Communicated Content – The Yankees are one of the biggest teams in baseball, and even that may be an understatement. This season has been a mixed bag for the Yankees, who are 5-5 and are still to get encouraging production from their mainstays. With every series, you might want to raid the bet-nj.com and other sites for insights and a statistical heads up before committing to a Yankees game because it has been a rough start to the season.
The Yanks opened their season with a 1-2 slump against the Blue Jays before taking out their frustrations on the Orioles in the first two games of their three-game series. The last game went to the wire, and the Orioles were able to peg one from the Yankees, giving them another imperfect series. Next up was the Tampa Bay Rays, and it was not pretty, as the Yankees undid all the experience from their previous series, losing dismally in the first two games before pushing the Rays to the limit and claiming a win in the third for another 1-2 series. Back at it again with the Blue Jays, the Yankees have started better, winning 3-1 in the rubber’s opening game. For the next two days, they will have to show lessons have been learnt in order to topple their opponent. Playing without Aaron Judge, who decided to take a day from baseball following ugly extra-sports events in the US, the Yankees were able to rally behind Gerrit Cole’s strong performance. Giancarlo Stanton and Judge have struggled to find a balance and mesh with the new lineup, despite great games by Gerrit Cole. The belief is that if all clicks for the Yankees, they might be a very dangerous outsider to the World Series. One big puzzle remains the case of Clarke Schmidt, whose lingering elbow injury could mean a possible (knock on wood) second Tommy John surgery, at age 25. The pitcher, who was a college star, was drafted after undergoing a Tommy John surgery, hoping there is no second time to the procedure and that after recovery, the Yankees will have one of the best diamonds in the rough around on the mound. That now seems unlikely, and the pitcher is seeking a second option before resigning to the surgery, which would be a very rare second.
Roughened Odor has been the perfect sidekick to Cole so far, holding the fort down with solid plays, including the game-winning RBI against the Rays in their last series.
After their current series with the Blue Jays, the Yankees will go up again against the Rays, with a chance to do better and exact some revenge, before hanging around to face the Braves in a doubleheader. After that, it will be off on the road against Cleveland and then the Orioles. If the Yankees can make the necessary adjustments and get Stanton and Judge to vibe with the rest of the squad, it should be an exciting season for the Yankees and a lovely sight.
