Something that the Yankees have desperately needed in this homestand was an impressive offensive showing, and they got exactly what they needed. With seven runs and 11 hits, some slumping Yankee hitters were able to lead the charge against the Oakland Athletics as they were able to pick up their second win in a row. Taking the mound today for the Yankees would be Clarke Schmidt, who was looking to build off of a strong start against the Rays, and he’d face off against the wild Joe Boyle.
Slumping Bats Break Out to Hand the Yankees a Win
This was a game that a lot of hitters on the Yankees sorely needed, as they were in a nasty slump that traced back to their series in Toronto against the Blue Jays. Aaron Judge had been terrible over the past week, and while he showed signs of life yesterday, he was in desperate need of a breakthrough performance. He got exactly that, giving the Yankees a two-run blast in the first inning and putting them ahead for good, taking a hard fastball from Joe Boyle and sending it into a sea of crazed fans in right field.
It was just the start of a scoring party for the Yankees, who hit three home runs and put up seven runs on the scoreboard tonight. Anthony Volpe would follow it up with an RBI triple that skipped under the glove of outfielder Lawrence Butler, scoring Austin Wells from first base and setting up Juan Soto for a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0. One inning later, Anthony Rizzo would deposit his second home run in two nights, the first time he hit dingers in consecutive games since May of 2023.
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With two hits on the night, his wRC+ on the season finally climbs to an above-average mark (102), and he’s seemingly coming alive. This would be a huge turnaround for a Yankees lineup in desperate need of depth, as it killed them last season and had been rearing its ugly head over the last week. Clarke Schmidt wouldn’t be able to put away 2023 demons however, as he cruised through his first five innings before surrendering a three-run blast in…the sixth inning.
It was a solid start overall, but you walk away desiring more, although the right-hander does have a 3.55 ERA on the season. You’d sign up for five innings of two or three-run baseball from Schmidt any day of the week, but you also know the stuff is good enough to be more than a backend starter. Luke Weaver came in for relief of Schmidt, firing 2.2 innings of scoreless baseball with three strikeouts, as he’s quietly begun to turn a corner after a rocky start to his season.
The Yankees didn’t stop scoring after it was 5-3 though, as Juan Soto deposited a ball into centerfield for his fifth home run of the season, and Alex Verdugo drove in their seventh run of the game on a sacrifice fly. Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe both had much-needed multi-hit games, and the Yankees are hoping to put a bow on this series with a win tomorrow, which will secure them a series win and a confidence boost as they travel to Milwaukee.
Nestor Cortes takes the ball tomorrow at 7:05 PM EST against Alex Wood, as the two southpaws do battle in the Bronx in the finale of this four-game set
