The Yankees Take a Series Win at The Trop for The First Time in Forever
The Yankees faced the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. The Yankees have mightily struggled against the Rays for the past few seasons, and a covid outbreak within the team did not make things any easier for this series. The Yankees gave the ball to Jordan Montgomery in Game one of the series, and he delivered. Montgomery was brilliant through six innings of work. He allowed one earned run on two hits while striking out nine batters.
The Yankees’ offense scraped over a few runs to support Montgomery. Aaron Judge blasted a solo shot in the first, DJ Lemahieu scored on a passed ball, and Gary Sanchez hit a clutch home run to give the Yankees some insurance and make the lead 3-1. Jonathan Loasiga came in after Monty. Loasiga threw two shutout innings, and Aroldis Chapman got the save in the ninth. The Yankees took a 1-0 series lead.
The Yankees looked to secure the series win with their ace on the mound. Gerrit Cole looked to carry the Yankees on his back because of the struggling offense. Gerrit Cole was unhittable in this game. Gerrit Cole looked like one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball history in this game. Cole went eight shutout innings while allowing four hits, and he struck out twelve batters.
The Yankees struggled to give the dominant ace any run support. The Yankees scored their one and only run of the game in the seventh inning. Aaron Judge roped a single, and Gio Urshela smoked a double to set the Yankees up with runners on first and second. Aaron Hicks hit a sac fly to center, and the Yankees took a 1-0 lead. After Cole’s eight dominant innings Aroldis Chapman came on for the save. Chapman threw a 1-2-3 inning, and the Yankees secured the series win over the Tampa Bay Rays in this 1-0 game.
The Yankees looked to complete the sweep as they handed the ball to Jameson Taillon. Jameson Taillon struggled from the start. Taillon threw 4.2 innings while allowing four earned runs on six hits. As Taillon struggled he still managed to get nine strikeouts, but his outing was poor. Taillon continues to show flashes of dominance, but his inconsistency is killing the Yankees.
Mike King came in after Taillon, and he gave up a three run home run to Randy Arozarena. The Yankees now trailed 7-0. Justin Wilson came in after King, and the Rays offense continued to score. The Yankees trailed 9-0 heading into the bottom of the ninth. They avoided the shutout because Gio Urshela scored on a Clint Frazier double play.
The Yankees could not complete the sweep as they lost this game 9-1. The Yankees’ offense continues to struggle. The pitching which has been excellent was not there in this game. The Yankees had a positive series as they took the series win against their rival at the Trop.
By: Riley Briggs