Gerrit Cole Beats McClanahan. Volpe, Giancarlo HR’s Wake Up Yanks. NY 7 Tampa 2

August 3, 2023 paperbacklou 2023 0
Anthony Volpe wakes Yanks up and ties game with 2-run homer in 3rd.

The Yankees were at a new nadir and sinking fast.

Just before the game the Yankees announced that Domingo German was entering an alcoholic treatment program and was gone for the season.

Gerrit Cole then took to the mound and allowed a walk and homer to the first 2 batters, and NY was down 2-0 already, with Shane McClanahan — Tampa’s 11-1 ace on the other mound.

The Yankees were the Titanic — sinking fast in dead last after a horrible July and having lost the first 2 games to Tampa, and 2 of 3 before that to Baltimore.

And then… Gerrit Cole got mad and settled down.

And then… Anthony Volpe hit an opposite-field 2-run homer to right in the 3rd to tie the game 2-2. Five batters later, Giancarlo Stanton hit an opposite-field 3-run homer to right and NY was up 5-2.

And Gerrit Cole kept rolling — pitching shutout ball the rest of the way, finishing with 7 innings of 3-hit ball. Besting McClanahan in the battle-within-the-battle for Cy Young.

“We’ve had some of these games; now it’s about trying to string them together,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards. “Hopefully we can put together a consistent week. We know we have a good team coming in (Houston), more good pitching coming our way, but hopefully we can at least continue to make it difficult on opposing starters.”

NY improves to 56-52 and are now 10 games behind Baltimore, 8.5 behind Tampa, 3.5 behind Toronto, and 1 behind Boston. Tampa falls to 66-45.

1. Cole Dominant After Early Poke

Cole started out the game with 2 strikes on Yandy Diaz, but then walked him on 7 pitches. Next batter Wander Franco hit a 431-foot Bomb to right and it was 2-0 Tampa.

But then Cole got mad — retiring 12 of the next 13 batters, including a 1-2-3 inning in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. He struck out the side in the 4th.

By that time he was up 5-2.

“I changed a few of the pitch priorities and understood how the stuff was working tonite,” said Cole afterwards. “I wouldn’t say (the fastball) was plus tonite. The slider was good in chase spots but wasn’t really feathering the corner like it was last week. I believe I gave up 3 hits on it in 2-strike situations. It was kind of acting like the changeup tonite, although I think I only threw 3 changeups. The cutter seemed to have better command in the strike zone and the curveball seemed to be really sharp and seemed to be a good weapon to supplement the slider in those attack-count situations.”

Manuel Margot led off the 5th with a single to left but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double by Isiah Kiner-Falefa with a great tag by Gleyber Torres.

Cole pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 6th and 7th. Cole was helped in the 6th by a great catch by Harrison Bader in center.

 

Cole’s final line: 7 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, 8 K’s, 2 walks.

Cole is now 10-2 2.64 vs McClanahan, who pitched 4 innings allowing 5 runs and loses to go 11-2 3.29.

2. Volpe, Giancarlo HR’s Wake NY Up

Cole settled down but all still looked lost for the Yanks, down 2-0 to McClanahan who walked through the Yankee order like water in the 1st and 2nd — 1-2-3 innings and striking out the last 2 of the 2nd.

But in the bottom of the 3rd, Harrison Bader led off with a double, and next batter Anthony Volpe ripped a 345-foot, opposite-field homer over the short porch in right and it was a new game at 2-2.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa — who said he was relieved that he had not been traded at the night before’s trade deadline and was still a Yankee — poked a single to right with 1 out, and Gleyber Torres ripped a 2-out single to center, which brought up Giancarlo Stanton — who ripped a 406-foot opposite-field homer to right for a 5-2 NY lead.

It was then that the broadcast brought up that McClanahan hasn’t won a game since June 16th, when he was 11-1 2.12. This was his 6th start since then — and in those 6 starts he’s pitched 25.2 innings and allowed 21 runs.

3. Yanks Tack On 2 in 7th

The Yanks tagged on 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th off reliever Kevin Kelly. Isiah Kiner-Falefa worked a 1-out walk, and Gleyber Torres reached on an infield single with 2 outs.

Giancarlo Stanton got a clutch 2-out single to right and it was 6-2 Yanks.

Greg Allen ran for Giancarlo, and the Yanks ran a delayed double steal — Allen stole 2nd and the ball got away on the throw, and Gleyber scampered home — credited with a steal of home.

4. Kahnle & Holmes Wrap Up

Tommy Kahnle worked the 8th — striking out 3 amidst a 1-out single.

Clay Holmes worked the 9th — ground out, strike out, single, strike out of Jose Siri for the old ballgame.

Etcetera

  • Anthony Volpe went 3-4 to raise his average to .214 (.288 OBP)
  • Giancarlo Stanton went 2-4 to raise his average to .203 (.277 OBP)
  • Gleyber Torres went 3-4 to raise his average to .260 (.322 OBP)
  • Isiah Kiner-Falefa — the leadoff batter — went 1-3 with a walk and is at .259 (.325 OBP).

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401472645

 

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