Yankees lock down another series win as road trip continues

The Yankees won two of three from the Blue Jays over the weekend and look for more against the Orioles and Indians in the final two series before the Midsummer Classic.

Despite some pitching woes and RISP failures, the Yankees took two games in Toronto and extended their series winning streak to four.

Sonny Gray’s struggles continued in Game 1 of the series. Aaron Boone pulled him after just two egregious innings. His line: 2.0 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. The offense could only muster five hits, going 0-6 with RISP. David Hale’s performance was perhaps the lone high point of the game. He tossed 5.2 frames allowing only one run. The final score was 6-2 Blue Jays.

Pitching coach Larry Rothschild discussed his work with Gray on making adjustments, as reported by New York Post’s George King:

“The inconsistency has cost him. He makes a good pitch and then a mistake and the mistakes get hit. There are a few things mechanically we will work on.’’

Luis Severino started Game 2 and despite not having his best stuff and allowing two home runs, he kept the Yankees in the game and collected his fourteenth win of the season. His line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K.

The game was a lengthy, rather tough one to watch. It included 165 pitches through first three innings and the entire game lasted 3.5 hours. The Yanks scored six against starter JA Happ, but the Jays offense kept the game close. The Yankees bullpen, however, continued to cruise, despite an earned run allowed by both Jonathan Holder and Chasen Shreve. The Yankees pulled through for an 8-5 victory.

Domingo Germán had a nice outing in the rubber match. He threw five scoreless innings before allowing a home run in his last inning of play. His final line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. After the Yanks scored one in the first against rookie starter Ryan Borucki, the bats went quiet. It wasn’t until the tenth inning when Brett Gardner delivered the hit that scored pinch runner Tyler Wade as the go-ahead run. Yankees won 2-1.

The Yankees head to Baltimore to face the Orioles in a four-game set starting with Monday’s doubleheader to make up for the postponed game on 5/31. CC Sabathia and Luis Cessa will make their respective starts. Masahiro Tanaka will make his first start since his DL stint on Tuesday and Sonny Gray will look to recuperate from his previous start in Wednesday’s game.

This season, the Yankees are 3-3 against the Orioles. The last-place team has a 24-64 record. It is absolutely imperative the Yankees take at least three of four games in this series, as they face a greater challenge against the AL Central division-leading Indians afterward.

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Some roster changes and DL activity occurred prior to the start of this series. Gleyber Torres headed to the 10-day DL with right hip strain. Gary Sanchez has begun baseball activities and appears to be on track for normal recovery.

Torres and Sanchez are expected to return following the All-Star Break. The Yankees also designated David Hale for assignment and recalled Clint Frazier and Tyler Wade from Triple-A.

The Yankees are still waiting for several of their players to heat up, particularly Greg Bird, Neil Walker, and Brandon Drury. It’s been a season-long struggle to find productivity at first base. Sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, however, have contributed tremendously as of late. Stanton has really heated up the past several weeks and Judge’s consistency remains an asset to the team.

Next: Yankees All-Star predictions

As the Yanks play their final two series before the All-Star Break, they hope to get better performances from their starting rotation, improve with RISP, and lengthen the streak of series wins before the break.