The Bronx Zoo Is Back, a Mattchu12 New York Yankees Franchise | 2024

**Mattchu12** · 05-14-2024, 08:17 PM

Re: The Bronx Zoo Is Back, a Mattchu12 New York Yankees Franchise | 2024

Yankees Organization as of June 30th:

**Mattchu12** · 05-14-2024, 08:18 PM

Re: The Bronx Zoo Is Back, a Mattchu12 New York Yankees Franchise | 2024

**Mattchu12** · 05-14-2024, 08:18 PM

Re: The Bronx Zoo Is Back, a Mattchu12 New York Yankees Franchise | 2024

Standings as of June 30th:

**Mattchu12** · 05-14-2024, 08:54 PM

Re: The Bronx Zoo Is Back, a Mattchu12 New York Yankees Franchise | 2024

Player Statistics as of June 30th:

**Mattchu12** · 07-13-2024, 09:29 PM

Re: The Bronx Zoo Is Back, a Mattchu12 New York Yankees Franchise | 2024

3/27 IN TAMPA FL -- As the New York Yankees embark on their 2024 campaign, they face a season that can only be defined as an organizational crossroads. Will they finally reach the mountain top with manager Aaron Boone and a roster that largely under-performed in 2023? Or will adding the likes of Juan Soto and a bevy of complimentary players make all the difference for them?

"The criticism is fair," said manager Aaron Boone. "We didn't show up the way that we expected last season. There was a lot of disappointment in the stands, in the clubhouse, the front office. We know the expectations of our fan base. We know the expectations of the front office and ownership. We let a lot of people down last season. We're ready to change the narrative and get off on the right foot this season."

To their credit, the front office did make changes. They acquired arguably the best offensive player in baseball in left-handed slugger Juan Soto. They added Alex Verdugo and Trent Grisham, both left-handed hitters, to a lineup that was overly right-handed in 2024 in the eyes of many. They've added a rotation reliable in Marcus Stroman. They added Caleb Ferguson, Victor Gonzalez, and brought back Luke Weaver for the bullpen.

This is on top of keeping young players like Austin Wells, Oswaldo Cabrera, Clarke Schmidt, Jasson Dominguez, Oswald Peraza, and others that came up in the second half and injected some youthful life in the roster.

All good things in the eyes of most. However, they've still got more than their share of question marks. Will Anthony Rizzo be able to get back to who he was before the Yankees botched his concussion issues? Was the 2023 Gleyber Torres the real player or will he revert back to struggles with his contract year looming? Can Giancarlo Stanton stay healthy and if he can, can he hit the baseball with authority? Is Alex Verdugo just Josh Donaldson with arm tattoos causing more headaches than offensive production? Carlos Rodon was a disaster, Nestor Cortes Jr was injured more often than he wasn't, and Gerrit Cole is already set to miss nearly half the season thus far. Jonathan Loaisiga is out for the year while Scott Effross, Nick Burdi, Tommy Kahnle will all start the season on the IL along with DJ LeMahieu, Peraza, Dominguez.

And who is the new general manager Matt Pierce? This front office assistant that Brian Cashman has handed the reigns over to as he was promoted to President of Baseball Operations. Is he qualified for the job? What will his approach be to the roster? He answered questions during the introductory press conference, but the season is upon his club and already they're feeling the effects of a roster constructed by Brian Cashman.

"This team has been my life for a long time. I've got deep relationships with the in-house people, deep relationships with the players. I'm all too aware of the difficulties of the job, and I'm prepared to taking the lashings when things don't go right. I'm also looking forward to hoisting a trophy over my head at the end of the year. I'm not going to be scared to disagree with Brian as I've done many times over the years. I'm sure he can tell you that I don't know when to shut up sometimes. I'm also not going to approach this job with any other intention than winning a championship this year and many years to come. I'm Yankee lifer. I know the mission. I'm looking forward to the challenge," said Pierce.

He outlined intentions to continue the youth movement that the Yankees began last season, noting that Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells would be starters in the lineup with Oswaldo Cabrera filling in at third base in a platoon with Jon Berti to start the season until LeMahieu returns from the IL. He also threw support behind Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil in the starting rotation.

"And when we get Peraza and Dominguez back, I expect we'll see them in the big leagues before long as well. When you've got high priced veterans on the club, you've gotta have a good mix of young players in there too. I know we've got at least one guy on an expiring contract that I'd like to keep, so those young players help balance it all out," Pierce said in what was an obvious hint towards the future contract talks with Juan Soto.

When asked what his approach to the start of the season would be, Pierce made it clear that he was all too aware that the pitching staff's depth was already being tested. While he believed in the young players down in AAA being capable of stepping up, he noted that he would be active in the early goings to see if he could supplement externally as well.

"It's hard to make moves this early because everyone thinks they're in it at the start of the season, but we'll be active to see what we can make happen to help plug some of the depth holes we've got. DFA's will happen. Releases will happen. Opt outs will happen. Injuries will happen and teams will have to make moves too. We were able to get Berti in here to help shore things up with Peraza and DJ down, but we'll wanna make sure we're replenishing the depth we had on the pitching side now that we'll be using a lot of that up," he said while noting Dennis Santana, Cody Morris, Luis Gil, and Clayton Beeter had originally been ticketed for Triple-A.

Beeter is expected to be optioned down before the end of the opening series with the Astros to make sure he can start one of the games in the first series for Scranton, but that will simply bring up another depth arm. The Yankees are tentatively expecting Nick Burdi, Oswald Peraza Tommy Kahnle, and perhaps DJ LeMahieu back sometime in May but most of the pitching help will be returning mid-June or later. The team will have to make due with in-house pieces in April unless Pierce can acquire outside help.

The Yankees open the season against the Houston Astros to close out March and then have a lot of AL East games throughout April. It will be critical for them to get off to a good start and put to rest the notions that the roster is just as flawed as it was in 2023. Aaron Boone feels confident.

"I look around this clubhouse and I know the talent is here. We were banged up last year and just couldn't get out of whatever funk was hanging over us but we're feeling very confident about our chances coming out of spring. We know that we're going to have our critics. It's not going to be easy. I expect Boston and Baltimore are going to be tough. There are teams in the rest of the AL that are going to be tough. We're not walking into the promise land untested, but we're ready for those tests," said the skipper.

Nestor Cortes Jr will face Justin Verlander Thursday in Houston. It's time to find out how ready these 2024 New York Yankees will be.

**Mattchu12** · 07-13-2024, 09:36 PM

Re: The Bronx Zoo Is Back, a Mattchu12 New York Yankees Franchise | 2024

4/15 IN NEW YORK, NY -- Critics love to look at the negatives. Fans love to look at the positives. The New York Yankees? They've got plenty of both to look at as they open the 2024 season with what can only be described as a mixed bag through the first month of April.

Did they go into Houston and win three of four? You bet they did. Could they have easily swept them? It certainly looked that way. They lost game three on a 1-0 walkoff when Luke Weaver let Alex Bregman a ball into the gap that scored Mauricio Dubon. Prior to that, Marcus Stroman and Caleb Ferguson had blanked the Astros for eight innings. Of course, Luis Garcia and JP France did the same thing for nine innings and if you don't score runs, you can't win baseball games.

"Just a tough break," said Boone. "Sometimes you have to tip your cap. Luke made a good pitch, Bregman just went and got it. You gotta give credit to them for doing what they had to do to get the run in."

Boone isn't wrong. Weaver had a pitch on the black that Bregman got to and Dubon's speed was enough to turn a bloop single and a stolen base into the game winning run. The bigger issue for some seemed to be that the Yankees looked rather lifeless outside of the 1-2-3 hitters (Anthony Volpe, Juan Soto, and Aaron Judge) and Austin Wells. Anthony Rizzo, Alex Verdugo, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gleyber Torres looked like they forgot to make the trip west from Florida.

That trend continued in Arizona, where that foursome picked up eight of the thirteen hits in game one and were responsible for all the RBI in their 4-3 victory. Oswaldo Cabrera had two of the remaining five. In game two when those four went hitless, they lost 1-4 with the lone run coming on an Alex Verdugo solo shot. Oswaldo Cabrera continued to be hot, picking up two of the four hits as they wasted six innings of one run baseball from Nestor Cortes.

"It's early. You've got to get into the swing of things," said Aaron Judge. "I'm confident we'll get things clicking up and down the lineup."

Instead, the Yankees lost 1-7 in game three and lost the series to Arizona. Carlos Rodon gave up three over six while the bullpen, gave up another four over the final three innings. The lone run came off a solo shot from Juan Soto off the bullpen in the ninth, too little too late. To add salt to the wound, Ron Marinaccio fractured his arm after slipping on the mound and falling awkwardly. He will be out until the end of May or beginning of June at least.

Back in the Bronx, the club took two of three from the Blue Jays thanks to strong pitching from Marcus Stroman (two runs over five and two-thirds) and Luis Gil (one run over six and two thirds, he struck out nine). The loss came game two after Caleb Ferguon gave up three in extra innings. The offense for the series came exclusively from Oswaldo Cabrera, Juan Soto, and Austin Well as the rest of the lineup continued to be in a funk.

At the end of the Toronto Series, only Juan Soto, Austin Wells, and Oswaldo Cabrera had batting averages over .220 on the early season.

"Have to keep grinding up there to see what we can do. Obviously if you're not scoring runs, you're not coming through for your pitching staff which has been honestly amazing," said Giancarlo Stanton. "We've gotta pick it up a little and get things going. We've got the bats going tomorrow."

Jesus Luzardo and the Marlins held the Yankees down for most of game one in their series, until Anthony Volpe got a run in off AJ Puk in the eighth. Later in the tenth Trent Grisham and Alex Verdugo would get two across to walk things off against Marlins closer Tanner Scott. Carlos Rodon twirled eight shutout innings in game two while Oswaldo Cabrera led things with a three-for-four game including two home runs for three RBI.

"Oswaldo has been amazing for us. I don't know where we'd be without him. With so many guys struggling to get it going, he just keeps hitting," said Rizzo. "He's been a lifeline for us in the lineup."

Aaron Judge also hit a home run in the ballgame, with Giancarlo Stanton picking up his first as well.

Game three went to New York thanks to big games for Anthony Volpe and Juan Soto. Soto drove in Volpe in the sixth, the only run of the game. They had the only hits in the game with four. Marcus Stroman, Ian Hamilton, and Clay Holmes combined for nine shutout innings, striking out twelve.

Club had a day off on Thursday before their three game series with the Cleveland Guardians. Game one went to Cleveland as they were held to just two runs on six hits, both coming on solo shots from Oswaldo Cabrera and Giancarlo Stanton. They wasted a three run, six inning effort from Clark Schmidt. Game two had the same score though Alex Verdugo seemed to wake up. He picked up two hits to bring his average to .192, Anthony Rizzo picked up a hit to bring his up to the same. They would be swept by the Guardians in game three with five of their starters hitting under .200 on the season.

"I know it sounds like a broken record, but these guys are too good of hitters to be playing like this for long," said manager Aaron Boone. "We'll find a way to get it turned around, but obviously we're scuffling a bit out there."

The club was blown out by the Blue Jays in game one of their series, losing 3-11 and managing just four hits. Of the three runs, two came on a Giancarlo home run and one came on an Oswaldo Cabrera solo shot. While Stanton has not hit for average, he has been crushing home runs. Cabrera has simply been crushing everything. Along with Austin Wells, they're been the lifeblood outside of the 1-2-3 hitters.

On April 15th, the club is 9-8 with a middling offense and a very solid pitching staff thus far.

**Mattchu12** · 07-13-2024, 09:37 PM

Re: The Bronx Zoo Is Back, a Mattchu12 New York Yankees Franchise | 2024

4/26 IN NEW YORK -- General Manager Matt Pierce said that he'd try to find some ways to replenish the depth to their pitching corps, and he may finally be getting a move on that. The rotation has stayed steady, while the bullpen has been more or less the same minus the final spot since Opening Day.

Clayton Beeter was sent down after the Yankees acquired Jake Cousins, and they've since cycled through Cousins, Yoendrys Gomez, Anthony Misiewicz, and Cody Morris through that final spot. Gomez got an extended look at while he had moments where he looked very good, he was rocked in his final two outings that led to him rejoining the Scranton club.

The Yankees were able to claim Michael Tonkin off waivers from the Mets to fill one of the spots. Tonkin had bounced around a bit, but has the makings of a very solid middle relief arm if nothing more. Pitching coach Matt Blake referred to Tonkin as someone that they targeted as potentially excelling with a few changes in pitch usage and perhaps some other adjustments.

"He's got a lot of the markers we look for when we're targeting potential acquisitions," said Blake. "Definitely someone we've had our eye on in the past and when he was exposed on waivers, we were lucky to get a claim in on him. We're excited to add him to the group."

Tonkin should slot in as a middle relief arm initially with Clay Holmes entrenched in the ninth, Caleb Ferguson and Ian Hamilton as the primary set-up men, and Luke Weaver and Victor Gonzalez getting the secondary looks. All indications seemed to be that Tonkin would leapfrog Danny Santana and Cody Morris on the depth charts initially.

A few days later, the Yankees made a trade that removed Santana from the depth chart entirely after another rough outing for the right hander.

The Yankees acquired right handed reliever Shintaro Fujinami from the Mets in exchange for Danny Santana and utility man Jahmai Jones on April 29th just prior to the start of their series with the Baltimore Orioles.

Fujinami had been designated for assignment by the Mets on the 27th and while the Yankees put a claim in, they suspected that they would not be able to nab the right hander based on their position in the standings.

"We had actually tried to get Shintaro during the offseason but the Mets beat us to it. There's a lot to like there. He had some rough outings for them and things weren't going the way they wanted, so we knew we wanted to make a move but weren't sure we'd get him. They were looking for some bench help and we didn't have much playing time for Jahami, so there was just a natural fit for a trade," said general manager Matt Pierce.

Fujinami came over from Japan in 2023 and struggled mightily with the Oakland Athletics in his debut. He eventually moved to the bullpen and was traded to the Orioles near the trade deadline. He can be optioned to the minors so he will give the Yankees another shuttle arm if they need it.

With a high 90's fastball, a good splitter, and a couple breaking offerings, the Yankees have another candidate for some adjustments that they think will help Fujinami get back to the success he experienced in Japan.

"Obviously a big fastball," said Blake. "We like the split a lot. Another usage guy and we want to work on the shape of the sweeper to get it more in line with what we think will be really effective for him."

Neither Tonkin or Fujinami are going to make big splashes. Both figure to be among the final three spots of the bullpen early on, but they're at least warm bodies until reinforcements come. If they pan out to be more the way that arms like Clay Holmes, Ian Hamilton, or Luke Weaver have been able to, the Yankees will consider themselves lucky.

The corresponding move for the departure of Jahmai Jones will be for Everson Pereira to rejoin the Yankees. Alex Verdugo and Trent Grisham have been sharing outfield duties, bu neither is setting the world on fire. Verdugo has hit just .183 with three homers so far and Grisham isn't much better at .227 with a dinger in about a quart of the at-bats. Pereira will give the Yankees a right handed option to at minimum deploy against lefties.

"We were mulling over that as it was, trying to help out on that front and give those two a bit of a breather when the trade came along. Pereira was playing great at Scranton, we're hoping he can inject that into the lineup for us as well. I think between getting some at-bats against lefties in left, he'll give us some speed and give us some chances to get Judge out of center from time to time and get him some more rest," said Pierce. "He got pushed to Triple-A because we loaded up in the winter, but we still really like this kid's bat. We're excited to see what he can do for us."

With Nick Burdi having a set-back on his rehab and being shut down, arms are in short supply for New York. The Yankees hope to get Tommy Kahnle back in May, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Yankees remain active on the waiver front as they try to pick up controllable arms. The offense has seemed to get back on track in the second half of April, but first base and second base and left field have been black holes.

The Yankees claimed Taylor Trammell off the Dodgers earlier in the month, hard not to imagine he might get a look if things don't improve with Pereira and of course, more moves could be on the way. Ben Rice was also promoted to Triple-A Scranton after a hot week in Double-A, but hasn't gotten off to the same hot hitting. Those two remain the most likely to help New York from an internal prospective until Oswald Peraza, DJ LeMahieu, or Jasson Dominguez return from their respective injuries.

"You have to assume they put Peraza at third base right away given and move Oswaldo Cabrera to first more frequently if Rizzo can't get it going. Gleyber is finally hitting, so he's probably safe, but Rizzo looks like a shell of himself right now. The hits he's gotten, they're weak bloops. They've got a real tough situation on their hands. That's Judge's best friend. Hard to imagine them moving on, but right now Oswaldo at first and Berti at third has been far more productive," said Jon Heyman.

**Mattchu12** · 07-13-2024, 09:38 PM

Re: The Bronx Zoo Is Back, a Mattchu12 New York Yankees Franchise | 2024

Having some issues with the images, which is of course jacking some stuff up. Next update will be up to April 30th with stats, standings, etc. Playstation just likes to make everything difficult, doesn't it? Lol.

**Mattchu12** · 07-13-2024, 11:16 PM

Re: The Bronx Zoo Is Back, a Mattchu12 New York Yankees Franchise | 2024

5/1 IN NEW YORK, NY -- The Yankees might have heard us talking poorly about them, folks. After getting stomped in game one of their series with the Toronto Blue Jays, they seem to be on a mission to prove their doubters wrong. Specifically, their bats seem to have woken up.

In game two, Giancarlo Stanton went three for five and hit two home runs and drove in four runs. Anthony Rizzo even launched a solo shot. Gleyber Torres picked up two hits and drove in a run. All while Aaron Judge, Anthony Volpe, and Oswaldo Cabrera combined for just one hit and drove in zero runs on the night. Game three featured more of the same though Juan Soto and Aaron Judge did show up for even hits and six RBI. Giancarlo Stanton still homered on a two for five effort, and both Anthony Rizzo and Alex Verdugo picked up hits. Finally production from the non-1-2-3 part of the lineup.

"They weren't going to stay asleep forever," said Aaron Boone. "They helped us get a big series win against a big divisional rival. It was a team effort across the board. Big series for us. Proud of our compete."

Complete effort it was. Marcus Stroman pitched six plus innings of three run baseball, Clarke Schmidt went six an allowed just a run himself. Pitching and offense were both clicking for New York and it was noticeable in the way that they carried themselves that confidence was back in the dugout.

Back in the Bronx the Yankees had Tampa Bay and Oakland come into town for a three and four game set respectively. The Yankees took the opener against the Rays thanks in part to a three-for-four effort from Alex Verdugo as well as two-hit games from Aaron Judge, Austin Wells, and Gleyber Torres. Luis Gil pitched six innings of two run baseball while the bullpen blanked the Rays over three innings. Zach Eflin and the Rays bullpen did manage to shutout the Yankees in game two, allowing just a hit each to Judge, Stanton, and Cabrera as the Yankees wasted a one run effort from Nestor Cortes.

"Just out of sync all game," said Soto. "They kept us off balance and it showed in our at-bats. Just off timing and weak contact. Have to give credit to the pitchers in that situation. We just didn't get good swings."

Yankees took game three with a nail-biter. Oswaldo Cabrera had another home run for his club early on, and then Juan Soto tacked on an RBI in the fifth that made the difference. Carlos Rodon allowed just a run. Soto and Cabrera both had two hits, as did Anthony Volpe. Aaron Judge contributed three hits while Austin Wells added another. A vintage early April Yankees effort, but they were able to squeak out a win all the same and took the series.

Oakland was on the receiving end of the Bronx Bombers treatment to start out their series. The Yankees combined for fourteen hits, only Juan Soto went without a hit. Anthony Rizzo picked up three hits and drove a run, finally showing some life batting eighth. Volpe had three hits as well, scoring once. Jose Trevino had a two run home run in the sixth to break it open. Marcus Stroman allowed a run over eight innings. Game two was more of the same, twelve runs and seven runs for New York. Gleyber Torres had four hits, Aaron Judge had three hits and drove in four thanks to two big flies.

"Judge was scuffling early. He had some hits, but he's going super-nova like he tends to do again," said Jon Berti. "It's kind of awesome to see it from this side. Makes you appreciate it a lot more. Every at-bat is just really good."

Volpe and Wells each had two hits, Oswaldo Cabrear drove in two with a single in the sixth. Clark Schmidt allowed three over six.

Game three saw Luis Gil go five and allow three runs, with Victor Gonzalez and Luke Weaver blanking the rest of the way. Juan Soto drove in two on a three hit night, Anthony Rizzo drove in a run while Gleyber Torre went two for four with a solo shot to his name as the Yankees took down Oakland to clinch a series win. Game four was decided in the eighth inning when Juan Soto and Aaron Judge broke seven shutout innings by Oakland with back-to-back RBI doubles. Volpe and Soto each had two hits. The Yankees swept Oakland in four and didn't have to face Mason Miller in the entire series.

"I'm not usually someone who talks about wanting to avoid a pitcher, but I'm not broken hearted that we didn't have to see him," laughed Judge. "I heard he's pretty good. Decent fastball or something like that."

The Bombers beat up on Milwaukee in game one with eleven runs and twelve hits. Judge, Cabrera, and Trent Grisham each homered. Judge went two-for-five and drove in three. Austin Wells drove in two in the fourth. Anthony Rizzo had a two run single in the ninth. Every Yankee picked up a hit. Carlos Rodon struggled for four runs in five innings, he walked three. Michael Tonkin made his Yankee debut, pitching an inning before giving way to Ian Hamilton and Caleb Ferguson. Dennis Santana allowed a run in two thirds of an inning.

Milwaukee returned the favor in game two. They tattooed Marcus Stroman for five runs over four innings, giving him his first loss. Yoendrys Gomez got roughed up for four runs in two innings. Michael Tonkin threw two shutout innings of relief to close out the game. The Yankees managed just three runs in the game, all coming on solo home runs. Two from Oswaldo Cabrera, whom just cannot stop hitting, and one from Anthony Volpe.

"Oswaldo has had an excellent approach all month. He worked with Soto in spring to get his swing more level, make more line-drive contact. You're seeing it in the early going. He's been huge for us. Can't say enough about the hitter he's been for us this year," said Boone.

It was a slugfest in game three. Juan Soto went four-to-four, hitting three home runs and driving in four runs total. He walked once as well. Austin Wells and Gleyber Torres each had three hits, Wells drove in three with a three run shot in the sixth inning. Alex Verdugo had a two run shot in the seventh. Every starter but Jon Berti had a multiple hits. Clark Schmidt gave up four over five, but the bullpen really took the brunt of it. Cody Morris gave up three across two innings while Dennis Santana gave up two more in the ninth, Yankees still held on to went thirteen to nine and took the series.

Coming into their series with Baltimore, the Yankees went 10-2 over their past twelve games with the bats finally waking up. Pitching has been more of a struggle in the second half of April, but they certain spoke back to their critics with their effort over the past two weeks. The series in Baltimore feels like a preview of a potential ALCS match-up or at minimum a fight for the AL Crown, so the Yankees came in with the right momementum.

Game one went to the Bombers as they struck early for ten runs over the third, fourth, and fifth innings. Powered by home runs from Anthony Volpe, Aaron Judge, and Austin Wells they collected seventeen hits. Judge went four-for-five and drove in four runs. Juan Soto drove in three with two hits. Volpe had three hits, as did Everson Pereira in his 2024 debut.

"Felt good to be back in the big leagues," grinned Pereira after the game. He went three for five and scored three runs in the game. "Happy to help, happy to be here. Looking forward to getting back out there."

He wasn't the only Yankee making their 2024 debut. After a six inning, eleven strikeout effort from Luis Gil to start the game, Shintaro Fujinami came on in relief. He struck out five over two innings, though he did give up a two run shot to Gunner Henderson in the seventh.

"Fastball that just leaked back across the plate," said Wells. "Honestly, it was a good pitch, Gunner is just one of those dudes that is going to go get that pitch when a lot of other guys probably let it go. I thought his stuff looked really good. I'm excited to have Shintaro here. His fastball is bananas."

Henderson would prove to just be getting started though. He hit two home runs in game two to drive in three runs, including the back breaking two run shot in the eighth inning that sunk the Yankees off Caleb Ferguson. The Yankees had taken the lead back in the top of the seventh after Baltimore knocked Nestor Cortes Jr out with a three run half in the bottom half of the sixth. Two hits from each of Gleyber Torres, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Jon Berti were not enough as the Yankees fell four-to-five to the Orioles.

The Yankees will now look to game three to start the month of May, knowing that they'll have two more in Baltimore before heading home to face the Tigers and Astros. Tampa Bay and the Twins await on a road trip after that.

Offensively, things are looking up for the Bombers. Anthony Volpe, Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, Austin Wells, and Oswaldo Cabrera are among the best performers in baseball at the moment. Giancarlo Stanton remains around the Mendoza Line, but he had been a beast in clutch spots and has seven home runs to his name. Gleyber Torres seems back, but Anthony Rizzo and Alex Verdugo have begun to lose playing time to Jon Berti, Trent Grisham and now Everson Pereira is here.

"When you're not preforming, you don't really have a leg to stand on when you see your at-bats start to slip," said Anthony Rizzo. "It's on me to force my back into the lineup. That's just part of baseball."

Rizzo has had some of the weakest contact in the big leagues so far this season and it's hard not to wonder if age has caught up with him. Rizzo and Verdugo are dead last on the team in SLG and OPS, and while Verdugo's exit velocity has raised any alarms, Rizzo is among the worst in the majors.

The club ranks second in slugging, and miraculously has the fewest strikeouts of any offense in the game. Unfortunately they also have the fewest walks and stolen bases. Only 12th in runs scored despite being second in home runs and fourth in batting average, the Yankees offense is an enigma. If they can be more patient at the plate and try to utilize some speed, they might have one of the best offenses in baseball. Instead them continue to be more of an all or nothing squad. That will need to be reigned in.

Carlos Rodon has struggled in the rotation, but run production has helped him get to four wins. The bullpen has had it's moments, but outside of Caleb Ferguson's recent struggles, it's been very solid. The Yankees' pitching staff has the fourth fewest free passes allowed and the second most strikeouts in baseball. They've also allowed the fourth fewest runs in the sport. That will work just fine as they look to suppress the offenses of the league.

This pitching staff should be getting the 2023 Cy Young winner back at some point plus two or three of it's best relievers. It's hard to imagine Their staff getting better, but it's shaping up that way. Players like Schmidt and Gil will have inning restrictions at some point as they've not pitched the kind of innings they're on pace to thus far in their career, but the Yankees seem to have the reinforcements to allow that to be handled gradually so far.

At the end of April, the Yankees have the best winning percentage in baseball and perhaps the most questions of any first place team in baseball. If nothing else, it's going to be a very interesting season.

**Mattchu12** · 08-04-2024, 09:09 PM

Re: The Bronx Zoo Is Back, a Mattchu12 New York Yankees Franchise | 2024

5/15 IN NEW YORK, NY -- The Baltimore Orioles did not take kindly to their game one beatdown to start their four game set, it seems. When last we spoke, the Yankees and the Orioles had split the first two games of their four game series and the Yankees laid a beatdown on the O's in game one 10-5. Gunner Henderson drove the Orioles back in the second game to even things up, and things did not go the Yankees way from that point on.

Henderson had another two run blast, this time in the eighth to cement a game three victory off Victor Gonzalez. Wasting an otherwise solid effort from Carlos Rodon. The Yankees mustered just one run, an RBI from Anthony Volpe in the sixth, against a dominant Cole Irvin to lose game three.

Game four felt strangely similar, Corbin Burnes allowed just one run over six while the Baltimore Bullpen held the Yankees to just seven hits. Marcus Stroman wasn't quite as good as Rodon, however. He allowed four runs over six innings and Michael Tonkin gave up a run int he eighth. The Yankees lost the series 1-3 after having not lost a series since getting swept by the Guardians in mid-April.

"Wasn't our best effort to say the least on the offensive side," said manager Aaron Boone. "They really held us at bay, didn't let us get much going. The at-bats were there, but we just didn't execute or string together much. It's a credit to their game plan against us. Gotta turn the page now."

The Yankees went back home to face the Detroit Tigers. Clarke Schmidt got the ball in game one, he pitched well allowing two runs over six innings. The bullpen locked things down. Giancarlo Stanton and Oswaldo Cabrera each chipped in two-run shots to back the strong pitching effort.

Game two went to the Tigers thanks to a strong effort from Kenta Maeda but also a bullpen meltdown from Luke Weaver. A rare struggle with command, Weaver gave up three runs on three hits in two innings. Two came in the eighth on an Andy Ibanez two run shot that broke things open.

"Luke has been so good for us this year, bound to have an outing where the command isn't there. Probably needed to get him out a little sooner but we liked the matchup with the bottom third of the inning. Just a rough outing for him, bound to have them here or there," said pitching coach Matt Blake.

Nestor Cortes Jr put the team on his back in the finale, pitching eight shutout innings on just five hits and a walk. He was matching Reese Olson pitch for pitch until Austin Wells homered in the seventh to give the Yankees a lead. It was one of only two hits for the Bombers on the night.

Yankees had an off-day the next day with Houston coming into town. They took the first two games of the series, coming back in the eighth against JP France to win game one. Anthony Volpe had a three run shot that put the team on top. Aaron Judge had a two run blast in the first inning.

Game two was in similar fashion. The Yankees got two home runs in the eighth from Alex Verdugo and Juan Soto to take the lead, beating JP France again. Aaron Judge hit a home run in the first.

"Dugie has had a rough go of it this year so far, so awesome to see him break out with a couple hits and the game tying homer too. We're all rooting for him, so we were real happy to see him come up big there," said Aaron Judge.

A sweep wasn't meant to happen as the Tigers broke out against the Yankees pitching staff in the finale. Clark Schmidt was chased after just three innings, allowing four runs. Shintaro Fujinami allowed two more in two innings, while Cody Morris allowed two runs without recording an out. Michael Tonkin and Victor Gonzalez cleaned up the final four innings, allowing just a run on four hits and two walks.

Offensively the Yankees tried to keep it close. Anthony Volpe had three hits, and Gleyber Torres picked up three hits as he has begun to come alive in May after a brutal April. Torres said he has been mixing things up trying to get out his rut, including switching cleats and breaking out the high socks.

"Judge tell me to just try and get out of my routine, try to do something different without messing with the stuff on the field. He give me socks and I've been hitting now," laughed Torres. "I will keep wearing them."

Torres had two doubles and drove in a run in the effort.

Heading down to Florida, the Yankees took on Tampa Bay in a three game set and game one had some unlikely heroes. Everson Pereira, now in a platoon with Alex Verdugo and Trent Grisham in the outfield, picked up two hits while Jon Berti had a big two run home run. The Yankees could have rested on a first inning blast from Juan Soto though as Luis Gil pitched eight shutout innings against the Rays offense. Clay Holmes locked down the save.

"Huge night for Luis, just an all around strong game from all three pitches the whole game," said Austin Wells. "He's been so good."

Nestor Cortes got hit around in the first inning of game two, allowing two runs, and that was enough for Tampa Bay. The Yankees didn't allow another run, but they managed just one run on eight hits against the Tampa staff. Shane Baz had six shutout innings, and while Shawn Armstrong gave up a home run to High-Socks-Gleyber in the seventh, the rest of the bullpen locked things down.

The bats woke up in game there though as the Yankees scored seven runs on twelve hits while allowing just five hits and no runs. Juan Soto had two hits and two RBI, while Austin Wells had three hits and two RBI. Gleyber Torres had a three run shot in the fourth that opened the scoring. Alex Verdugo picked up two hits of his own.

"Good effort across the board for us today," said Giancarlo Stanton. "Good at-bats up and down the lineup. Big game from Wells. A lot fun when everybody gets involved like this."

With an off-day following the set, the Yankees have won three straight series going into Minnesota and turned their May around after losing back to back games to the Orioles. Game one in Minnesota went to New York thanks to another two hit, two RBI night from Juan Soto. He had a solo home in the ninth. Anthony Rizzo seemed to get things going, picking up two hits of his own in the effort. He has started to show signs of life lately.

Game two was decided in extra innings. The Twins scored in the first adn then the Yankees scored two runs in the fourth on a two run blast from Giancarlo Stanton. The Twins answered back by scoring a run in the bottom of the sixth and then New York tacked on two more with a two run shot from Juan Soto. One of his four hits. Minnesota scored two more in the seventh to bring it within a run, beating up on Caleb Ferguson.

New York took the lead in the ninth, but Clay Holmes gave it back in the bottom half of the ninth as the Twins forced extras. Oswaldo Cabrera came up with the big hit in the top of the tenth, and Holmes locked down the bottom of the tenth to secure the series victory for New York.

"A real nail biter, but we showed up for our guys. Big plays, good efforts up and down the lineup. I think G had three hits and a walk," said Soto after teh game. "We have a lot of fight in this clubhouse."

The Yankees have been much better in the month of May, but Baltimore and Boston are right behind them. They will need to keep up this level of timely hitting and strong pitching if they wanted to overcome some of the weaker parts of this club. Anthony Rizzo and Alex Verdugo have mightily struggled. Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres might be turning their seasons around, or this might just be a hot streak. Austin Wells and Oswaldo Cabrera have cooled off a bit after strong starts. It will be interesting to see how things break for the Yankees going forward.

Halfway through May, they remain at the top of the AL East, but can they stay atop of the division? They have a tough west coast trip ahead of them that may decide that for them.

**Mattchu12** · 08-04-2024, 10:06 PM

Re: The Bronx Zoo Is Back, a Mattchu12 New York Yankees Franchise | 2024

5/30 IN NEW YORK, NY -- The Yankees decided this time, a series win was not enough. They rallied behind a dominant Luis Gil and they shutout the Twins in the final, scoring four runs to get the series sweep. Giancarlo Stanton continued to be hot, picking up two hits and two RBI, while Anthony Volpe was on fire with three hits and a walk in the effort.

"Volpe has been our real table-setter in front of Soto and Judge," said manager Aaron Boone. "I can't say enough about how great he's been for us. He has really turned a corner to try and make more contact and it's showing up out there in the box score. He's giving those guys a chance to drive in runs everytime they step up to the plate."

The Yankees returned home to face the Chicago White Sox, and game one was a beatdown. The Bombers pounced on the Sox for tens runs on seventeen hits. Juan Soto had four hits himself, while Aaron Judge picked up three of his own. They both drove in two runs each. Austin Wells had two home runs in the effort, driving in four runs. Gleyber Torres went two-for-three with a walk and drove in a run with a solo shot in the fourth. His resurgence continues in the High Socks.

Game two was a completely different fashion. The Sox struck first and kept pace with the Yankees at a three-to-three stalemate. Carlos Rodon pitched five innings of three run ball while Luke Weaver pitched three innings of no-hit baseball. Tied up in the ninth and facing extra innings, Anthony Volpe turned on a pitch from Michael Kopech for a two run walkoff home run with two outs in the inning.

"Probably one of the coolest moments of my career so far," grinned Volpe after a Gatorade bath. "I had the walkoff hit last year, but this was way cooler than that."

The finale saw both team blanked until the tenth inning. Marcus Stroman pitched seven shutout, Victor Gonzalez pitched two shutout innings as well. Ian Hamilton gave up a run in the top of the tenth but the Yankees responded to tie it in the bottom half. Hamilton came back out for the top half of the eleventh and promptly gave up two more runs. The Yankees scored a run in the bottom half but were unable to retie the game and had to settle for a series win instead of a series sweep.

"Just couldn't put those guys away when I needed to," said Hamilton after the game. "I felt fine coming back out. I knew that was the plan. Just a couple sliders that didn't get where I wanted them to go and they got after them."

The Yankees then turned to a four-game set with the Mariners. They won game one with an eighth inning run from Gleyber Torres as he drove in Austin Wells off Trent Thornton. Game two went to new York as well as they picked up six runs on fourteen hits. Aaron Judge had three hits while Anthony Volpe had four. Jon Berti and Jose Trevino picked up two hits each, Trevino drove in three runs thanks to a two home run night for the backstop. Luis Gil picked up a win with another strong seven inning start, Shintaro Fujinami got lit up in the ninth for two runs on three hits but the Yankees had room.

After the game, the Yankees optioned Shintaro Fujinami prior to the game to make room for Tommy Kahnle as he was activated from the IL.

Game three went to the M's as the Yankees imploded on the pitching side of things. Nestor Cortes gave up seven runs on twelve hits in just four innings, most of which came during a five run second inning. Jake Cousins, Tommy Kahnle, and Michael Tonkin covered the final five innings as the Yankees lost 3-8. Anthony Rizzo homered in the eighth as he continues to show signs of life.

"I know it's been a rough season so far, but I've been doing this basically all my life. I have to believe I can pull myself out of this," said Rizzo afterwards. "I just need to keep having good at bats and things will end up where I need them to be. I wouldn't be playing if I didn't think I was going to be able to come out of this. Just have to take it a day at a time."

The Yankees won the finale 5-1 thanks to a late rally. Austin Wells had another home run, but the offense was scattered between Anthony Volpe, Wells, Anthony Rizzo, and a three-hit day for Gleyber Torres. Carlos Rodon pitched a complete game, allowing just a run on nine hits. He struck out twelve.

West Coast bound, the Yankees took on San Diego to open the trip. They beat up on the Padres for a seven-to-one opener as Gleyber Torres continued to be red hot. He had two hits, both home runs. He drove in four runs in the effort. Anthony Volpe and Oswaldo Cabrera also picked up two hits each, while Juan Soto and Jose Trevino both homered with solo shots of their own. Marcus Stroman allowed zero runs on four hits and a walk over seven innings. Victor Gonzalez gave up a solo shot in the eighth, but Luke Weaver finished the last four outs without incident.

The Bombers blanked San Diego in game two thanks to a strong effort from Clarke Schmidt, six innings of six hit baseball. Anthony Rizzo picked up two hits and two walks, his average nearing the .200 mark with this hot streak of late. Juan Soto drove in three with a three run blast in the fifth. Gleyber Torres had a solo shot in the fourth.

"As the other guys start to fill in, you start to feel momentum," said Boone after the game. "We were so Volpe-Soto-Judge in April, but it's been a real team effort. We were already getting production from Wells or Oswaldo, but now one through nine, it feels like we're really getting after it."

Prior to game three, the Yankees announced both Clarke Schmidt and Jon Berti would hit the IL. Schmidt has a lat strain, while Berti has a calf strain. Both may be out until the All-Star Break at the soonest according to Boone in his pre-game meetings. Oswald Peraza was activated to replace Berti on the roster. He appears to be set to play against lefties as Berti had been. Ron Marinaccio was called up from Triple-A to replace Schmidt immediately at least.

Will Warren is expected to replace Schmidt in the rotation on his next turn.

"Big loses for us, obviously," said Alex Verdugo. "Berti was so good for us, and obviously Schmidt has been a total stud. We're going to have to pick up the slack for them in the meantime."

The Yankees didn't let it hang over them, however. They swept the Padres with a 9-0 finale powered by a two home run night for Trent Grisham as well as dingers fro Austin Wells, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Oswald Peraza in his first game back. Volpe, Judge, Wells, Torres, and Grisham each had two hits. Luis Gil dominated yet again, pitching seven shutout innings and was backed up by Ron Marinaccio for two more shutout innings. The Yankees did not appear to be ready to make excuses just yet.

DJ LeMahieu was activated on the off-day, with Everson Pereira hitting the IL with an arm injury of some sort. It is unclear how much time he will miss. How LeMahieu and Peraza will function on the same active roster remains to be seen, but Oswaldo Cabrera could see more time in the outfield to open playing time on the infield.

The Yankees lost in extras to the Angels in game one of their three game set. They took a two-to-two tie into the tenth, but Ian Hamilton served up the walkoff to Willie Calhoun in extras. The Yankees wasted a strong effort from Nestor Cortes Jr and Tommy Kahnle, whom struck out five in two shutout innings and has been fantastic since coming off the IL.

"Tommy Tightpants is always welcome in our bullpen," joked Clay Holmes. "We missed him."

Game two went to New York as the Yankees sprinkled in runs throughout the game on the bats of Anthony Volpe, Aaron Judge, Oswald Peraza, and Anthony Rizzo to eek past the Halos. Judge and Rizzo both homered. Carlos Rodon went five innings and allowed three runs, the bullpen blanked the Angels the rest of the way to tie the series up at a game a piece.

Caleb Ferguson nearly handed the game back to the Angels in the finale as he has seemingly been demoted to mop-up duty. The Yankees handed him a five to nothing lead in the eighth only to have three runs score on three hits and a walk with just one out recorded. Ian Hamilton had to bail him out and then Clay Holmes locked it down in the ninth. Giancarlo Stanton had the big two run shot for New York while Juan Soto drove in three in the game.

"It's been hard not getting consistent innings," said Ferguson after the game, referencing his demotion in his role in the bullpen. "I know that I've put myself in this situation, but just been hard to get it going and get my stuff back in order."

Ferguson seems to have been passed by Victor Gonzalez as the primary lefty in the Yankees bullpen, a notion that Aaron Boone did not contradict when asked about Ferguson's comments post-game. Simply choosing to suggest everyone would have their fair share of chances to help the team win.

Moving on from their series win in Anaheim, the Yankees went to San Francisco for the final game of the month. Will Warren got the start in place of Clarke Schmidt and pitched reasonably well. He allowed three runs on four hits and a walk over five innings. All three runs came in the fifth, two on a Jorge Soler double. The Yankees didn't muster much in the way of offense. Anthony Volpe had two hits but the long run came on an Aaron Judge single that scored Juan Soto in the sixth.

For what it was worth, Warren seemed to hold his own and will get another chance to start as the Yankees await the return of Gerrit Cole sometime in June.

"Kind of one of those moments you can't really process at the time because you've been waiting your whole life for it and then you've got a job to do," said Warren after the game. "I feel like I've got the stuff to get big league hitters out, so I'm looking forward to proving that. I'm really excited about the game today and happy with how I pitched other than that sweeper that didn't get down to Soler. I'm anxious to get back out there the next chance they give me to get out there."

The Yankees end May in even better shape than they started, and momentum is in their corner. These recently injuries will take their toll, but they can expect to get back Gerrit Cole and others in the coming weeks that will help them get over the hump. While Anthony Rizzo seems to be finding life in the batter's box, Alex Verdugo has remained arctic cold but the Yankees might be able to use the return of Oswald Peraza and DJ LeMahieu to make up for that.

At the end of May, the Yankees remain atop of the AL East, and they seem poised to remain there. Will their good fortunes keep up? Or might some regression be in store for the Bombers?

**Mattchu12** · 08-05-2024, 08:21 PM

Re: The Bronx Zoo Is Back, a Mattchu12 New York Yankees Franchise | 2024

6/15 in NEW YORK, NY -- The Yankees had a good month of May. It had them atop the AL East and there signs that underachieving players were starting to turn a corner. They lost the first game of the series with the San Francisco Giants to end the month, but had two more games in the Bay before heading back to the Bronx.

Luis Gil continued his dominant performance on the season, hurling seven innings of shutout baseball. He struck out eight with no walks for his sixth win on the season, moving his ERA to a fantastic 1.86 at that point. Juan Soto and Gleyber Torres both homered and both picked up two hits each, part of a six-to-zero victory.

"Gil has been arguably our best pitcher, it's just another notch in his belt. I think it says a lot about his character that he's been able to harness his stuff after being out for so long. He's been a beast for us," said Aaron Judge.

The Giants went back to their winning ways in the finale, costing the Yankees their first series since being beat by the Orioles three-to-one to start May. Austin Wells and Giancarlo Stanton tried to prevent it, picking up two hits each, but ultimately the Yankees offense was blanked by Alex Cobb and the San Francisco bullpen.

Nestor Cortes Jr took his sixth loss, allowing three runs on seven over five.

"Not the way we wanna end a series, we've been trying to keep a real win-every-series mindset all season and we just couldn't break through. They're a real good team even if their record isn't where they want it to be, there's no mistaking how good their staff is," said manager Aaron Boone.

The Yankees went back home to face the Twins with Carlos Rodon taking the hill in game one. Rodon twirled a nice effort, allowing one earned and two unearned to keep it close most of the game. Anthony Volpe homered for two runs in the third, while Anthony Rizzo homered in the fifth.

Luke Weaver locked things down for two innings to give the Yankees a chance to come back, which Aaron Judge pulled off with a two run shot in the eighth. The Yankees won the opener 5-3 and got off the skid.

"Up and down the lineup, we've got guys that can do damage," said Rizzo after the game. "It feels good to be a part of it all."

Joe Ryan was on the mound for the Twins in game two, and he was dominant in his effort. He struck out ten Yankees and allowed just two runs on three hits. The Yankees countered with Marcus Stroman, and he struggled early. He gave up four runs on six hits before the sixth inning had come to a close.

Victor Gonzalez allowed a run himself in the seventh. The Yankees offense tried to rally back, they scored a run in the fifth and sixth thanks to solo shot from Trent Grisham and an RBI single from Aaron Judge. Austin Wells drove in a run in the eighth and Grisham shipped in another in the bottom half of the ninth, but it wasn't enough to come back on the Twins. Grisham has continued his hot hitting since getting more at-bats over Alex Verdugo.

"With Verdugo playing his way to the bench, Grisham has gotten more and more starts, and he's hitting," said Buster Olney. "He's also given the Yankees a chance to see how Aaron Judge does in left field if they resign Juan Soto in the offseason, and Judge has looked good out there. Grisham has been a big positive for them now that he's actually getting at-bats."

With the series split at a game a piece, the Yankees turned to Will Warren to get the win in the finale. Warren hurled four innings, allowing three runs on eleven hits and two walks. He kept the Yankees in the game. The Yankees picked up two runs in the second from Anthony Volpe double and then a Juan Soto RBI single in the sixth to tie things up.

Minnesota picked up two in the tenth thanks to an Austin Martin dinger off Ian Hamilton as his struggles have continued. The Yankees were able to pick up a run to start off the tenth, but things were dire. At least there were until Austin Wells took things into his own hands. He smacked a three run shot off Jhoan Duran to win the game for New York in the bottom half.

"With Tommy Kahnle's emergence in the bullpen, it's likely he'll start taking over as the primary set-up man for the Bombers. Hamilton has been struggling over the last few weeks, it's probably time for him to take a break after he dominated in April," said Jack Curry.

With a series win under their belts, the Yankees welcomed the Los Angeles Dodgers to town. The opener went to New York thanks to a five run inning in the fifth as Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Alex Verdugo all went deep. For Judge, it was a three run shot. Luis Gil allowed two runs over six innings, the bullpen blanked the Dodgers over the final three innings.

Tyler Glasnow dominated the Yankees in game two, striking out eleven and allowing just two hits to New York over six and a third. The Yankees managed just three hits overall, one from each of Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres, and Anthony Rizzo. Most of LA's damage came in the second when Teoscar Hernandez and Andy Pages each drove in a run.

Max Muncy hit a big fly late off Jake Cousins in the eighth, the only run allowed by the bullpen in the effort. It was Nestor's seventh loss.

"Not exactly the record you'd expect considering that he's pitched quite well overall this season," said Boone. "We haven't backed him up when he's been on the mound. Not enough run support. He's going to get there though. His record will eventually reflect the effort he's been giving."

The finale also went to LA as Carlos Rodon had a rough night on the mound. He gave up six runs on ten hits in just five innings, Caleb Ferguson gave up another in the sixth as well. Rodon's uneven season continues as he seems to be either lights out or very hittable. Gleyber Torres and Trent Grisham both homered in the game, Grisham's a two run shot in the eighth.

With frustration setting in, the Yankees seemed to take it out on their next opponent as they went on the road and began a four game set with the Kansas City Royals. They scored sixteen runs on nineteen hits, absolutely shelling Brady Singer, Seth Lugo, Jake Brentz, and Will Smith.

Juan Soto drove in four runs on a two-for-six night, he homered as well. The big DH Giancarlo Stanton drove in four as well with a three hit night, two of which were big flies. Jose Trevino, Trent Grisham, and Anthony Rizzo also drove in two runs each. Trevino and Rizzo both homered.

DJ LeMahieu came through with three hits including an RBI single.

"Nights like this take a huge weight off the back because you're usually getting offense from all kinds of folks and it feels like the whole team is on first. It makes all the difference coming off a series where you lose to a team you want to prove you're on equal footing with," said Giancarlo Stanton.

The Yankees lost game two despite another solid effort from Will Warren. His ERA isn't pretty, but it's a testament to his short leash than his actual effort. He allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings. Victor Gonzalez gave up a run on two hits as well.

Juan Soto drove in the only two runs for New York in the sixth thanks to a two run shot off Michael Wacha, really his only mistake of the night.

Both the Royals and the Yankees struggled mightily over the first nine innings of the game. Both teams went into extras scoreless. Luis Gil had another lock down effort, shutting down the Royals over seven and Luke Weaver had two shutout innings. Alec Marsh was dominant over seven innings himself and Seth Lugo was excellent for two innings to take it into extras.

The wheels did come off the tracks for Lugo in the tenth, however. He gave up four runs thanks to a two run double from Austin Wells and RBI singles from Juan Soto and Anthony Rizzo. The Yankees turned the ball over to Ian Hamilton in the tenth, he allowed a run but locked down the win.

"Got ourselves in the position to get the series win tomorrow, we grinded it out and were able to hold them down the whole game. Just a team effort up and down, defense and pitching, great team win. This is the kind of thing you hope to build off and get rolling," said Anthony Volpe.

The finale was a nail biter at the end of the four game set. New York scored first with a solo shot from Aaron Judge in the second, and then again in the fourth with a solo shot from Giancarlo Stanton. Nelson Velasquez and MJ Melendez drove in two runs in the fifth to tie things off Nestor Cortes.

Fortunately for Cortes, the Yankees were able to pick up a run in the top half of the sixth thanks to a Oswaldo Cabrera double to take the lead. Tommy Kahnle, Victor Gonzalez, and Clay Holmes were able to shut things down for the final three innings as they struck out five of the final nine batters to get the Yankees series win. Cortes picked up his fourth win.

"Feels great to get the win there," said Cortes. "I know it hasn't always been my number so far, but it feels great to see your name in the box score."

The Yankees close out this mid-June update by heading deep into enemy territory as they head up to Boston. As of this update, they've played two of the three games of the series and they come in knowing that Boston would love to prove that they're still in this race despite playing .500 ball so far.

"You know they're always going to get up to play us," said Judge.

Game one didn't feel that way. Josh Winckowski allowed three runs over five innings, three coming on a three run shot from Austin Wells in the fourth. Brandon Walter gave up two more in the sixth as Giancarlo Stanton and Alex Verdugo picked up RBI's. Stanton had two hits and drove in a run with a double, Verdugo drove him in with a sac fly. Juan Soto hit a home run off Brennan Bernadino in the eighth, allowed another run to Aaron Judge in the ninth.

On the pitching side, Carlos Rodon was simply put: Dominant.

Rodon pitched a complete game shutout, striking out fourteen batters and walking none. He allowed just four hits to the Red Sox.

"He was fantastic. He's been such a force when he's got his pitch-mix where he wants it to be with the slider and the change-up. It really allows him to lean on his fastball in counts where he needs to because they can't just sit on it and look for the right spot. He's a dynamic starter, and he's been able to prove that he's not a one-trick pony," said pitching coach Matt Blake.

The second game was a little bit of a different story. Boston got to Marcus Stroman for three runs on eight hits over five innings, he did avoid a walk and struck out seven. Fortunately New York was able to pick up three runs off Tanner Houck to keep things close enough early.

Ian Hamilton gave up two runs in the eighth to give Boston a lead, but Anthony Rizzo was able to drive in a run off Kenley Jansen for his third blown save of the season and force the game into extras.

"Rizz has been starting to get it back where he needs to be, and it's really starting to show in the box score. Can't say enough about his ability to just keep grinding for us," said Judge after the game. "He's a pro."

Austin Wells drove in two to take the 7-5 lead in the top of the tenth, and while Clay Holmes allowed the ghost runner to score in the bottom half, he did close the door for his twentieth save of the season. The Yankees have officially won the series in Boston, and look to Will Warren in the finale.

The Yankees haven't been quite as bulletproof in June, losing their series against the Giants and the Dodgers, but they're won four in a row coming into this update. The team has a seven game lead in the standings, but the Rays and Orioles aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

Marcus Stroman has started to regress after a very strong start to the season, but the Yankees have Gerrit Cole returning on the horizon. He seems to be set to return on the 19th when the Orioles come to town. Will Warren is the obvious candidate to be demoted, but he's been very solid. Given more of a leash, he could be someone the Yankees look to later in the season.

Offensively the Yankees have improved. Trent Grisham has officially taken over in outfield as Alex Verdugo has continued to struggle. DJ LeMahieu is starting to get it going. Anthony Rizzo seems to be turning a corner. The Yankees also have Jasson Dominguez coming back in July sometime after suffering a set-back in his rehab, non-elbow related set-back that is.

But there are things to be concerned about. Oswaldo Cabrera is trending the wrong way after his scorching hot start. Oswald Peraza has gone ice cold after a good debut. The Yankees will have to figure out a way to continue to play the hot hands despite a lack of positional flexibility.

"If you assume Dominguez will take over an outfield spot, you have to think Verdugo is expendable as they get closer to that date. You have to keep in mind that Ben Rice has been really, really good at Triple-A if things don't continue to go right for Rizzo. I wouldn't be surprised if the Yankees kept an eye on adding to offense even though the pitching as struggled more so as of late," said Ken Rosenthal. "They can back-fill on the mound."

The Yankees have one more in Boston before taking on the Orioles again and then the Braves. Both teams are set to be real challenges for New York, but they seem to be up to the challenge if you listen to the clubhouse.

They've got the best record in baseball at the moment, the Dodgers and Phillies aren't far behind, but for some reason they feel like the most likely to breakdown team out of all the best teams in the league. They're banking on a lot of bounce backs, and the guys they're banking on aren't exactly the spring chickens on the roster.

It's going to be an interested June going forward.

**Mattchu12** · 08-11-2024, 05:13 PM

Re: The Bronx Zoo Is Back, a Mattchu12 New York Yankees Franchise | 2024

6/30 IN NEW YORK, NY -- The Yankees came into mid-June playing very well and had left victorious in four straight and one five of their last six games since starting their road-trip. They were looking to sweep Boston in the finale of their three game set before returning to the Bronx. They'd return to the Bronx with a different team than they'd left with.

The finale of the series did go the Yankees way with a solid effort from Will Warren as he picked up his first MLB win with a three run, five inning effort on the mound. The bullpen locked down the final four innings. Austin Wells contributed the two run bomb in the first to get the Yankees on board, while the Yankees picked up two more in the sixth thanks to some sloppy play by the Red Sox as they had two errors in the inning. Both on the infield as Connor Wong and David Hamilton blew a stolen base attempt that let Oswald Peraza score.

Unfortunately things were not all sunshine and rainbows for New York.

Anthony Rizzo avoiding a collision with the pitcher covering first base during the seventh inning and collapsed on the field. He fractured his forearm on the play and his season may be in jeopordy as he will be out until at least late August to early September. Rizzo had been hitting better as of late, but will hit the IL with Ben Rice getting the call up from Triple-A.

"Just brutal for him," said manager Aaron Boone after the game. "He's somebody that we were getting going, somebody that was turning his season around and now he's going to be out for a while. We're hoping we get him back this season, so we're just going to focus on getting him back."

Rice has been great for the Scranton squad this season, getting a call up from Double-A after a strong start to the year. He's been playing exclusively first base since his call-up but came up as a catcher in the system. With Rizzo's struggles early in the season, many believed Rice may replace him in the lineup if they didn't subside. His recent hot streak had silenced some of those whispers, but now Rice will get his chance in the big leagues.

On the off-day, the Yankees also announced reliever Ian Hamilton had been diagnosed with a strained right-lat. He'll also be out for an extended period with the Yankees hoping for a return in August. Ron Marinaccio was recalled from Triple-A to replace him in the bullpen. Tommy Kahnle will likely move into the eighth inning role as such.

"Tough losses on the injury front, obviously, but we've gotta have that next man up mentality right now," said Aaron Judge. "We'll get through because we've got guys who are ready to step up and contribute."

The Yankees returned home to face the Orioles for a three game set. Luis Gil struggled with command throughout, making it only five innings and allowing five runs on eight hits. The Yankees rallied to try and make a game of it, but Jake Cousins gave up two more runs in the sixth that kept them from getting close enough to strike.

Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton each had solo shots with Gleyber Torres and Oswaldo Cabrera chipping in an RBI each.

The Orioles feasted on the Yankees in game two. Nestor Cortes lasted just four and a third innings, allowing five runs on eight hits. Ron Marinaccio gave up six runs over two innings, including four in the ninth inning to balloon his ERA to 12.60 on the season as he continues to be ineffective for New York.

"You give up thirteen runs, seventeen hits, you got your teeth kicked in and you gotta respond. We just didn't respond," said Giancarlo Stanton. "We have to hope we can go back out there tomorrow and make a statement."

Only two runs on eight hits for New York in the second game of the series. A solo shot from Jose Trevino in the third, an RBI double for Oswaldo Cabrera in the sixth. A rough game for the Bombers across the board.

It's finally that time, the New York Yankees have gotten their Ace back. Gerrit Cole was activated for the series finale and who better to stop the bleeding than the 2023 Cy Young winner? Cole had strict pitch count limitation but still managed go six innings. He allowed two runs on seven hits and a walk, Cole struck out six.

"Felt great being back out there. Great to be competing with the guys and getting things done on the mound. Huge to get a win. The Orioles have had our number so far, but we're going to get that course corrected. I'm pumped to be back with the guys and we're fixing to go on a roll," said Cole.

The question remained, would the Yankees offense show up?

Cole Irvin was on the mound for Baltimore, and left handed pitching has been one of the struggles for New York this season this season. Fortunately, Juan Soto doesn't care what hand you pitch with. Soto blasted a three run shot in the fourth, putting the Yankees up 4-1. Austin Wells drove in a run in the fifth and then Gleyber Torres hit a three run shot in the fifth to put them up eight to one. The Yankees scored eight runs on nine hits and two walks.

"I think we were pumped see 45 back on the mound," said Austin Wells. "We have been waiting a long time for him to be back out there. He's as much of a leader around here as Judge or Soto or G. Huge having him back."

Fresh off a strong win in the finale to avoid the sweep, the Yankees were able to get off on the right foot with Atlanta to begin the opening set. The Yankees scored two in the first thanks to a two run double from Aaron Judge. They picked up four more in the third, knocking Bryce Elder out of the game with just two innings pitched. They ended up scoring ten runs on fourteen hits.

Anthony Volpe had three hits in four hits while Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, and Alex Verdugo collected two hits each. Judge drove in four while Jose Trevino hit a grand slam pinch-hitting in the eighth as he continues to rake against left handed pitching.

"We killed it out there today. Top to bottom, we got the job done and we backed out starter," said Juan Soto. "It was a team effort and this is how we can get things rolling. We just gotta keep it rolling, guy to guy."

Carlos Rodon turned in a strong effort. He allowed a run on seven hits, picking up his eighth win of the season. He struck out nine. Shintaro Fujinami was called up to replace Marinaccio after his meltdown against Baltimore, he pitched two innings and allowed a run on two hits. Michael Tonkin allowed two runs in the top of the ninth but closed out the game.

Atlanta scored first in game two, Matt Olson hit a rocked out off Marcus Stroman. They scored again in the sixth when Austin Riley drove in Forrest Wall. Stroman pitched well overall, allowing two runs on nine hits over six innings against the Braves. Victor Gonzalez and Luke Weaver blanked the last three innings of the game to give the Yankees a chance.

Unfortunately, the Bombers picked up just three hits. Two came from Austin Wells, one from Ben Rice, but none drove in runs. The Yankees were shutout after scoring double-digits the previous day.

"Reynaldo is one of the best in the league, he carved us up. They've got a real good bullpen too. Just a tough game for us. We couldn't get it going at the plate, and we ran out of chances to get it done," said Alex Verdugo.

The finale quickly saw the Braves get off to another quick start. Matt Olson again homered, this time a two run big fly. Fortunately, the Yankees were able to respond quickly with a three run third powered by a two run double from Anthony Volpe and a Juan Soto single drove him in. The Yankees scored two more in the fourth on a two run Giancarlo Stanton big fly, then Austin Wells drove in two in the fifth to get the score to seven to three.

Luis Gil lasted just five innings, but allowed only three runs on five hits. He struck out five and won his eighth game of the season. Victor Gonzalez, Michael Tonkin, and newcomer Tim Hill picked up three ininngs of one run baseball with Clay Holmes collecting his twenty second save.

Tim Hill was acquired on waivers, Shintaro Fujinami was DFA'd make room for him in the bullpen and on the 40-man roster. Hill had pitched decently for the Chicago White Sox, but is out of options and was DFA'd.

"We think he's got a real interesting arm slot, which makes it a difficult at-bat for the hitter. We think he's going to be a weapon for us," said Matt Blake. "We look forward to seeing what he can do."

After the game, the Yankees placed Giancarlo Stanton on the IL for a strained hamstring. Possibly the biggest injury to hit the Yankees so far. Stanton had started to really hit in May and June, at the time of hitting the IL he was third in home runs and RBI. His average and OBP wasn't pretty, but it was on the rise after he was on a scorching run in June.

"We're hoping to have him back before the end of July, so we're hoping this is just a couple weeks. He's a big bat for us. We need him in the lineup. He's one of those guys that makes this whole thing go. He creates a presence in the lineup that makes everything more difficult for the opposing pitcher. We can step up and fill the void while he's out, but we look forward to getting him back in the heart of our lineup where he belongs," said Judge.

After the off-day on Monday, the Yankees headed across town to face the Mets for a two game series. They did all their damage in the fourth inning, picking up six runs to chase Sean Manea from the ballgame. Anthony Volpe drove in two while Austin Wells, Jose Trevino, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Oswald Peraza drove in a run each.

Nestor Cortes allowed a run over seven innings, winning his fifth game. His record inches closer and closer to a .500 record after an rough start to the season in the win column. He struck out five.

The Mets sent Jose Quintana to the mound for game two hoping to salvage a series sweep. After a scoreless first, Quintana gave up a solo shot to Gleyber Torres. Gerrit Cole was on the mound opposite him, and gave up a run in the bottom of the third to tie up the game. Cole pitched a seven inning effort and gave up just that lone run on four hits and two walks. He struck out twelve.

"Another step in the right direction," said Cole. "We're looking to build up my pitches, and fortunately we had some quick innings that let me get into the seventh there. Felt like the ball was coming out of the hand free and easy. I think things are progressing to where we can take the restrictions off."

It was up to the Yankees to score some runs against Quintana, and in the fifth, they got their opening. DJ LeMahieu drove in Gleyber Torres for a run and then was driven in by Anthony Volpe for a third run. The Yankees managed just five hits, two from each of Torres and Volpe as well as a single from LeMahieu. It was enough to drive in three runs and beat the Mets.

Tommy Kahnle and Clay Holmes pitched an inning each to lock down the win.

The Yankees left New York to head to Toronto for their four game set to close out the month of June. The series opener saw Carlos Rodon vs. Yusei Kikuchi face off. Juan Soto jumped on a three-two pitch for a two run double and then Aaron Judge drove in another run by bringing Soto around to score.

Jose Trevino launched a two run shot in the third before driving in another run in the top of the fifth. Aaron Judge had a four hit day while Trevino, Soto, and Anthony Volpe each picked up two hits each as the offense exploded for New York. They scored seven runs on thirteen hits.

Rodon held up his end of the bargain as well, he pitched eight scoreless and gave up just three hits and a walk. He struck out eleven. He lobbied to come back out for the ninth, but at 123 pitches, the Yankees went to Anthony Misiewicz to pitch a scoreless ninth inning and close out a game one win.

"He's a competitor and he wants to carry his team, but we need him to carry us the whole way," said Boone after the game. "He's in a good place. He knows it's a marathon, not a race. He's been huge for us."

The Yankees turned the ball over to Marcus Stroman in game two, he was looking for his ninth victory. He was very effective in his return to Toronto as he hurled six plus innings of shutout baseball, allowing just eight hits and a walk. He struck out none in a pitch-to-contact effort.

The Yankees broke out in the third for five runs, four of which came on a Grand Slam from Gleyber Torres off Chris Bassitt. The grand slam was set up after two errors with two outs, so none of the four runs came earned.

"We got some extra outs there, and when that happens, you gotta take advantage of those situations. Those runs still count, so I feel good to help my team," said Gleyber Torres, whom picked up three hits and five RBI in the effort. "I'm here to do my job, feels good to do my job."

The Yankees would pick up three home runs, a fourteen hit effort on the day and the five run third would have been enough. The Yankees blanked the Blue Birds for back-to-back games, taking the first two of the series. Anthony Volpe, Juan Soto, Austin Wells, and Oswaldo Cabrera each had two hits.

With the first two games blowouts, game three was a different story. New York got off to a lead in the first thanks to an Austin Wells home run off Kevin Gausman, but it would be the only run he'd allow. Gausman pitched five innings of one run, two hit baseball but walked three and struck out eight.

Luis Gil was up to the task, however. He pitched six innings, allowing just three hits and three walks while striking out nine. The Yankees picked up another run in the sixth off Yimi Garcia, another Austin Wells RBI as he drove in Juan Soto after a walk. Luke Weaver gave up a run to the Blue Bird in the eighth, the only run allowed by the Yankee bullpen as they secured the series win for New York.

Gil picked up his ninth win, Clay Holmes earned his 24th save of the season.

"Can't say enough about what Luis has done for us this season," said Austin Wells. "With Gerrit going down, we needed an Ace, and he's been every bit of that and more. When we need that lock down effort, he's been there every step of the way. Gausman was so good, we needed to step up and match it. He was able to step up and match it. He's been a stud."

Speaking of aces, Gerrit Cole was up in the finale as the Yankees looked to sweep the four game series. Luckily, the Yankees made things easy for the right hander. Anthony Volpe led things off with a single, and Juan Soto drove him in for the first run. Gleyber Torres drove in Soto, then Oswaldo Cabrera drove in Torres. Ben Rice hit his first MLB home run for two more runs and the Yankees were up by five with Cole not having even thrown a pitch.

Cole didn't allow a run until the sixth, an RBI single from George Springer. By then, it was far too late. Ben Rice hit another home run, this time a three run shot in the fifth to put the Yankees up eight runs. Springer made it eight-to-one. Cole pitched six innings and allowed just the one run on eight hits and a walk. He struck out six for this third win of the season.

Anthony Misiewicz gave up solo shots to Daulton Varsho and Joey Votto in the seventh. Jake Cousins closed out the game with two shutout innings.

Gleyber Torres drove in two more runs in the top of the eighth, Oswaldo Cabrera drove in a run in the ninth. Torres had four hits and raised his average on the season to .256 after a miserable first month of the season and has become a legitimate middle of the order bat again.

"Feels good to pile one on over a division rival like that," said Jose Trevino after the game. "We've got the best record right now but these other teams are super good too, man. You wanna set that tone when you can. You gotta show you can beat the best if you wanna be the best."

The Yankees wrap up June with the best record in baseball at 58-28. They are five games up in the win column on the Phillies and Dodgers after going 19-8 in the month of June. Their only series losses of the month came at the hands of the Dodgers and the Orioles, though half the series they lost to the Giants was in the month of June so we'll include that as well.

They'll need to address the fact that the Orioles seem to have their number thus far this season. The team has been boosted by big months for Anthony Volpe and Gleyber Torres, and the continued excellence of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. Injuries are starting to mount, however. Anthony Rizzo was hitting but his injury has forced the very much struggling Alex Verdugo back into the lineup full time. Oswaldo Cabrera is trending the wrong way fast.

Nestor Cortes has a decent ERA, but the other metrics are starting to go the wrong way quick. Marcus Stroman is also starting to slip. Fortunately Carlos Rodon has started to improve and Gerrit Cole is capital-b Back. The bullpen has been solid, but there are a fair share of question marks. Luckily, the trade deadline is coming and perhaps moves can be made to answer some of those question marks.

It's easy to rest on a record like the one the Yankees have, but there's a lot of good teams that are looking to expose those cracks in the ship. July will start off with a 30-55 team, but then the Yankees have to go through the Red Sox, the Rays, and the Oriooles. Once they're done with the All-Star break, they'll have to go through the Rays, Mets, Red Sox, and Phillies too.

This is schedule either goes with the Yankees asserting their dominance over the rest of the league, or they're gunna find themselves back in the pack looking for their opportunity to get back to where they are now. There's only one way to find out.

Play ball.

**Mattchu12** · 08-11-2024, 06:47 PM

Re: The Bronx Zoo Is Back, a Mattchu12 New York Yankees Franchise | 2024

7/1 IN NEW YORK, NY -- The New York Yankees have the best record in baseball coming into July and they sit ten games above the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East. The next best teams in the league are the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Yankees currently have five more wins than either of those teams. They're also about to head into their roughest schedule.

This month is going to show the league what the Yankees are made of.

Other than the Cincinnati Reds, every team the Yankees will face in July is playing above .500 on the season. Most of them are teams that plan to be contenders this October. Every team has flaws, and the Yankees have their fair share. This month is the month when most teams make moves to address those flaws. The Yankees will be one of those teams trying to improve over the next month.

"It's easy to look at their record and think they're in a good position, but I expect they'll be one of the more active teams to try and shore things up on their roster," said Ken Rosenthal. "I'm expecting they will try to address a few different areas rather than go for that big singular move like some teams do this time of year. They're not blind to some of the issues that they have."

Let's take a look at where the Yankees are being successful and where they're trailing behind, and see if we can get some inside thoughts on what they might be looking to do this July.

Only the Dodgers and Cardinals are better in run differential. The Yankees have allowed 276 runs on the season, the least of any team in baseball. They've scored 385 runs, eighth best baseball. Clearly pitching is their strength. Why is that? Mostly because they do the two most difficult things in the pitching world the best: they lead in strikeouts and they allow the fewest walks. They also keep the ball in the park, allowing the fourth fewest home runs in the spot. Those three things have allowed them to tie the Chicago Cubs for the most shutouts in 2024.

The two main reasons for their success in the rotation has been Luis Gil and Carlos Rodon. Rodon has struggled with the "big loss" issue this season, either being lights out or ridiculously hittable, but he's been more good than bad overall. Now that Gerrit Cole is joining them, there's a lot to like on their starting pitching front. Nestor Cortes and Marcus Stroman are trending the wrong way, however. After hot starts where they dominated, their numbers are starting to slide.

"You can't forget that eventually, Gil is going to hit an innings limit. They haven't said what it is, but he's already at 100+ innings on the season. He's going to hit a wall at some point and the Yankees may have to move him to the bullpen to soften the blow. Rodon was also horrifically bad last year and has had more than a few dust ups this year, can't look at them as guarantees," said Buster Olney.

The bullpen has been overall fantastic. Clay Holmes has allowed two runs over twenty eight appearances on the season. Luke Weaver has been dynamite as the multi-inning relief, and Tommy Kahnle has yet to allow a run over twelve appearances since coming off the IL. Jake Cousins, Victor Gonzalez, and Michael Tonkin have been as reliable a middle-relief crew as it gets. Cousins in particular has been a strikeout machine for New York. Ian Hamilton started to struggle in May and June before hitting the IL. The final two spots have been rotated through all season, however. Caleb Ferguson had to be DFA'd. Shintaro Fujinami did not work out.

Their depth has been tremendously tested. Ron Marinaccio has been horrible and might not get another chance to come up. Cody Morris and Yoendrys Gomez both have struggled. Scott Effross, Nick Burdi, Jonathan Loaisiga, Lou Trivino haven't pitched at all this season. They're down to the Phil Bickford's, Jack Neely's, and maybe Alex Mauricio's of the world.

"They hope to get Efross and Burdi back as options by the end of the month, but the bullpen is a spot that they have to look at for additions," said Jack Curry.

Offensively, the Yankees are a bit of a mixed bag. They rank 7th in batting average, 8th in runs scored, 16th in doubles, 1st in home runs, 8th in runs batted in, 30th in steals and they're basically all Anthony Volpe, they have struck out the least of any team but walked the least as well. They're also near the bottom of the sport in errors, so they've not been fantastic defensively.

Anthony Volpe has been fantastic, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge are both MVP candidates, Austin Wells has been a gem as well. Gleyber Torres is finally getting back to being his usual self, but then things get very murky. Giancarlo Stanton was getting it going, but he's on the IL. Oswaldo Cabrera was arguably the best hitter on the team in April but has cratered since then. He seems to be only a platoon batter at this point, he's struggled mightily against lefties. Ben Rice is up and has hit well, he had a huge game in Toronto, but he's an unknown commodity.

Alex Verdugo is almost unplayable right now. He's hitting .187/.232/.292/.523 over almost two hundred plate appearances. Trent Grisham was hitting, but he's starting to fall off as well. Oswald Peraza came off the IL and was hot during the west coast roadtrip, but he's struggled since. DJ LeMahieu and Jose Trevino don't have amazing numbers, but they're at least hitting lefties. They've effectively been platooning with Grisham and Verdugo since Stanton has been out.

"If you think the pitching is worrisome, don't look at the under-the-hood numbers for the lineup. They started out as Soto-Judge plus a couple guys, they're still Soto-Judge plus a couple guys. Volpe and Wells are legit, but Gleyber and Stanton have just gotten it going, who knows if they're going to keep it going? Cabrera is a bench guy whose been forced into the lineup by necessity. They could use two or three bats to solidify that lineup, and that might not be doable at the deadline," said Jon Heyman.

Jasson Dominguez will be emerging at some point, early to middle of August is the latest word. You could see him take over in one of the outfield spots at that point. Stanton should be back as well and if he and Gleyber can keep it going, the Yankees may only have to look at the infield corners. It would behoove them to look for help that also comes with speed and defense as well.

If you take all that information, it would seem like potentially the Yankees need at minimum a bat and a few arms. In years past, the team might've told you that getting back Stanton, Dominguez, Schmidt, Efross, Hamilton, and Burdi would be like getting a bunch of deadline additions. General Manager Matt Pierce has promised that won't be his attitude this July.

"I think even with all those guys back, we can afford to get some help," said Pierce. "I've addressed the topic with the clubhouse a few times already. I love all 26 guys in there. I love a lot of the guys down in the minors. We've got personal relationships. Decisions that we make in the front office are business decisions because my job is to win a championship in 2024. That's my job. I'll be making moves to make us a better team. That's what we mean when we say All-In on this season."

Looking around the league, there are a few for-sure sellers already. The Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, Oakland Athletics, Los Angels Angeles, Miami Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, and San Francisco Giants are all a minimum of ten games out of both their division and the wild card. The Washington Nationals, Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, and the Chicago White Sox could easily join that bunch depending on how July transpires.

Jazz Chisholm, Jake Bell, Tanner Scott, Jesus Luzardo, Andre Nardi, Blake Snell, Sean Hjelle, LaMonte Wade Jr, Matt Chapman, Mark Canha, Andrew Chafin, Reid Detmers, Luis Rengifo, Carlos Estevez, Kevin Pillar, Lucas Erceg, Brent Rooker, Marcell Ozuna, Raisel Iglesias, Joey Meneses, Kyle Finnegan, Hunter Harvey, Patrick Corbin, Mike Sorka, Garrett Crochet, Alexis Diaz, Jaimer Candelario, Charlie Blackmon, Cal Quantril, Elias Diaz, Jose Cuas, Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Yimi Garcia, Tim Mayza, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Yusei Kikuchi all look like players of interest from that group of teams.

"I wouldn't be surprised to see the Yankees try to find a team that they can get a couple players from at once instead of making a bunch of trades. You trade for a Chisholm and Scott, or a Rengifo and Estevez, or even a Vladdy Jr and Garcia? That's a big swing for a team that is trying to improve multiple spots on the fly," said Curry.

The Bronx Zoo Is Back, a Mattchu12 New York Yankees Franchise | 2024

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