About Last Night: Yankees Win a Close One
- Ethan Semendinger
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
By: Ethan Semendinger
May 19th, 2026
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The offense had some different contributors as the pitching is starting to regress...but, a win is a win. No matter how close.
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Quick Stats -
Winning Pitcher: Paul Blackburn (2-1, 3.54 ERA)
Losing Pitcher: Yariel Rodriguez (0-1, 16.88 ERA)
Save: David Bednar (11)
Home Runs (Toronto): Ernie Clement (3), George Springer (3)
Home Runs (New York): Paul Goldschmidt (5), Cody Bellinger (6), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (5)
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Story Of The Game - That Mets series was just awful. The Yankees just couldn't get out of their own way and they out 'Mets' the Mets. I was at the game on Saturday. When Carson Benge dropped that ball, I could've sworn that the Yankees were going to go on a tear. And then they nearly did! Bases loaded, no outs...and then Rosario, Grisham, and Volpe let Luke Weaver escape the jam. And let's not get into Sunday either.
The Yankees are 2-7 in their last 3 series. In 6 of those games, the Yankees offense managed to score 3 or fewer runs. This offense has fallen off a cliff.
Let's look at some numbers going into Monday nights game:
Austin Wells was hitting to a .173/.292/.264 triple-slash with a .556 OPS/58 OPS+
Trent Grisham was hitting to a .166/.293/.338 triple-slash with a .631 OPS/77 OPS+
Ryan McMahon was hitting to a .183/.253/.283 triple-slash with a .541 OPS/52 OPS+
Jazz Chisholm Jr. was hitting to a .230/.312/.358 triple-slash with a .669 OPS/88 OPS+
Considering those are 4 of the Yankees starting 9, they have been setting themselves up for failure day-in and day-out. Baseball is a game of close calls and inches. Having 3 batters in the starting line-up under a .200 batting average is not getting unlucky. It's bad roster management.
It's truly amazing (and it's because of the starting pitching) that the Yankees are still well above .500 as a team.
Is there hope? Maybe...for some.
Austin Wells has regressed:
March/April: .200/.345/.343/.688
May: .125/.186/.125/.311
But,
Trent Grisham has improved...slightly:
March/April: .151/.298/.312/.610
May: .190/.284/.379/.663
Ryan McMahon has improved...slightly:
March/April: .167/.268/.250/.518
May: .208/.240/.333/.573
And Jazz Chisholm Jr. has improved, a lot:
March/April: .202/.281/.330/.611
May: .286/.369/.411/.780
A team can survive one bad bat. Especially if that comes with plus defense at a premium position. Either Grisham in center OR Ryan McMahon can be that player. Having both is leaning too heavy on the top of the line-up (Judge, Rice, Bellinger). Adding Wells to that mix is a recipe for disaster.
It's not time to look for replacements.
It is time to find an answer.
A true, legitimate answer.
Maybe the Tigers would be interested in a trade? They have an interesting catcher. third baseman, and outfielder...
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Thoughts From The Game - My goodness that was a game...
Let's get into it:
The Good:
Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Anthony Volpe were the offense tonight. That's a good thing, even though Aaron Judge and Ben Rice were not named. The Yankees need to have a line-up were each day another player (or two, or three, or four) can be the one to have a big moment. Tonight it was Goldschmidt, Bellinger, Chisholm, and Volpe.
Paul Goldschmidt had a lead-off home run to start the game and an RBI double in the fifth. I was doubtful of this move in the offseason, but right now it's working. (With Stanton hurt, Goldschmidt becomes worthwhile.)
Cody Bellinger hit an 8th inning 2-run home run to tie the game. He loves to take advantage of Yankee Stadium.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. also hit an 8th inning 2-run home run, which ended up being the winning run. He has been hitting well the past few weeks. Maybe he's turning the corner from a very bad March/April.
Anthony Volpe has been playing- and hitting- great over the last few games. He had a tremendous slide to avoid a tag at home and score a run, and has been playing all-around great baseball. Maybe the heart of competition with Jose Caballero is motivating him. (And if that's the case, GOOD!) I want Volpe to do well (even if I think he was overhyped and oversold to Yankees fans, but that's a front office/marketing mistake and not Anthony Volpe's fault).
Also: Shout-out to Max Schuemann, who went 1-2 with 2 walks. Small sample size, but he's up to a .286 AVG. Good for him, hopefully he stays a productive bench infielder.
Paul Blackburn and Fernando Cruz pitched scoreless (on their stat-lines) in their 1.2 and 1.0 innings of work, respectively. The bullpen has been worked hard this season, and they keep having to prove it night after night.
David Bednar collected his 11th save on the season. It was a ROUGH go of it, but he got George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. out back to back to end it. May has not been kind to Bednar. I'm hoping- nearly praying- for this moment to be his turning point back to what we was in 2025 with the Yankees.
The Bad:
Ryan Weathers lasted just 5.1 innings after giving up 7 hits and 5 runs (all earned). He did get 7 strikeouts, but his magic start may be faltering. I hope not (obviously), but I'm not sold on Ryan Weathers being a long-term option in the rotation...though, he will have to be with Max Fried out.
Aaron Judge has now gone 7 games without a home run. This ties his longest streak this season (the first being from April 4th to April 11th). His SLG has dropped nearly 70 points since May 6th (from .659 to .590), and his OPS is now under 1.000 (he is at .988).
Amed Rosario went 0-3. Meh.
J.C. Escarra went 0-3. He's batting worse than Austin Wells on the season. By Fangraphs offensive ranking, the Yankees catching ranks 7th worst in the MLB this year. By batting average, they are the 3rd worst. They are 8th worst in on-base percentage, and 4th worst in slugging percentage. The Yankees need a fix at catcher, ASAP. (And, unfortunately for me and my dreams, the answer is not Kyle Higashioka.)
David Bednar allowed a run and worked himself into a 2-on, 1-out jam in the ninth. His ERA has now climbed to 5.14 this season. It was a solid 3.55 in March/April. This performance also follows a recent trend: lots of pitches, lots of missing the zone, lots of people on base. He can fix it. He can be a solid MLB closer (we saw this in 2025). He's just off-kilter right now and needs a break. I'll always be rooting for him.
In Other News:
Gio Urshela has retired from baseball after 10 years in the MLB. He had some magic moments in the Bronx and was a great player in 2019 and 2020 for the Yankees after many years of very bad third basemen. He'll be remembered fondly in Yankee land.
Gerrit Cole could be coming up as soon as this weekend, according to some reports. With Max Fried on the IL and rookies like Elmer Rodriguez being called up and down to make spot starts, this is coming at the perfect time. I cannot wait for a fully healthy- and productive- rotation of Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and...well, I'll let you decide who should be the 5th man.
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Next Up - The Yankees will continue their 3-game weekday series at home against the Toronto Blue Jays with a Tuesday night match-up. The Blue Jays will be sending Dylan Cease (3-1, 2.41 ERA) to the mound against somebody the Yankees' Will Warren (5-1, 3.42 ERA). The game will start at 7:05 PM and be broadcast locally on YES and nationally on TBS.
