Yankees 2018 week three: Who’s hot and who’s not

For the Yankees, week three featured a resurgence in their rivalry with the Red Sox and one game against the Tigers. Some players rose to the occasion, while others folded under pressure. It’s time to find out who’s hot, and who’s not.

Before Tuesday’s game with the Marlins, the Yankees were sitting in third place within the AL East. With an 8-8 record and only one series win against the Tampa Bay Rays, some fans believe it’s time for our Yanks to get it going.

Who has been getting it done for the Yankees lately? We know Didi Gregorius is off to an all-star caliber start, but he slowed down a little during week three. Can you guess who didn’t? The player who hit his first 60 career home runs in fewer games than anyone else: Aaron Judge.

Who’s Hot

Yeah, Judge is smokin’ right now. He’s off to a better start this year than he was last! And last week he had an incredible slash line of .474/.565/.842.

It also looked like the Red Sox were able to awaken “The Kraken,” because Gary Sanchez had a big week. It’s taken him awhile to get going, but a two-home run performance in Boston last Wednesday inflated his season stats. His below .070 batting average last week is now .189.

Now we can’t mention anything about the Red Sox series without Tyler Austin. The way he slammed his bat after getting hit by Joe Kelly will be replayed over and over again. Not only did he start a Fenway brawl, but he’s also made the most of his opportunity with his impressive offense.

Another fan-favorite making the most of his opportunity is Ronald Torreyes, who batted .417 last week. Brett Gardner continues to get good looks at the plate. And Giancarlo Stanton is starting to find his groove as he batted an even .300 last week.

Making a triumphant return to the lineup after a 10-day DL stint is Aaron Hicks. He hit two home runs on Friday against the Tigers, but one of them was an inside-the-parker.

Hitters

Aaron Judge: 9-for-19, 7 R, 1 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 1 SB, .474/.565/.842

Gary Sanchez: 8-for-22, 5 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 1 BB, .364/.391/.773

Brett Gardner: 6-for-16, 7 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 1 SB, .375/.500/.438

Giancarlo Stanton: 6-for-20, 4 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 1 BB, .300/.391/.450

Ronald Torreyes: 5-for-12 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, .417/.417/.500

Tyler Austin: 4-for-10, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SB, ,400/.538/.600

Aaron Hicks: 3-for-11, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, .273/.429/.909

The offense, for the most part (minus Tuesday night) is rolling of late. With an important four-game homestand against the Blue Jays, the pitching they’re going to face should not slow them down. A concern to address is their pitching staff.

Pitchers

There are no pitchers featured on my Who’s Hot list because last week was not good for the staff.  According to the numbers, none of the starting pitchers had an ERA below 4.00. Luckily, the bullpen had a share of solid performances.

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Chad Green, Domingo German, Adam Warren, David Robertson, Luis Cessa, and Chasen Shreve were lights out last week. In the 12.2 combined innings pitched, they didn’t allow a single earned run. They also struck out 16 batters and had a WHIP of 0.94.

Outside of those members of the pitching staff, it was a subpar week for the pitching squad. Therefore, you’ll see a lot of their names pop up on the “Who’s Not” list.

Who’s Not

The offense has its share of struggles. The offensive performance at second base by Tyler Wade has been abysmal, which could only mean one thing — it’s almost Gleyber Torres time.

The latest reports on Torres indicate he has back stiffness and is resting. However, manager Aaron Boone has not entirely ruled out the Yankees promoting the star-caliber prospect sooner rather than later. Let the Torres countdown begin.

Wade earned his starting spot after an impressive Spring Training. Unfortunately, a good preseason performance does not always translate into early regular season success. Wade flunked last week at the plate, and now he’s losing hold of his second base job.

Splitting time at second base and first base is  Neil Walker. He’s also struggled so far, and things didn’t change last week. With all of the protection in the Yanks’ lineup, Walker needs to produce more than he has been if he wants to stay a Yankee.

What I would assume in the event Torres gets promoted, is either Wade or Walker get demoted.  Unless they send Miguel Andujar down, but he’s splitting time at third base with Torreyes.

The thing about Walker is youth is not on his side, he does not have speed, and his one-year contract makes him expendable. A season batting average of .188 also does not do him any favors.

Hitters

Tyler Wade: 0-12, 6 K’s,  .000/.000/.000

Neil Walker: 2-17 4 K’s, .118/.118/.118

The starting pitching staff was inconsistent last week. No one looked worse than Sonny Gray.  “Gloomy Gray” surrendered six earned runs in a short three-inning outing in Fenway.

Masahiro Tanaka also struggled despite getting the win in Boston. While Tanaka could look like an ace, he was far from dominant in his Wednesday start. He allowed two home runs, and a total of six earned runs and seven hits.

Tommy Kahnle and Dellin Betances continue to struggle. Kahnle’s decreased velocity and subsequent shoulder issue is the reason the club recently sent him to the 10-day DL. Betances’ struggles could be linked to a lack of command from his fastball, lack of a changeup and he’s overthinking.

Baseball is mental. The Yankees need the old Betances back, that was a four-time all-star. The only way fans will see him again is if he makes the necessary adjustments to gain his confidence back.

Combined, Kahnle and Betances coming out of the ‘pen pitched a combined 3.1 innings. In those several innings, they gave up a combined eight hits, six earned runs, four walks and six strikeouts.

Next: Judge continues to rewrite record books

Pitchers

Sonny Gray: 3.1 IP, 18.00 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 7 HA, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, .412 BAA

Masahiro Tanaka: 1 W, 5 IP, 10.80 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, 7 HA, 6 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, 3 K, .318 BAA

Dellin Betances: 1.2 IP, 16.20 ERA, 3.60 WHIP, 6 HA, 3 ER, 1 HR, 4 K, ,545 BAA

Tommy Kahnle: 1.2 IP, 16.20 ERA, 3.60 WHIP, 2 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, .333 BA