For about six and a half hours, the Yankees showed glimpses of their power at the height of their power, a team that would surpass all other teams all the way to the World Series.
And for clubs that still have holes remaining, there are glimpses of what could go wrong along the way.
After winning 8-0 behind the help of Austin Wells, Aaron Judge and Carlos Rodon, the Yankees gave up five runs in the sixth inning and lost a heartbreaking 9-4 to the Rangers in front of 41,996 fans in the Bronx in a doubleheader. The Yankees (69-49) bounced back from a long slump with nine wins from 13 games.
But with the trade deadline looming, concerns remain about the team’s starting rotation, relief pitching and ability to hit left-handed pitchers, all of which will be important on a tough night of games.
First, the positives: The Yankees initially showed off a strong, deep lineup that could do some damage in October.
Judge reached base in four of his five at-bats in the opener and threw 35 pitches, making the job easier for hitters behind him.
Gleyber Torres’ first-inning RBI single gave the Yankees the lead, and Wells’ two-run single and two-run double sealed the victory.
In a game that was left largely in doubt, the Yankees knocked out Nathan Eovaldi for six hits, including a couple of hits, in just three innings.
“We, [Eovaldi]”They wore him out a lot,” said Wells, who looked a natural in the cleanup hole.
Wells, the cleanup hitter, is batting .362 (21 hits in 58 at-bats) with six runs, three doubles, one triple, two home runs and 13 RBIs in 14 games.
“I think it’s working well so far,” Wells said of the batting order.
Wells was left out of the lineup for Game 2 and was replaced by Giancarlo Stanton as the team’s cleanup hitter facing Cody Bradford.
The team’s struggles against left-handed pitchers have come to the surface again.
The Yankees entered the game with just a .705 OPS against left-handed pitchers, 13th-worst in the MLB and far worse than their major-best .796 OPS against right-handed pitchers.
They again came up short against left-handed pitchers, allowing just four singles in five innings against Bradford and scoring just one run. Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled in the second inning, stole second base and scored on a single by Torres.
“We feel like we have the guys there to fix that a little bit,” manager Aaron Boone said of the team’s struggles against left-handed pitching, and said Stanton’s return is encouraging.
The Yankees couldn’t score after the second inning until the eighth inning when Stanton and Chisholm (his second of the day) hit consecutive home runs, but the lead was so great that it became garbage time.
Gerrit Cole’s strong, short start was in vain, and the Yankees crumbled when he left the game after throwing 90 pitches in the sixth inning.
The Yankees were cautious when they brought their ace to the mound after his last outing was postponed due to general fatigue.
Without Cole, the bullpen faltered, as did a third baseman who was still learning the game.
The sixth inning was a rough one, with normally solid pitcher Luke Weaver coming in to replace Cole and giving up singles to Nathaniel Lowe and Adolis Garcia.
Leody Taveras hit a gaping ball to right-center field and Juan Soto followed it up nicely and nearly made a spectacular diving catch, but couldn’t get it.
Lowe and Garcia had to stay near the base until they saw the ball drop.
Soto threw to Torres, who threw a strike to third base, and Chisholm, who only needed to touch the base, instead tried to tag Rowe.
A Rangers challenge meant Chisholm’s touch proved to be too late.
Chisholm said he believed Soto had made the catch, which is why the tag was required.
The play became significant after Weaver walked, scored one on a sacrifice fly and then Corey Seager hit a three-run homer that effectively ended the game.
“That was definitely devastating,” said Weaver, whose ERA improved from 2.81 to 3.50.
The problems didn’t end there for the Yankees’ relief pitchers, as Michael Tonkin gave up five consecutive hits and three runs with two outs in the seventh inning.
The Yankees’ starting pitching staff showed some positive signs, if not spectacular ones.
Rodon (5 2/3 innings, no runs, three hits, five walks, six strikeouts) and Cole (5 1/3 innings, six hits, one run, two walks, 10 strikeouts) both struggled but mostly got through with their offense.
Rodon relied on a strong bullpen, and Cole watched it implode.
Saturday’s game finished 1-1, but there were things to like and things to be concerned about.
“It’s been a long day,” Weaver said.
