Cynicism is very much in this summer. If it were an ice cream flavor it would be flying off the shelves in the midst of the late-summer humidity—which has only exacerbated everybody’s foul moods. Every lighthearted mention of something cool or good that took place in the world tends to be habitually followed up with a grouchy “yeah, but have you heard…?”
For instance, hey, the Yankees keep winning more often than they lose despite not having many of their most impactful players. Yeah, but did you see that the Rays have won nine straight games? Yeah, but did you see Will Warren’s dud of a start? That guy can’t be relied upon! Yeah, but did you know we’re out of milk? The HORROR!
But the fact remains: the Yankees remain good despite it all. They even added another come-from-behind victory to their stash last night, overtaking the Mariners ahead of the final bend and switching on the turbo thrusters in a 10-5 series-clinching triumph. And what’s more, the Red Sox are crashing down to earth, giving the Bombers additional breathing room in the top Wild Card spot as they try to burn some sage or do whatever it takes to stop the white-hot Rays.
Never lacking for starting pitching, the Yankees get the luxury of turning to Max Fried in the finale as they aim for a sweep of Seattle. Fried was a bit bumpy in the first two innings of his previous start, in which he faced his former friends in Atlanta for the first time. But after allowing a leadoff single in the third, he didn’t allow a single baserunner the rest of the way, twirling a scoreless 6.1-inning performance which proved instrumental in allowing the Bombers to complete an invigorating rally later in the evening. (As an aside: I was there for that game, and you can see me on the broadcast amongst a sea of fired-up fanatics in the right field seats after Ben Rice’s game-tying hit.)
The Mariners also never lack for starting pitching—though several of their top-flight arms have underachieved this year. Not so with Logan Gilbert, who remains among the most consistent right-handed starters in MLB. Gilbert did the best he could to stifle those incendiary Rays last time up, notching a quality start with two runs over 6.2 innings (Tampa won anyway). His previous time out he completed seven full innings against a Minnesota team that can really hit, permitting three runs on five hits. The M’s are in a massive funk, but if New York completes the sweep, the 29-year old is not likely to be the main reason why.
Trent Grisham won last night’s game belt in the clubhouse, and for good reason. New York’s leadoff man stepped up with a three-hit, two-homer, 4-RBI night which helped the Yankees reach double-figures in the run column for the first time since a 12-4 win on July 9th over none other than Tampa. Naturally, he’s back in that leadoff spot this afternoon ahead of Ben Rice and Spencer Jones, who doubled twice out of the three-hole last night. Luis Garcia Jr. bats cleanup, then George Lombard Jr. hits fifth, the highest up in the order he’s gone so far. Jazz Chisholm Jr. hits sixth ahead of José Caballero who will play right field—he, Ryan McMahon and Ali Sánchez bring up the rear.
With Fried on the mound, the Mariners will give lefty-hitting infielder Cole Young the day off. Young has been among the M’s most reliable starters, but he will sit along with rookie shortstop Colt Emerson (a more understandable decision there; Emerson has not had the same caliber of start as his 21-year old shortstop counterpart in the opposite dugout). Leo Rivas and Weston Wilson, two guys hitting below the Mendoza Line, draw in. No complaints here.
How to watch
Location: Yankee Stadium — The Bronx, NY
First pitch: 1:35 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES, Mariners.TV
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY), Seattle Sports 710 AM (SEA)
Online stream: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv (out-of-market only)
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