Yankees already in must-win mode as trade deadline approaches
Welcome to The Walk Off, the nightly MLB recap from Big League Stew. Here we’ll look at the top performers of the night, show you a must-see highlight and rundown the scoreboard. First, we start with a game you need to know about.
A seems a little early to be playing must-win baseball, but this season isn’t quite normal for the New York Yankees. As our attention turns to the trade deadline, the Yankees might be the most fascinating team in the game.
Are they contenders? Are they sellers? Will they break up that bullpen and start wheeling and dealing?
Each game from now until Aug. 1 might help determine that, so when Yankees skipper Joe Girardi called Sunday’s game with the Boston Red Sox “as important a game as we’ve had in July,” he wasn’t talking nonsense. The Yankees were looking at the prospect of getting swept by the Red Sox, and they sent Masahiro Tanaka to the mound against David Price in hopes of avoiding a post-All Star tailspin that might open selling season in the Bronx.
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As it was, that’ll have to wait at least one more day. Tanaka looked great Sunday night, the Yankees offense did enough and that stellar bullpen pitched three no-hit innings as the Yanks won 3-1. While one game doesn’t salvage the season, it certainly seemed to brighten the mood in the Yankees clubhouse.
Carlos Beltran, one of the possible trade pieces in said clubhouse, admitted this was a “must-win” for his team. And Tanaka — whose six-inning, three-hit, seven-strikeout night was most crucial — said through an interpreter:
“We didn’t necessarily have a meeting and talk about how important tonight’s game was, but I think everybody understood the importance. We needed to win today.”
If the Yankees can turn Sunday’s win into some momentum, they can gain some ground in the AL East, where their 45-46 record currently ranks fourth. They’re hosting four games against the first-place Baltimore Orioles starting Monday.
TOP PERFORMERS
Jacob DeGrom: Speaking of New York teams trying to figure out who they are for the second half, the Mets got a nice message Sunday from Jacob deGrom. That was a one-hit shutout of the Philadelphia Phillies that the Mets won 5-0. With their rotation battered, the Mets could use a strong second half from deGrom, and seeing him strike seven in the one-hitter will have Mets fans waking up happy on Monday.
Josh Donaldson: Fans of the Oakland Athletics, on the other hand, will probably start their day yet again cursing the Josh Donaldson trade. That’s because Donaldson gave the Toronto Blue Jays a 5-3 win Sunday in Oakland. Tied 3-3 in the ninth, Donaldson delivered a go-ahead, two-run double that proved to be the difference in the game. It hurts even more when it comes from an ex-fan favorite who was traded away.
Starling Marte: The most interesting game Sunday came as the Pirates beat the Nats in 18 innings. We wrote all about it over here. But Marte still deserves a shout out in this section. He had three hits in the marathon game, including the go-ahead homer in the 18th inning.
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT
We know Billy Hamilton is fast. All of baseball knows Hamilton is fast. And yet, the Milwaukee Brewers let him steal a win Sunday. In the ninth inning of a 0-0 game, Hamilton found himself on second base after drawing a walk and advancing when Joey Votto walked. Then Hamilton stole third without as much as a throw. Now, a single would have scored the speedy Hamilton whether he was on second or third, but those extra 90 feet proved costly for the Brewers. Reliever Will Smith bounced a pitch that got past catcher Jonathan Lucroy and Hamilton raced home on the not-so-common walk-off passed ball.
REST OF THE SCOREBOARD
Tigers 4, Royals 2: Jarrod Saltalamacchia (remember him?) hits a two-run, walk-off homer as the Tigers take two out of three from the Royals.
Braves 1, Rockies 0: In yet another walk-off win, Chase d’Arnaud’s single gives the Braves reason to celebrate in the bottom of the ninth.
Padres 5, Giants 3: Edwin Jackson takes a no-hitter into the seventh, and All-Star game starter Johnny Cueto gets roughed up in San Diego again (four runs in five innings).
Indians 6, Twins 1: The Indians keep winning, but Yan Gomes, whose slump the Tribe tried to break by the power of Jobu, gets injured in the process.
Marlins 6, Cardinals 3: Ichiro has a three-hit day, which means he’s now six away from 3,000.
Rangers 4, Cubs 1: Cole Hamels looks great — eight innings, four hits, seven Ks — as the Rangers avoid getting swept by the Cubs.
Angels 8, White Sox 1: Albert Pujols homers twice and knocks in four runs for the Angels.
Astros 8, Mariners 1: Jose Altuve has four hits and Carlos Gomez hits a grand slam for Houston.
Rays 5, Orioles 2: Evan Longoria homers twice for Tampa Bay.
D-backs 6, Dodgers 5: The Dodgers score five after the sixth inning, but fall just a tad short of the full comeback.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
