Every series from now on for the New York Yankees will be crucial. Since the All-Star break, the NY side has been a little bit shaky. However, they have managed to win eight of the last ten series. As a result, they have the best record in the American League at present. Since the team’s offense and defense have been working well, the team is benefitting from the players’ all-around effort as a group. They must continue with the good form so that they can make the postseason without any worries. Since the start of this season, the pitchers have performed decently, especially the starters.
However, in the middle of the season, they had gone through a slump as well. There was also a point when the starting pitchers were looking a bit shaky. The Bronx Bombers have been relying a lot on the offense, especially the Judge-Soto duo. But they know that they need everybody to contribute if they want to make the ‘Big Dance.’ Lately, they have more or less solidified their place on the top of the AL East. Next, they will meet the Washington Nationals.
What Will Be The Yankees’ Starting Pitching Lineup For The Crucial Series Against The Nationals?
This season, the Yankees have performed really well against teams above .500. They have a 50-34 record against such teams. On the other hand, the NY side has a far worse record against the lesser opponents, who are below .500. They have a 27-20 record against lesser teams. Hence, the AL East toppers are struggling with consistency against teams who are below .500. In fact, they have the 11th-worst record against lesser opponents. Currently, the Bronx Bombers have a 1.5-game advantage over the division rivals, the Baltimore Orioles. On the other hand, the Washington Nationals, have been performing really poorly as they went 12-18 in the last 30 outings. Hence, the Yankees will have to chalk a good plan out to win the series. As per reports, on Monday night, the Yankees might turn to Nestor Cortes, who’s having a rough season as he has been 7-10 so far this season.
Cortes will likely face off against Mitchell Parker. Nestor has a 4.00 ERA, but Parker has a 4.26 ERA. Moreover, Mitchell has been 7-7 so far. Moreover, on Tuesday, the NY side will turn to their ace hurler, Gerrit Cole. And on Wednesday night, to conclude the series, the Yankees will turn to Carlos Rodon as their starting pitcher. Questions might come up as to why they ain’t turning to Luis Gil. But the reigning AL Cy Young winner is gradually getting back to his groove. Gerrit Cole might face off against the southpaw Patrick Corbin on Tuesday. Next night, Carlos Rodon might match up against another lefty, Mackenzie Gore. Over the last seven starts, Cole has a 2.43 ERA, whereas Rodon has a 2.87 ERA.
Aaron Judge Makes It 51 HRs Already
On Sunday, the Yankees blew the Colorado Rockies 10-3 at home before getting ready for their on the road trip to the Capital. It was a great day for the offense of the NY side. Starting with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres joined the party to hit overall five home runs that day. They blew the Rockies hurlers left and right. Clearly, the Colorado side had no answers for the destructive offense of the Bronx Bombers. Moreover, there was no answer for the Home Run leader of the season. Aaron Judge hit his 50th and 51st homer of the season yesterday.
He joined the elite list of players who have three or more MLB seasons with 50 or more home runs each. Now, the Yankees Nation wonders if their captain can break the 2001 home run record of Barry Bonds. Can he hit over 73 HRs this regular season or some other season in the future? Judge can surely break his own AL record of 62 home runs with 31 more regular season games to go this year.
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