Yankees
In the afternoon, Carlos Rodón pitched eight scoreless innings in a 2-0 victory. In the evening, when more bullpen arms were used, the Yankees lost 6-1. The Yankees split the doubleheader with Tampa Bay, and with the nighttime loss, any remaining hope of winning the division crumbled, and the Rays got to celebrate their crown at Yankee Stadium.
Life in Yankeeland has been bleak since Aaron Judge exited last Wednesday’s game in Minnesota with a calf strain. The Yankees let that game slip away with John Schreiber on the mound in extra innings. They grabbed a much-needed win on Friday in Arizona before Michael Fulmer surrendered a walk-off home run on Saturday and Brent Headrick gave up a brutal grand slam on Sunday.
The Yankees only used David Bednar in the first game of yesterday’s doubleheader. But in the second game, with two outs and runners at first and second in the seventh, Schreiber gave up a back-breaking two-out single to Yandy Díaz, failing to bail out Max Fried.
“You don’t want anyone to be celebrating at your stadium,” Fried said. “Especially the way [Rodón] came out, we wanted to put some pressure and be able to win some games. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to follow up on what he was able to do.”
Overall, Fried was solid. He took a 1-0 deficit into the seventh inning, but Chandler Simpson and Ben Williamson reached before Taylor Walls put the Rays ahead 2-0 with a bunt single the Yankees couldn’t defend.
The pitch landed very close to Fried, a former Gold Glove winner, so Luis García Jr. should have stayed at first base. But Jazz Chisholm Jr., in his first game in two weeks since spraining his right thumb, didn’t cover first base, and George Lombard Jr. didn’t cover second.
“Especially when it comes to playing this type of team, you’ve just got to make sure you’re on top of your P’s and Q’s,” Fried said. “Whether that’s backing up bases or whatever it is, know this team is going to be putting the ball in play and putting pressure on you.”
Every year, it feels like the Yankees lose to teams that put the ball in play and rarely strike out. Los Angeles in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series is one example. Toronto on the Rogers Centre turf is another. This year, it’s Tampa Bay. Now, they get a first-round bye and home field advantage through the ALCS.
When Brian Cashman failed to add a relief pitcher at the trade deadline, he defended the Yankees’ deep starting rotation, which included Ryan Weathers and Will Warren. He added that Clarke Schmidt returning from injury would also help.
But then, Ryan Weathers got hurt, forcing Warren back into the rotation. He could be a bullpen piece in the Wild Card series, a necessary addition to a group that needs right-handed middle relief. Fernando Cruz was supposed to be the team’s top firefighter, and while he’s fighting through a partially torn UCL, he probably won’t factor in next week against Boston.
From the left side, Headrick is the Yankees’ best option, especially with runners on. He is one scoreless appearance away from tying Mariano Rivera and Tim Gordon for the franchise record. But in his most recent appearance, he allowed a career-high three inherited runners to score – not ideal with seven games left before the postseason (five remain now).
The bullpen that once featured Cruz, Camilo Doval, and Jake Bird as mid-leverage right-handers has since shifted to options like Fulmer and Schreiber. Granted, Doval and Bird were far from reliable, but Fulmer and Schreiber aren’t much better.
Fulmer, the 2016 Rookie of the Year winner, is twice removed from Tommy John surgery. Schreiber, meanwhile, was waived by the 90-loss Kansas City Royals. He has solid numbers against righties, but just like Doval, collapses against lefties.
Command is the biggest challenge for Fulmer and Schreiber. Especially in deep counts, they tend to lose track of the corners and leave pitches over the middle. Against Díaz last night, Schreiber threw his first pitch to the outside edge, his second to the inner upper corner, and his next three pitches well out of the zone before hurling a center-cut sinker.
Meanwhile, for Tampa Bay, Drew Rasmussen didn’t miss a beat. He worked the edges of the strike zone brilliantly, no-hitting the Yankees through six innings. He finished with 11 strikeouts in 6 2/3 one-run frames.
The thing is, Judge could have only done so much to stumble Rasmussen. But his theoretical impact is worth pondering because when Judge was healthy this season, the Yankees scored an additional run per game, on average.
That said, Judge could not have stopped the bullpen from imploding. Here is an updated AGM Sports Bullpen Trust Tree, in order of reliability:
MR: RHP Clarke Schmidt – Unreliable
LR: RHP Luis Gil – Unreliable
MR: RHP Michael Fulmer – Unreliable
LR: LHP Ryan Yarbrough – Somewhat Reliable
MR: LHP Tim Hill – Somewhat Reliable
MR: RHP John Schreiber – Somewhat Reliable
MR: LHP Brent Headrick – Somewhat Reliable
SU: RHP Paul Blackburn – Reliable
C: RHP David Bednar – Reliable
Count it: two reliable relievers. That’s right, two. Given the bullpen’s construction and Schmidt’s lingering biceps cramp, he, Gil, and Yarbrough won’t play in leverage spots during the playoffs. Add Hill to that list, too, since he’s been battling the home run bug all year.
In the postseason, if a game is close and it’s earlier than the seventh inning, the goal will be to save Headrick, Blackburn, and Bednar. That means Fulmer and Schreiber become the top contenders to relieve starters who can’t last six innings, and to support the high-leverage guys who can’t pitch every day.
But in tight postseason games, especially in a best-of-three Wild Card series, games are decided in the sixth inning or later. That makes the first bullpen arm almost as important as the closer, since he sets the tone for his fellow relievers.
Fernando Cruz was supposed to be that tone-setter. Now, the pressure is on Fulmer and Schreiber. In a best-of-three series, every pitch will matter more than ever. Either Schreiber and Fulmer will have to step up, or the Yankees will ask for more out of their already overworked starting rotation and high-leverage arms.
Tonight at 7:05 PM (6:05 PM CDT), RHP Gerrit Cole (9-9, 3.63 ERA) will start against RHP Mason Englert (0-3, 4.54 ERA) (Prime Video).
Here is tonight’s starting lineup for the New York Yankees:
DH Ben Rice (L)
SS George Lombard Jr. (R)
1B Luis García Jr. (L)
RF Heliot Ramos (R)
CF Spencer Jones (L)
2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L)
LF José Cbllero (R)
3B Ryan McMahon (L)
C Ali Sánchez (R)
SP: RHP Gerrit Cole (9-9, 3.63 ERA)
Schedule
7:05 PM (6:05 PM CDT): NYY vs. TB; Prime Video; SP: RHP Gerrit Cole (9-9, 3.63 ERA) vs. RHP Mason Englert (0-3, 4.54 ERA)
