Life Without Juan Soto Wasn't Pretty, But Yankees Avoided Sweep

A really bad weekend was averted because the Yankees salvaged the finale of their mega three-game series against the Dodgers with a 6-4 victory Sunday night. This was just their third series loss of the season, but again, after two terrible nights on offense, the bats - minus Juan Soto who sat all three games - woke up just in time. Lets get to it.

I was in a pretty foul mood after the top of the sixth inning Sunday night when Luis Gil - who has been so outstanding all year - finally faltered and the Dodgers went up 3-2 after the Yankees had finally taken a lead for the first time in this star-studded three-game series that delivered gripping drama.

To that point, everything had gone the wrong way for the Yankees. Their bats were embarrassingly bad Friday in a 2-1 loss, then everything was terrible Saturday during an 11-3 blowout loss. And now even Gil, who has probably been the best starting pitcher in MLB this season, particularly when measured against expectations, lost his command, his invincibility, and ultimately, the lead.

And with Tyler Glasnow mowing down the punch-less Yankees - well, everyone except scorching hot Aaron Judge - it sure felt like a sweep was in the making.

Instead, perhaps the most shocking moment of the season occurred in the bottom of the sixth when Trent Grisham - one of the worst hitters in MLB with his .100 average - crushed a three-run homer to right to put the Yankees back up 5-3. From there they went on to a 6-4 victory in what was certainly one of the most entertaining games of the year. It really was a great game, one that had an October feel in early June.

“That’s a playoff atmosphere,” Judge said. “Fans came to see two great teams do their thing. I know the results weren’t what we wanted for the series, but for the guys to come out and answer tonight against one of the best pitchers in the game, that speaks volumes.”

So, the Yankees walked off the field feeling pretty good Sunday, but against a sure-fire World Series favorite there were some worrisome signs in this series pertaining to how they’ll perform in the postseason, assuming they make it there. Throughout the weekend there were way too many terrible at bats - none worse than Giancarlo Stanton; there was some shoddy defense that cost them runs; and the bullpen continued to show warts. These are the things that would derail any chance the Yankees have of ending their World Series drought.

Oh, and it was pretty obvious that this is a different offense without Juan Soto in the lineup. If we learned anything in these three games, Hal Steinbrenner better start freeing up hundreds of millions in the Yankee portfolio because he cannot let this get away in free agency, he’s too important.

Soto’s absence was glaringly evident in the first two games, not quite as much Sunday, but suffice it to say, the best thing that happened all weekend was the news that his forearm discomfort is not a serious issue. Aaron Boone said he won’t need to go on the injured list, and in fact, he’s probably going to be back in the lineup starting Monday when the Yankees open another tough series against the rising Royals in Kansas City.

With the Orioles having won three straight over the Rays, they gained two games on the Yankees and now trail by only 2.5 in the AL East race.

June 7: Dodgers 2, Yankees 1 (11)

The Lead: A complete no-show on offense

The loss of Soto was felt immediately Friday night as the offense got overpowered by Yoshinobu Yamamoto (and yes, the only good thing about the Yankees not signing him is I don’t have to spell his name all the time).

The $325 million Japanese phenom saved his best MLB performance for the Yankees with seven dominant innings allowing just two hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. Yamamoto had thrown only three pitches all season of 97 mph or better, but he dialed it up 25 times in this game, so he was clearly pumped to be in this big spot and the Yankees looked overmatched.

Who knows what Soto could have done against him - Verdugo moved into the two-hole and went 1-for-5 with two whiffs. But you’d like to think the Yankees wouldn’t have been shutout for 10 innings and score their only run of the game in the 11th with the help of the automatic runner.

Game notes and observations:

➤ Bright spots? Cody Poteet only made it through 4.2 innings, but the Dodgers did not score and he gave up only two hits and three walks. Losing Clarke Schmidt was a blow, so wouldn’t it be nice if Poteet can keep pitching like this, at least until Gerrit Cole is ready to return. Hey, maybe Poteet can replace Nestor Cortes who is regressing rapidly.

➤ Other brights spots? As you might imagine, with the exception of Judge who was on base four times - two hits, two walks and the lone RBI - the rest had to do with pitching. Victor Gonzalez came through in a big spot in the fifth when he replaced Poteet to face Shohei Ohtani with two outs and two men aboard and got him to ground out, albeit on a rocket to first that Anthony Rizzo made an excellent play on.

➤ Michael Tonkin. Man, what a surprise he’s been. DFA’d by the Twins and Mets in April, the Yankees have done something to change his fortunes. He went 1.2 innings and struck out one-man wrecking crew Teoscar Hernandez and also got Mookie Betts out. His ERA as a Yankee is down to 0.93.

➤ Clay Holmes threw an excellent 10-pitch ninth and Ian Hamilton worked the 10th and was helped tremendously by a terrible baserunning decision by automatic runner Andy Pages. He tried to advance to third on a grounder to Anthony Volpe and Volpe gunned him down which, at the time, looked like it might be a game-winning play because the Dodgers did not score.

➤ Ah, but no. With the game sitting right there to be won in the 10th, with three chances to get their free runner home, the Yankees failed and at that point, I knew they were losing this one. Grisham failed to bunt pinch runner Jahmai Jones to third before whiffing, then Jose Trevino and Volpe were retired by the worst pitcher the Dodgers used in this series, Michael Grove.

➤ And as I figured, the Dodgers won it in the 11th because they weren’t going to waste the free runner two innings in a row. Boone left Hamilton out there and after he walked Freddie Freeman, Hernandez - who did a mighty fine impression of the ultimate Yankee killer, David Ortiz, throughout these three games - ripped a two-run double to the gap in left-center. Judge’s RBI single cut it to 2-1, but Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo (of course) left him on first to end the game.

June 8: Dodgers 11, Yankees 3

The Lead: The most lopsided loss of the year

Hard to believe this was a 4-2 game heading to the top of the eighth and then the roof caved in thanks to some awful pitching by Tommy Kahnle and Dennis Santana. The 11 runs were the most the Yankees have given up all season as they were the last team in MLB to allow double digits in a game.

Kahnle drives me nuts with that god damn changeup of his. I understand it’s his out pitch, but he throws it way too much and after a while, if you keep throwing changeups pitch after pitch after pitch, MLB hitters are going to time it up, which is what Hernandez did in the eighth. Kahnle threw five straight and, surprise, surprise, Teoscar launched the fifth 424 feet for a grand slam to blow the game open.

Seriously, what the hell was that? It was just such a dumb approach for that at bat. Kahnle throws his fastball in the mid-90s, yet out of his 30 pitches he threw 18 changeups. Now granted, he had a tough assignment because he had to face the dynamic top of the Dodgers’ order. He walked Betts, then Ohtani reached because for the second night in a row, the maddening Gleyber Torres made an egregious error that might have cost the Yankees a double play, but at the least cost them a force at second. Kahnle whiffed Freeman, then walked Will Smith on nine pitches before serving up the grand slam to Hernandez.

As for Santana, our nightmare is over. After he gave up three runs in the ninth, not helping himself because all three scored after he kept the inning alive when he failed to cover first allowing Betts to reach for a two-out infield single, Boone pulled him in favor of Oswaldo Cabrera to mop up the game. Embarrassing on every level and the Yankees agreed. They DFA’d him Sunday and called up Ron Marinaccio who really has to come through because as I’ve said for a while now, the Yankees bullpen is a concern. This is not nearly as good a group as they’ve had in recent seasons and against a team like the Dodgers, it’s going to show up and man, did it ever.

Game notes and observations:

➤ It really is crazy how certain guys just feed off certain teams and as far as the Yankees are concerned, Teoscar Hernandez needs to go on a diet. He’s another in a lengthy list of guys who just seem to have it in for the Yankees, most of his previous damage coming when he was with the Blue Jays. He annihilated them again as he homered off Cortes in the second to start the scoring, had an RBI grounder in the sixth that made it 4-2, and then hit the grand slam off Kahnle in the eighth to blow it open.

➤ Cortes wasn’t terrible, but he wasn’t very good, either, and this was his worst start at home this year - 5.2 innings, four runs on seven hits and one walk. His third inning was poor because he walked Kike Hernandez and gave up a single to Chris Taylor, two of the worst hitters in MLB this season. Yeah, it was a bad weekend with these Hernandez dudes. That set up Ohtani to hit an RBI single for a 2-1 lead.

➤ Then in the fifth, Kike homered which, you gotta be kidding me. And in the sixth, Freeman doubled when Alex Verdugo butchered his routine fly to left, a really bizarre play by one of the best left fielders in the game this season. Smith then singled so Boone sent in Tonkin, off whom Teoscar hit his RBI grounder that made it 4-2.

➤ Once again the offense, with the exception of Judge who hit two more home runs, was miserable in the key moments. The Yankees had plenty of traffic against rookie Gavin Stone as he allowed eight hits and two walks in his 5.2 innings, but they scored only two runs because for the night they went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position, after going 1-for-8 Friday. In the first two games they left 19 men on base.

➤ DJ LeMahieu had his first two-hit game of the season, not that it mattered. Let’s hope he starts coming alive after his lousy start, but I don’t have much faith in that.

➤ As for Rizzo, the faith meter is at zero. He is, quite literally, one of the worst hitters in baseball now. When he’s not striking out, he can’t even hit the ball out of the infield. In the last calendar year, basically since his concussion in late May 2023, Rizzo has a .571 OPS which is third-worst in MLB among players with at least 400 plate appearances. Narrowing it to recent vintage, since May 14, Rizzo is batting .146 (13-for-89) with two doubles, three RBI, two walks and zero home runs, a slugging percentage of .186. He’s in a 1-for-29 rut since the start of June and is 7 for his last 62 which computes to a .113 average. Overall, his .623 OPS is fourth-worst among all first basemen. Boone finally sees it, and he sat Rizzo for the Sunday finale.

June 9: Yankees 6, Dodgers 4

The Lead: Welcome to the party, Trent Grisham

What was supposed to be the best pitching matchup of the series - Gil vs. Glasnow - actually wasn’t as both were great at times, vulnerable at others, and they wound up allowing a combined eight earned runs. Baseball, you just can’t predict what will ever happen on a given night.

And you couldn’t have possibly predicted what happened in that sixth inning as Grisham came through with the biggest hit of the series for the Yankees. Glasnow made a brutal mistake, a fastball right down the middle on a 2-1 count, and Grisham hit a no-doubter.

“Grish can get to a heater, and he didn’t miss it,” Boone said. “I’m just excited for him. He’s been a really good teammate through all this. He’s been ready. He’s accepted his role. He’s gotten a little bit of an opportunity this week, and he’s taken advantage of it.”

Grisham was Soto’s replacement in the lineup, though he played center and Judge moved to right. In this big moment with Verdugo and Judge aboard after singles, the sellout crowd began chanting “We want Soto” hoping for a pinch-hitting appearance. Didn’t happen, but he turned their mocking into roaring.

“I wasn’t too happy with it,” Judge said of the fans chanting, “but I think he made a good point; he got his point across with that homer.”

“Yes, I heard them,” a smiling Grisham said. “It wasn’t about that. I was just happy that I was able to stay present in the moment, worry about myself and put a good swing on one.”

Game notes and observations:

➤ In his last five starts against the Yankees - all with the Rays dating back to 2020 - Glasnow had owned them, a 4–0 record with a 1.45 ERA and a .113 batting average against. He also came into the game with an MLB-high 104 strikeouts this year, second-most by a Dodger in his first 13 starts with the team. He was still overpowering as he struck out 12, but giving up home runs to Grisham and Oswaldo Cabrera earlier ruined his night.

➤ As for Gil, the three earned runs allowed tied for his second-most of the year, as did his five hits allowed. He was cruising through four, but he got into trouble in the fifth because a series-long problem afflicted him: Like other Yankee pitchers, he struggled against the bottom of the Dodgers order. Andy Pages doubled, Gavin Lux singled, and that eventually turned the order and up came Betts with two outs. Though he had a fairly quiet series by his standards, Mookie loves big moments and he ripped a tying two-run double. And then in the fifth, Teoscar Hernandez did it again, a solo homer for a 3-2 LA lead. God almighty that was so aggravating.

➤ The Yankees had opened a 2-0 lead on Cabrera’s homer, and back-to-back doubles by Verdugo and Judge. Once the Yankees went back ahead on the Grisham homer, the seventh inning was pivotal. Caleb Ferguson allowed both Pages and Lux to reach again, so on came Luke Weaver and what an escape he came up with. First, Kike Hernandez tried to sacrifice and Trevino fielded the ball and gunned down the lead runner at third, an outstanding play. And then Betts grounded to Torres who turned it into an inning-ending double play.

➤ The Dodgers made it 5-4 in the eighth when Ohtani blooped a double and scored on Will Smith’s sac fly with Judge’s throw just a tad too late to get the speedy Ohtani. But then Judge launched his 24th homer of the season in the bottom half to give Clay Holmes a little more breathing room. Good thing because with two outs, once again the bottom-rung Dodgers made the finish dramatic. Lux and Hernandez singled so Betts came up as the go-ahead run, but Holmes struck him out to end it. As I said, great game.

➤ What a miserable series for Stanton. He went 0-for-14 with seven strikeouts on a weekend, with Soto out, where they really needed him to come through. Meanwhile, Teoscar Hernandez went 6-for-12 with three homers and nine RBI. He now has 17 career homers against pinstriped pitchers. To which Judge said, hold on. He went 7-for-11 with three walks, two doubles, three homers and five RBI.

➤ Gerrit Cole’s second rehab start at Double-A Somerset went well Sunday, 4.2 innings, two hits, one run, no walks, four strikeouts, 44 strikes on 57 pitches. He’s getting close to returning.

The Yankees are facing a very difficult month of June, and the Dodgers’ series was just the start. Next up is a week away from home where the first stop is Kansas City to play the surprising, up-and-coming Royals for four games. Next weekend, it’s three in Boston, and the following week a homestand that features showdowns against the Orioles and Braves. Man, that’s a load.

One at a time though, so the Royals are the first priority. This team won 56 games last year, yet they’ve already won 39. Shortstop Bobby Witt is a superstar with a slash line of .320/.371/.556, 11 homers, 16 doubles, 47 RBI and an OPS of 9.27. Catcher Salvador Perez is having an incredible season with an .863 OPS and 42 RBI considering many people thought he was done. First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino is healthy and raking, and the pitching staff led by starters Seth Lugo, Cole Ragans and Brady Singer has been outstanding. This will be a hell of a four-game test for the Yankees.

The pitching matchups are as follows: Monday at 8:10 on YES it’s Carlos Rodon (3.08 ERA) against Lugo (2.13); Tuesday at 8:10 on YES it’s Marcus Stroman (3.04) against Singer (2.76); Wednesday at 8:10 on Amazon Prime it’s Cody Poteet (1.72) against a TBD; and Thursday at 2:10 on YES it’s Nestor Cortes (3.68) against Alec Marsh (4.05).