About Last Night: The Yankees Defeated the Dodgers 6-4
By Tim Kabel
June 10, 2024
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The Yankees salvaged the last game of the three-game series against the Dodgers. They avoided being swept at home, which would have been disappointing and embarrassing. They remain in first place in the American League East and despite losing this series, they had a winning homestand, going 4-2. They now have a seven-game road trip that takes them to Kansas City and Boston. This was a solid win and the Yankees received home run power from Aaron Judge, which was expected and Trent Grisham and Oswaldo Cabrera, which was not. The Yankees need to resume winning with regularity beginning on this road trip.
I had to listen to most of this game on the radio. In the first inning when Ricky Ricardo was going back and forth about whether Anthony Volpe had a hit or was out, I thought John sterling had emerged from retirement. Ricky Ricardo certainly has a flare when he is broadcasting the game. It was somewhat amusing when he referred to Luis Gil as “the Gila monster” Now that Ricky Ricardo is broadcasting games, it's only a matter of time before Fred Mertz gets in on the act.
Quick Stats –
· Aaron Judge has the fourth-most multi-home run games in franchise history, trailing Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Lou Gehrig.
· Aaron Judge is now batting .305, which is the fourth highest average in the league. In April, he was betting less than his wife’s weight. Maybe there is hope for Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo. Maybe not.
· Before Trent Grisham hit his three-run home run in the sixth inning, the fans were chanting, “We want Soto.” I wonder how long it will be before they start chanting, “We want Ausmus” when Aaron Boone comes out on the field. Perhaps it will be “We want Girardi.” It might even be “We want Stump”. They wouldn't have to do that one because Boone is simply a slightly more refined version of Stump Merrill.
· The Yankees have 46 wins and are 25 games over .500.
· Anthony Rizzo is batting .224 and has not hit a home run since May 10.
· Oswaldo Cabrera already has as many home runs this season as he did all of last year. Not bad for a relief pitcher.
· Aaron Judge now has 281 career home runs, tying him with Paul O’Neill for 192nd place on the career list.
· On June 9, 2012, Derek Jeter scored the 1,800th run of his career, passing Ted Williams on the all-time list.
The Big Story –
The Yankees lost this series to the Dodgers. They played the entire series without one of their two best players, Juan Soto. He will be back very soon. Gerrit Cole is on his way back. Clarke Schmidt will most likely be back around the All-Star break and should play a major role on this team. It is not the end of the world that the Yankees lost two of three games to the Dodgers. It is what happens moving forward that is important. That means not only on the field but off the field as well. There are some deficiencies on this team which need to be addressed. Yesterday, Dennis Santana was cut and replaced by Ron Marinaccio. Many of us had been calling for something like that to happen for weeks. Hopefully, that is just the first move over the next several days and weeks. As an aside, I would like to apologize for repeatedly suggesting that Michael Tonkin should be cut. He has been much better than advertised and right now, is deserving of a relatively prominent role in the bullpen.
Player of the Game –
Aaron Judge had three hits, including his 24th home run of the season.
Notable Performance –
Trent Grisham continued to do a good job filling in for Juan Soto by hitting a three-run home run.
Better to Forget –
Giancarlo Stanton was hitless again last night, continuing his hibernation. DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres were slightly better, getting one hit apiece.
My Take –
Last night, the Yankees won the game against the Dodgers. Luis Gil was not as sharp as he has been but kept the team in the game. The Yankees outslugged the Dodgers to win 6-4. They received contributions from Oswaldo Cabrera and Trent Grisham, who normally do not play. They also received a tremendous game from Aaron Judge, who plays all the time. The offense has been essentially carried by Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. Soto was out for his third game in a row. He should be back very soon. That will be wonderful, but it only masks the real problem.
Giancarlo Stanton has become a one-dimensional player, and that one dimension is not very good or consistent. He occasionally hits a tremendous home run. That's it. That is his only magic trick. If he were a magician, he couldn't get booked on the Poseidon. He cannot play the field. He is a terrible base runner. He is an abominable pinch hitter. He is occupying a roster spot as well as a spot in the middle of the lineup but not providing much. In short, he is not earning his keep.
Anthony Rizzo appears to be at the end of the line. He has not hit a home run in over a month and his batting average is plummeting. His defense, which was his calling card, is now shaky at best. He was finally benched last night but, we all know that we won't last. Aaron Boone will put him back in, probably beginning tonight.
Gleyber Torres is having an awful season. He committed some major defensive blunders in this series. His hitting has improved but it is still dreadful. It is just slightly less dreadful than it was before.
Those three players are a problem. However, they are not the biggest problem. The biggest problem is a manager who stubbornly puts them in the lineup along with DJ LeMahieu, every single day. Yes, I know Rizzo was out of the game last night, but Boone usually gives everyone a day off here and there. I don't think Rizzo’s absence will be anything more than a one-day event. Not only does Aaron Boone play them every day, but he also puts them in the middle of the lineup. They're usually lumped together. It's like getting four spoonfuls of castor oil all at once.
One of the most troubling characteristics of Boone as a manager is that he is not a very good manager at all but, he believes that he is a very good manager. He is not open to change. He dismisses any criticism or even mild questioning. He comes across as condescending and arrogant. Yet, this is his seventh year as the Yankees’ manager and he has never made it to the World Series. Not once. He swaggers like George Jefferson. When George did it, it was amusing and part of his character. When Boone does it, it is off-putting and out of place. He has done nothing to earn his level of confidence in himself. When he finally makes changes it's because he caves in to pressure. Remember when he benched IK F in the playoffs in 2022? Remember when he finally moved Aaron Judge out of the leadoff position that year? Those moves were made because he was taking a lot of heat. Right now, the team is winning. He is not feeling a lot of pressure. Yet, his inadequacies and poor decision-making skills are there. We just don't notice them because the Yankees outclass everyone they play. Well, they did until this weekend.
I have said it before, and I will say it again. The Yankees will never win a World Series with Aaron Boone as the manager unless they find a way to Boone-proof the team so thoroughly that he cannot possibly foul things up. I don't know if that is possible. A manager can improve but, if he thinks he knows everything and he is right all the time, there's no reason for him to change or improve. Thus, the Yankees will most likely not win the World Series this season, yet again.
Next Up –
Tonight, the Yankees open a four-game series against the Kansas City Royals at 8:10 PM at Kauffman Stadium. Carlos Rodon (8-2, 3.09 ERA) will face the Royals’ Seth Lugo, (9-1, 2.13 ERA).
