I’m not sure how sustainable it is to only score in one or two innings per game (at best), but it worked for New York this weekend. After winning the series opener on the strength of a five-run seventh, the Yankees strung together three consecutive two-out hits with runners in scoring position this afternoon to break a 1-1 tie in the fifth and take the finale from Tampa Bay. It helped that Luis Gil was unhittable as per usual while minimizing the free passes that have plagued him thus far. The 5-4 win gives them six series victories in seven tries early on in 2024.
The opening frame was a microcosm of Gil’s season. He came out firing, relying heavily on his high-velocity fastball to get the first two outs. From there, it looked like his command deserted him. A four-pitch walk preceded a full-count battle against Isaac Paredes that ended the inning.
After throwing a ton of pitches in the first, Gil looked like he was headed to the dugout in the second after 10 pitches. Unfortunately, Jose Trevino didn’t help his hurler out, committing catcher’s interference that kept the inning alive. Gil whiffed the next hitter, but instead of a quick frame, Gil ended up at 38 through two. I don’t want to pile on Trevi, who’s an outstanding defensive catcher, but those are the mistakes that the Yanks can’t afford with a rotation that struggles to eat innings and a lot of upcoming games with no offdays.
New York managed to score in the bottom of the first, something they’d only done in one previous inning this weekend. Rays starter Aaron Civale walked both Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton, and with two out, Anthony Rizzo grounded an RBI single up the middle. For Rizzo, who’s been seriously scuffling, that hit had to be like a glass of water in a dry desert.
Alex Verdugo led off the home second with an infield single. After a Trevino fly out, Oswaldo Cabrera ripped a single and Anthony Volpe beat out a double -lay ball to put runners on the corners for Soto. At that point, I turned to the friend watching the game with me and said the dumbest thing I’ve ever said: “I’d pitch around Soto and make Judge beat me.”
Imagine saying that sentence at any point in the last two years. Civale pitched to Soto though and thanks to a great diving play at first, kept the Yanks off the scoreboard.
Gil surrendered the lead in the third and frankly, it was no one’s fault but his. After surrendering a leadoff double and advancing that runner to third with an errant pickoff throw that sailed into center field, Gil was one strike away from escape. Then, he balked. Just get the final out of the inning, Luis. But the runner baited him, he took it, and the game was tied.
From there, Gil shut the door. Quick, painless frames in the fourth and fifth left him having thrown 83 pitches with nine whiffs. And in the bottom of the fifth, the Yanks rewarded his excellent work. After a trio of two-out walks to Stanton, Rizzo, and Torres, the bats went into Ambush Mode on a seemingly exhausted Civale.
Verdugo, Trevino, and Waldo all swung at the first pitch they saw. A string of three-straight singles plated four runs and the Yanks suddenly had a four-run lead with Civale headed for the showers. It was surprising that Rays skipper Kevin Cash left him in, especially after the former Sock’s two-run knock, but I’m not complaining. Volpe whiffed to end the frame but New York had finally broken through. It was only the third inning of the series they’d scored runs.
Gil, suddenly with a big lead, came out for the sixth. He got two quick outs, but back-to-back walks put the tying run in the on-deck circle and ended Gil Bump Day. Aaron Boone turned to Luke Weaver to shut the frame down, which he did (though only after a bonehead E1).
Gil’s final line: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER (0 ER), 3 BB, 9 K, easily his finest start since his debut cup of coffee in 2021. As an aside, the double he surrendered in the top of the third was the first extra-base hit he’s given up all season on his heater. Not bad considering the rookie pounded the strike zone with that fastball.
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Weaver pitched through the seventh without incident, turning the game to Dennis Santana for the eighth. Unfortunately, Santana was not up to the challenge today. A pair of walks set the stage for an Amed Rosario double into the left-center gap. From there, Curtis Mead singled to center and in a heartbeat, the Yankee lead was down to 5-4. Santana managed to retire former Yankee (allegedly) Ben Rortvedt to get out of the frame.
With Clay Holmes having thrown in two straight and Ian Hamilton throwing a lot of pitches Friday while getting touched up, Boone turned to Victor González for the ninth. The southpaw brought the winning run to the dish after a two-out walk, but he kept his cool and ended the contest on a bit of a web gem after deflecting a groundball up the middle.
The slick play secured both the 5-4 victory and González’s second save of the season.
That was entirely too interesting, given the four-run lead the Yankees held entering the eighth. But a win is a win and it’s big to win the series over Tampa Bay after dropping two of three to another division rival in Toronto. Join us tomorrow as the Yanks host the Athletics, who will sadly be wearing “Oakland” across their road uniforms for the final time in the Bronx. Former Yankee JP Sears takes the ball for the A’s against Carlos Rodón. First pitch will be at 1:05 pm EDT.
