About Last Night: Angels 5, Yankees 1
By Derek McAdam
July 19, 2023
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The New York Yankees dropped yet another game last night against the Los Angeles Angels, losing by a score of 5-1 and fall to 50-46 on the season.
Quick Stats:
W: Patrick Sandoval (5-7): 7.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
L: Domingo German (5-6): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 9 K
Gleyber Torres: 1-for-3: Solo home run (14)
Albert Abreu: 2 innings, 1 hit, 4 strikeouts
Big Story: The Angels didn’t take long to get on the board, as Mickey Moniak hit a two-run home run in the 1st inning to give them a 2-0 lead. In the 3rd, Torres put the Yankees on the board with a solo home run to cut the Angels’ lead in half at 2-1. However, in the bottom of the inning, the Angels scored a run on a wild pitch from German to retake a two-run lead.
In the 5th, Shohei Ohtani sent a rocket down the right-field line, scoring Zach Neto and giving the Angels a 4-1 lead. Moniak followed up with an RBI single to score Ohtani and give the Angels a 5-1 lead.
Neither team scored for the rest of the game, as Patrick Sandoval and the Angels’ bullpen managed to shut down the Yankee offense, while Albert Abreu came in and finished the final two innings for the Yankees.
Player of the Game:
Patrick Sandoval pitched an excellent game for the Angels, following up a nice start that they received from Griffin Canning from Monday night.
Notable Performances:
Shohei Ohtani continued to give the Yankees a problem at the plate last night, but Moniak also contributed with a three-hit night, driving in three of the Angels’ five runs.
Better to Forget:
There’s no reason in including any single individual, but the entire Yankee team would likely want to forget last night’s loss. It was another frustrating loss where the Yankee offense struggled, and it doesn’t seem as if they’re anywhere close to snapping out of such struggles.
My Take:
It’s hard not to rant about how bad this team is. But folks, this is a BAD team. Sure, Aaron Judge’s injury definitely derailed this team, but we have now had over a month to see how the team could respond. They’ve responded by showing that they’re one of the worst offenses in the league and that this team is going to be stuck in a salary cap jam for many years to come, especially with the contracts of Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and DJ LeMahieu. I’m not saying that all of these players are bad or not performing, but none of their contracts will be taken on by another team.
Anyway, let’s focus on last night’s game. It was another boring game to watch as a Yankee fan. There was no offense, whatsoever, and if the Yankees were able to get any runners on base, they didn’t cross the plate. Situational hitting is something this team has no concept of, and it has been a kryptonite of theirs.
German gave the Yankees six innings, but giving up more than three runs is going to be a problem with how the offense is performing. Albert Abreu’s appearance might have been the Yankee highlight from last night.
Since the 2022 All-Star Break, the Yankees have an 85-81 record. That’s right, they’re a .500 team. This is not a team that is just having one bad season. This started last year, and the Yankees have yet to recover from it. They look absolutely lifeless and are not showing many signs of turning the ship around.
Of course, something has to change. The first move that has to be made is that Brian Cashman has to go. Unfortunately, Cashman just signed a contract extension this past off-season, so Hal Steinbrenner may be hesitant to let him go. If the Yankees continue playing like this, Aaron Boone may keep his job for the rest of the season, but that will be it. He will ultimately be another scapegoat for Cashman’s failures, although he has also made many poor decisions.
The fact that this organization is still trying to upgrade before the Trade Deadline is astonishing. This team is not even in the playoffs, but three games out of a Wild Card spot. They want an upgrade at catcher, which will be a hard get, pitching help, which may also be a challenge, and a corner outfielder. Their wants just show how far off they are.
This western road trip has shown who the Yankees really are… a bad team. If they lose tonight, they’ll have lost five of six to sub-.500 teams. But as I mentioned, over the past year, the Yankees are a .500 team, so what else could we expect?
Let’s just hope the Yankees don’t get swept tonight, and can hopefully come back home and receive a refresher.
What’s Next?: The Yankees will finish out the western swing tonight against the Angels, and will look to avoid a sweep. Carlos Rodon is most likely to start for the Yankees, while Ohtani is also likely to start for the Angels, although neither starter has been confirmed. The game is set for a 7:07 p.m. EST start.
