that, almost everybody in Miami’s rotation. It’s not a question of offensive talent, which the Yankees have plenty of. It’s more the cliché of situational hitting. While the long ball might look like the best way for a lineup to overcome reduced offense, if a player focuses too much on hitting one, they probably won’t succeed.
Every so often, a good offense – even one as good as the Yankees’ – will succumb to the work of a talented starting pitcher. But this Yankees’ lineup is too deep for its bats to go quiet as often as they do, especially while competing for playoff position against Boston this weekend. Additionally, the Yankees’ circle of trust in their starting rotation is so thin that every opportunity to beat a playoff team furthers the leverage of that situation even more.
On Thursday, Luis Gil couldn’t deliver for the Yankees. He couldn’t control his fastball, which essentially made the three-pitch pitcher unusable. On Friday, Max Fried was dominant for the Yankees for what felt like the first time in months, but their lineup couldn’t maneuver past Brayan Bello. After the game, the team admitted Saturday’s version of Bello was the best they’d ever seen, but that shouldn’t matter when the stakes are as high as they were this weekend. It should have still been possible for the Yankees to overcome that 1-0 deficit that ended up being the game’s final score.
On Saturday, the Red Sox passed the Yankees in the American League Wild Card standings as Will Warren lost control on the mound, failing to handle the stakes of the moment. At the same time, Garrett Crochet dominated the Yankees’ entire lineup en route to a 12-1 New York loss that included four Yankees errors and seven Red Sox runs in an embarrassing ninth inning.
From those first three games against Boston, the Yankees’ performance begs the question of how they’d fare in a three-game Wild Card series against this team. If they can’t generate much offense against two of Boston’s starting pitchers, that’s enough to lose a three-game set.
Yet, somehow, hope arose on Sunday when the Yankees avoided a series sweep by using the long ball to pummel the Red Sox. Trent Grisham and Jazz Chisholm Jr. each hit two home runs as the Yankees won 7-2, and Carlos Rodón stopped the bleeding on the mound with 5 2/3 innings of two-run baseball.
“I always want to play Boston,” said Jazz Chisholm Jr. after Sunday’s win. “The energy in the game, the way our fans come out, the way their fans come out, it’s a real intense game. Every game against Boston here has felt like a playoff game. For me, I know that’s exactly what we’re going to have and what we’re going to need to get ready for the playoffs.”
The mantra with the Yankees is, and always has been, that the regular season should be treated as preparation for October. Whatever the regular season brings, if the Yankees make the playoffs, they have the potential to win it all. So, maybe the Yankees will put all these losses to bed with some October success. It seems like, as long as nothing drastic happens, they’ll punch their ticket to the postseason in some fashion. But the more the Red Sox beat the Yankees, the more confidence and momentum they’ll have in a postseason series.
Last night, Cam Schlittler was sensational again for the Yankees, this time against the Washington Nationals, as he pitched six scoreless innings to help secure a 10-5 win. The 6’6 righty began his night by striking out James Wood with a 100.6 mph fastball, the fastest pitch of his young career. Schlittler has now tossed six shutout innings in consecutive starts, and he has allowed just five runs in his last four starts. The Yankees drafted Schlittler because they were impressed with his ability to throw strikes. In recent months, though, he has added tremendous velocity to his precise command.
“Especially with his size, he has that short stride that creates a good angle,” said manager Aaron Boone. “He commands it and is a strike thrower.”
As part of their 10 runs last night, Ben Rice, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Jasson Domínguez each delivered a long ball. Rice’s homer traveled 435 feet into the right-field bleachers and marked the longest of his career. “When you’re penciled in as catcher, you’re going to prioritize handling your pitcher and getting through that game,” said Rice. “But you’re also in the lineup to go hit.”
In a busy fifth inning, the Yankees scored five runs, which began with a single by José Caballero. The utility player, whom Aaron Boone recognized as his “10th man,” has been a source of speed and power ever since the Yankees traded for him at the deadline. His defense has also been sensational, and he played shortstop like a pro last night, helping turn two double plays. Boone benched Anthony Volpe before Sunday’s game amid the shortstop’s offensive and defensive struggles. Volpe’s .208 batting average and 17 errors both rank worst in the American League.
But Volpe is back tonight for the Yankees, who are looking to win this series against the Nationals (YES).
“[Volpe] is wired right for it,” Boone told reporters ahead of tonight’s game. “Whether he’s going through a good stretch or a struggle, he’s always the same guy. Hopefully, he’ll start to turn the corner offensively and get hot again for us.”
Tonight, at 7:05 PM (6:05 PM CDT), RHP Luis Gil (1-1, 4.26 ERA) will try to bounce back for the Yankees against Washington’s LHP MacKenzie Gore (5-12, 4.11 ERA).
Here is tonight’s starting lineup for the New York Yankees:
1B Paul Goldschmidt (R)
DH Aaron Judge (C) (R)
LF Cody Bellinger (L)
RF Giancarlo Stanton (R)
CF Trent Grisham (L)
3B Amed Rosario (R)
2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L)
SS Anthony Volpe (R)
C Austin Wells (L)
SP: RHP Luis Gil (1-1, 4.26 ERA)
Giants
Football is nearing, with the Giants scheduled to start their season on September 7 in Washington. Today, the Giants had to reduce their roster size to 53 players.
Here are the players who were waived today, per Dan Salomone:
WR Dalen Cmabre
DL Elijah Chatman
QB Tommy DeVito
TE Greg Dulcich
DL Corey Durden
OLB Trace Ford
OLB Tomon Fox
DL Elijah Garcia
C Bryan Hudson
G Jake Kubas
S Raheem Layne
K Jude McAtamney
RB Dante Miller
C Jimmy Morrissey
S Makari Paige
DL Jordon Riley
WR Juice Wells Jr.
CB Dee Williams
OT Stone Forsythe (Vested Veteran)
WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey (Vested Veteran)
DL Jeremiah Ledbetter (Vested Veteran)
WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette (Vested Veteran)
RF Jonathan Ward (Vested Veteran)
WR Da’Quan Felton (Injured)
CB Tre Hawkins III (Injured)
TE Jermaine Terry II (Injured)
OLB Vicotr Dimukeje (Physically Unable to Perform)
RB Eric Gray (Physically Unable to Perform)
OL Joshua Ezeudu (Injured, Designated for Return)
Special thanks to Tommy DeVito, aka Tommy Cutlets, who took the city and nation by storm with three straight Giants victories in 2023. He will forever be missed, and on behalf of AGM Sports, I wish him and the rest of these waived Giants the best of luck.
Here is the 53-man roster for the 2025 New York Giants:
Offense:
Quarterbacks:
Jaxson Dart
Russell Wilson
Jameis Winston
Running Backs:
Devin Singletary
Cam Skattebo
Tyrone Tracy Jr.
Wide Receivers:
Beaux Collins
Jalin Hyatt
Malik Nabers
Gunner Olszewski
Wan’Dale Robinson
Darius Slayton
Tight Ends:
Daniel Bellinger
Thomas Fidone II
Theo Johnson
Chris Manhertz
Offensive Linemen:
Jermaine Eluemunor
James Hudson III
Marcus Mbow
Evan Neal
Jon Runyan Jr.
Austin Schlottmann
John Michael Schmitz Jr.
Aaron Stinnie
Andrew Thomas
Greg Van Roten
Defense:
Cornerbacks:
Paulson Adebo
Deonte Banks
Korie Black
Cor’Dale Flott
Art Green
Nic Jones
Dru Phillips
Safeties:
Dane Belton
Jevón Holland
Tyler Nubin
Outside Linebackers:
Brian Burns
Abdul Carter
Kayvon Thibodeaux
Inside Linebackers:
Chris Board
Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
Micah McFadden
Darius Muasau
Bobby Okereke
Defensive Linemen:
Darius Alexander
DJ Davidson
Chauncey Golston
Dexter Lawrence II
Rakeem Nuñez-Roches Sr.
Roy Robertson-Harris
Special Teams:
Kickers:
Graham Gano
Punters:
Jamie Gillan
Long Snappers:
Casey Kreiter
Schedule
7:00 PM (6:00 PM CDT): Primetime at the US Open, 2025 First Round; Arthur Ashe Stadium; ESPN
7:00 PM: Women’s Singles, First Round – A. Tomljanovic vs. C. Gauff [3]
Nightcap: Men’s Singles, First Round – A. Zverev [3] vs. A. Tabilo
7:00 PM (6:00 PM CDT): Primetime at the US Open, 2025 First Round; Louis Armstrong Stadium; ESPN2
7:00 PM: Women’s Singles, First Round – G. Minnen vs. N. Osaka [23]
Nightcap: Men’s Singles, First Round – E. Moller vs. T. Paul [14]
7:05 PM (6:05 PM CDT): NYY vs. WSH; YES; SP: RHP Luis Gil (1-1, 4.26 ERA)
