This Week in the Bronx - Week 13
A Blog By Brett
What a miserable week of baseball. Honestly, a miserable two weeks! The Yankees have now lost nine of their last thirteen games. In this slump, the Yankees were also swept in a 4-game series by the Toronto Blue Jays, which effectively knocked the Yankees out of first place in the American League East.
The good news is they are still very much a playoff team and should continue to challenge for the division. I am not giving up hope due to a bad stint. One could say the Yankees have overachieved to this point in the season, given the vibes entering 2025 with losses of Soto, Cole, and Gil (still hasn’t returned).
Series 1: Toronto Blue Jays (Away)
Game 1: L 5-4 | Game 2: L 12-5 | Game 3: L 11-9 | Game 4: L 8-5
Series 2: New York Mets (Away)
Game 1: L 6-5 | Game 2: L 12-6 | Game 3: W 6-4
Losing Clarke Schmidt this week to Tommy John surgery was the icing on the cake for this current slump. As a result, Cam Schlittler is being called up to the big league squad to help stabilize this depleted rotation. Schlittler is definitely someone to get excited about if you are a Yankees fan.
Schlittler has been an animal in the minors this season. He has pitched in both AA and AAA, and as a result, owns a 2.82 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 99 strikeouts across 76 2/3 innings.
Starting Rotation:
Carlos Rodón LHP
Max Fried LHP
Marcus Stroman RHP
Will Warren RHP
Ryan Yarbrough LHP
Cam Schlittler RHP
I can appreciate someone making an argument to defend this rotation, as Rodón & Fried have been nothing short of spectacular this season. Stroman, Warren, and Yarbrough are all serviceable options, but this group is not going to win you a World Series title. The pitching has been awful the past week, and needs reinforcements.
Brian Cashman must get creative at the deadline, or this team is dead on arrival come playoff time.
Names I would like to see the Yankees go after via trade:
Sandy Alcantara RHP (Miami Marlins)
Mitch Keller RHP (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Andrew Heaney LHP (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Seth Lugo RHP (Kansas City Royals)
Jeffrey Springs (LHP)
Edward Cabrera (RHP)
Merrill Kelly (RHP)
Obviously, Alcantara is going to cost the most in terms of prospect value, but he is a stud and would be worth it. Plus, he is under contract through 2027. The rest of these arms are affordable, and the Yankees could add one, possibly two of these seven starters, without having to give an arm and a leg to bolster the rotation. I wouldn’t hate looking to add a reliever as well, even though I am confident in the bullpen as is, but it never hurts to add talent.
Arms to Highlight Across the Past Week:
Tim Hill —> 4.2 IP | 2 K | 1.93 ERA | 2 HLD | 0.43 WHIP
Jonathan Loaisiga —> 4 IP | 3 K | 2.25 ERA | 1 HLD | 1.50 WHIP
Ian Hamilton —> 2.1 IP | 1 K | 3.86 ERA | 1 HLD | 1.71 WHIP
Notable Team Cumulative Pitching Statistics Thru 7/6:
+ 2nd in H (666)
+ 4th in SO (809)
- 14th in QS (34)
- 15th in ERA (3.84)
I will continue to reiterate this until the deadline. The Yankees NEED to add depth to the lineup. Some bats are starting to step up in a more consistent fashion, like Jasson Dominguez, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Cody Bellinger. It would be so beneficial for the Yankees to go after a third baseman at the deadline. Acquiring Nolan Arenado or Eugenio Suarez could be huge for this team.
Bats to Highlight Across The Past Week:
Aaron Judge —> 3 HR | 7 RBI | .409 BA | 7 R | 9 BB | 1.485 OPS
Jazz Chisholm Jr. —> 2 HR | 4 RBI | .273 BA | 3 R | 4 BB | .976 OPS
Jasson Dominguez —> 2 HR | 5 R | .423 BA | 2 SB | 1.213 OPS
Notable Team Cumulative Hitting Statistics Thru 7/6:
+ 7th in AVG (.255)
+ 1st in BB (358)
+ 3rd in R (462)
- 4th in SO (801)
The Yankees have two challenging tests this week as they face the Seattle Mariners and the Chicago Cubs. A rebound with two home series in a row would be nice!
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