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With three straight wins, the Yankees continue their dominance, posting a 56-20 record. 7 games better than the Astros, 8 better than the Mets. All is well in the world.
I've said this on numerous platforms now, but the cushion of wins in a very competitive AL East is just mind boggling. If the season ended today, the Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Rays would all be in the three Wild Card slots. The Yankees currently have a 13 game lead of first place.
The Red Sox are 43-33 and in 2nd place with a heavy hill to climb. Looking around the entire league, what would 13 games give you from first place?
4th Place in the AL Central - Tigers are 12 games back (29-45)
4th Place in the AL West - Mariners are 12.5 games back (36-41)
4th Place in the NL East - Marlins are 12 games back (34-40)
3rd Place in the NL Central - Pirates are 13 games back (30-45)
4th Place in the NL West - Diamondbacks are 13 games back (34-42)
That's how good the Yankees are, and a testament of the competition in the American League East.
This series had it's ups and downs, but the Bronx Bombers walked away with the sweep. Even against one of the worst team in the leagues, they let their guard down, but ensured they didn't lose.
Things got out of hand, and I was so-so on it, that the team was playing some bubblegum game mid way through competitions. I thought it was funny, but also kind of like, really?
Nevertheless, the Yankees continued their surge, and start to finish their stretch of games before the 4th of July day off. Here's a list of what I felt after the series.
Things I Loved
Who doesn't love a 7th inning rally? After Blowing a 1-0 lead in the first, and then trailing 5-1, Stanton kicked things off with a 4th inning homer. Judge knocked in a sac-fly RBI in the 5th, and then the flood gates opened. A catcher interference walks in a run, a Donaldson and Trevino RBI doubles, and Marwin Gonzales brought in one too. The final score of that game was 9-5.
Loving the passion from Aaron Boone as always. Aaron Judge had a rough night on Monday, going 0-4 with 3Ks. After a few questionable calls, Boone was fed up and got his moneys worth in front of the umpire. I'm all for this.
JP Sears with the spot start, have yourself a night kid! 5.2 innings pitched with 3 hits, 0 earned runs, 1 walk, and 1 strikeout. Effective as ever and proving his value. I am not sure what the plan will be with him. He is the ultimate filler guy, and could provide excellent longevity down the stretch when some of the main rotation guys need a rest. He also could be a valuable trade chip to bolster the roster for the Chase for 28. Either way, he's been fun to watch this year.
Things I Didn't Love
The starting pitching hit a hiccup. Montgomery allowed 5 earned runs on Monday, and Taillon tallied 7 hits and 3 earned runs. Nothing too concerning just yet, but hopefully they get back into stride.
Joey Gallo is detrimental to the teams success. Since becoming a Yankee last July, he boasts at .164 batting average. He is hitless in his last 24 bats, and has 13 strikeouts. The guy can't buy a ball if his life depended on it right now, and it's very concerning. I can't envision him being on this team much longer.
What's Next?
The Yankees have a random one game against the Astros with Luis Severino on the bump. Would definitely like to win this one after the last series. My bet of the night? Giancarlo Stanton has homered 3 times in the last four games against the Astros. He is +330 to hit one today.
Hammer it.
They then will head off to Cleveland to take on the Guardians. The G's have been hot and cold, but just battled out a split series against their own division rival, Twins. Another sweep would be magnificent to keep the momentum going.
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