Difficult to stop Aaron Judge and the Guardians were his latest victim with the home run. Judge hit his major League leading 48th long ball Thursday afternoon to help the Yankees score a 6-0 win in the Bronx. The Yankees took two of three from the fading AL Central division leaders.
But it wasn’t all about Judge at Yankee Stadium. And it wasn’t about Juan Soto, though he scored a run. Then again, the Yankees, 15-8 in their last 23 games, have been a Judge and Soto offense. Thursday, though, starter Gerrit Cole (5-2) did his part tossing 6.0 one hit innings in consecutive starts, the Guardians lone hit was a leadoff Steven Kwan single to right-center.
That was it for the Guardians, a lineup with struggles. Their loss also could determine positioning in the postseason among division winners. The Yankees have the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage if final standings determine that outcome for October baseball.
The Yankees are having their struggles also, particularly when Judge and Soto are not a major part of getting runs across the board. Thursday, they scored six runs, pitched a shutout and managed to get six hits. Tuesday night in the opening game of the series, a bullpen parade for manager Aaron Boone, the Guardians got the 9-5 win as they scored six runs in the 12th inning in the over four-hour marathon and longest game in the pitch clock era.
But the Yankees will take the win, and another series as they continue to battle the struggling Orioles for first place in the AL East, a division that most likely will go right down to the wire. And if Giancarlo Stanton gets the home run trot going (a three run home run (#21) in the 5th inning) and if the rest of the lineup can follow with timely hits, then the Yankees can run away with this division.
It appears Jazz Chisholm Jr is returning sooner than expected. Oswald Peraza was optioned to Triple-A, so a major cog to the lineup will make his presence known again Friday evening when the Yankees open a three-game series against the lowly Rockies at the stadium. Series wins down the stretch of course could determine final outcomes, including three games with the Orioles at Yankee Stadium September 24-26, among their final six games of the season.
“It was big to get that series,” Stanton said. “Every series is going to be big the rest of the way.”
However, Cole is also a cog to their pitching rotation. He is out of that spring training mode coming off a late start to his season due to inflammation of his right elbow. Cole had his command with some walks and the fastball was vintage of his Cy Young Award season of 2023, joining Justin Verlander (216) and Clayton Kershaw (212) as active pitchers with 150 wins.
“Start with Gerrit,” said manager Aaron Boone. “150 wins in the big leagues is a pretty cool number, and a Hall of Fame track. I feel like we’ve really thrown the ball well as a group. There have been a couple of tough losses in there around us throwing the ball well but today was more of that All four guys were really in control.”
He mentioned Nestor Cortes and his 7.0 scoreless innings Wednesday evening and the Yankees 8-1 win. And Tuesday night, Luis Gil was moving along after giving up three early runs until lower back tightness pulled him out of the game and on the injured list.
Carlos Rodon has been pitching better and keeping the home run ball to a minimum. So if Cole continues to pitch like an ace again, and there are little doubts he will regress, the Yankees will be in good hands down the stretch.
“It’s really about your teammates and how often you take the field and play well,” Cole said. Though Cole did issue five walks, striking out two and that lone single showed how significant he is to this rotation even with the unusual free passes. It was according to the Elias Sports Bureau the first time in Yankees history they allowed a hit to the first at-bat and nothing after that.
Regardless, Cole and the Yankees are also feeling good with a schedule in their favor. They have won eight of their last 11 series. Bullpen issues, though a concern not only for the Yankees but for 29 other teams, are more a reason why they need length from Cole and their rotation.
It’s true though, pitching to Judge is difficult and he handled the Guardians. The Yankees know the significance here. They won another series and it was from a division leader.
Rich Mancuso X (Twitter@ Ring786) Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso