The Yankees hit three home runs past the Royals in their 5-4 win Friday night at The Stadium.
Apprenticeship
– Since Aaron JudgeAfter the injury (37 games), the Yankees entered Friday’s game with a record of 15-22 and batting . 218 and scoring 3.8 runs per game, and that trend continued into the beginning of this one. The Yankees put the first two men on first after Oswald Peraza was hit by a throw and Antonio Rizzo achieved after a defender’s choice and error. Gleyber Torres would be based on a double game and Giancarlo Stanton would miss just one home run, bouncing to the caution lane in left field.
The Yankees couldn’t get many hits, but all of their runs came from the long ball. franchy lamb released a solo shot in the second round to give them a 1-0 lead. Billy McKinneystarting in the center field for the sick Harrison Bader, hit a three-run moonshot over the right center field wall to give the team a 4–3 lead. Torres would get in on the fun with a solo kick of his own in the fifth to put the Yanks up 5–3.
The Yankees had five total hits, and three of them were home runs.
– Clark Schmidt, who has been a stabilizing force in the Yankees rotation for the last few weeks, continued to roll against the light-hitting Royals. He spent the first three innings on less than 30 pitches, but struggled in the fourth. After giving up a leadoff double and hitting a batter with two outs and ahead at the count of 0–2, Schmidt gave up a three-run drive to Michael Massey. Schmidt’s sweeper had too much sign and Massey made him pay.
Schmidt would get out of the men’s problem at second and third at fifth thanks to the Royals’ poor running base. The right-hander would find himself in trouble again in the sixth before Aaron Boone pulled it with two outs and men in the corners. Wanda Peralta would come to take the final off of Friday, ending Schmidt’s night.
Schmidt went just 5.2 innings (64 pitches/45 hits), giving up three runs on five hits, one walk, and striking out just two batters. The young right-hander just couldn’t get this annoying Royals team to bite the pitches out of the zone. After getting the first nine batters to start the game, Schmidt allowed seven of the next 15 batters to reach.
– With Jose Trevino out for the year with an injured wrist, Kyle Higashioka will now take over most of the initial capture tasks starting tonight. He ended the game 0-3 with a strikeout.
Peraza hit the lead once more, but this time from second base. He finished 0-for-3 with a strikeout, but had an extra base hit taken from him by the Royals’ defense in the seventh. Since his call-up, Peraza has gone 2-for-13 with five hits and eight strikeouts.
Rizzo continued his nearly two-month slump by going 0-4 with a strikeout. A potential bloop scam was stolen by Bobby Witt Jr. in the fifth inning, but he is now 3-for-30 in his last seven games.
DJ LeMahieu continues to look more comfortable on the plate. He went 1 for 3 with a walk and a strikeout. He now has a hit in nine of his last 10 games.
– With Schmidt out early, Boone leaned on his bullpen to get through this game. With Gerrit Cole on bumpy Saturday and Thursday off, the pen was rested. Peralta gave up a hit in 0.2 innings, while Michael King gave up a hit in his 0.2 innings of work. Tommy Kahnle started the eighth, but gave up a solo shot to Massey to cut the Yankee lead to 5–4 before moving into the inning.
-Clay Holmes entered ninth and gave up a leadoff single. After getting a pop out, Drew Waters stole second in a close play. A line to Peraza nearly doubled Waters into second. Witt Jr. then hit a grounder to Anthony Volpe’s right side, but the rookie grabbed the grounder and threw it to LeMahieu in third for the tag. Waters was originally ruled safe at third, but an umpire review reversed the decision as the Yankees held on for a 5–4 victory.
Highlights
What is the next
The Yankees continue their three-game streak with the Royals on Saturday afternoon. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:07 pm.
Gerrit Cole (9-2, 2.78 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for the Yankees. The Royals will send Brady Singer (6-8, 5.70 ERA) to oppose the Yankees ace.