About Last Night: Yanks Topple Dodgers
- Paul Semendinger
- Jun 2
- 3 min read
June 2, 2025
***
Last night the Yankees defeated the Dodgers 7-3.
On This Day - in 1941, Lou Gehrig, The Iron Horse, passed away.
Quick Stats -
Ryan Yarbrough - 6 ip, 4 hits, 1 run = WIN
D.J. LeMahieu - 4 hits, 2 RBIs
Ben Rice - HR
Devin Williams - 1 ip, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts
Tim Hill, 1 ip, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout
Game Notes -
The Yankees struck first. In the first inning, after Paul Goldschmidt was retired, Trent Grisham singled. Aaron Judge then popped out. Ben Rice followed with a walk before Jasson Dominguez drove home Trent Grisham wish a single. Anthony Volpe then walked to load the bases, but Austin Wells grounded out to end the inning. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers' pitcher, threw about 28 pitches in the first... possibly a good sign for the Yankees.
In the second, DJ LeMahieu led off with a single. (He did?!) He was moved to third on a wild pitch and a ground out, but the Yanks failed to score him.
The Dodgers tied the game on a Tommy Edman solo homer in the bottom of the second inning.
In the third inning, the Yankees made things happen. Aaron Judge walked. Ben Rice hit a moon shot to dead center to give the Yanks a 3-1 lead. Later Anthony Volpe singled, went to third on an Austin Wells single, and scored on a wild pitch giving the Yankees a 4-1 advantage. After three innings, Yamamoto was over 75 pitches. He didn't look sharp, at all.
With Yamamoto out of the game, the Yankees scored twice in the sixth inning. Jasson Dominguez walked. An out later, Austin Wells walked. DJ LeMahieu then had another hit (?!) scoring Dominguez. The next batter, Oswald Peraza, also singled, scoring Wells. This gave the Yankees a 6-1 lead.
Meanwhile, Ryan Yarbrough scattered only four hits (and the one run) through the first five innings. What an addition he has been to the team!
Jonathan Loaisiga came and gave up homers to Andy Pages and Max Muncy.
Devin Williams pitched a perfect eighth inning for the Yankees.
D.J. LeMahieu collected his fourth hit and picked up his second RBI in the 9th.
Tim Hill pitched a perfect ninth to close it out.
Player of the Game -
Ryan Yarbrough - 6 innings, 1 run. He was brilliant and has been brilliant as a starting pitcher.
My Takes -
Aaron Judge got a called strike on a 3-0 pitch off the plate. David Cone, announcing the game, said, "The count affects the strikezone. It just does." In short, it shouldn't. A strike is a strike is a strike and if it's not a strike it isn't a strike. That doesn't matter if I'm pitching to Judge or Max Fried is pitching to me. It doesn't matter if it's 0-2 or 3-0. The rules aren't supposed to change based on situations.
I say it always on these ESPN games, but I greatly dislike it when they interview a player during the game. This also holds true for the mangers who have never, in the history of forver, said anything other than mundane talking points when interviewed. "We really battled." "They were focused." "We did what we needed to do." "I liked his approcch." It's all a bunch of nothing statements that distarct from the game.
I actually feel sorry for Buster Olney who is reduced to asking the questions and pretending like he's even interested in what the managers say.
I am of the belief that every game matters (of course), but I don't think games in June have any bearing on games in October. No player says, "The beat us six months ago so we're in trouble in the World Series if we meet again." These are professional athletes, on very good teams, they believe they can win every game. Of course. That being said, if the Yankees had blown this game, I do believe it would have been a portent of bad things to come. The Yankees seem to fall into these swoons under Aaron Boone and have difficulty pulling themselves out of those funks. Thankfully, the Yankees won and this is a moot point.
I'll have more at 2:00 p.m. today in my "Perspectives" column.
Next Up -
The Yankees are off today. They resume play tomorrow at home against the Cleveland Guardians. Carlos Rodon will be on the mound for the Yanks.
The bottom line on 2B-3B is that DJ is at 83 OPS+, Peraza at 59, Vivas at 49, and Reyes at 38. None of these guys would be my choice for a starter, but DJ is, at least for now, obviously better than the alternatives. So when Jazz comes back, you use the least defensively damaging alignment, with Jazz at 3B and DJ at 2B. I hope Cashman can shake the trees and find a better 3B option so Jazz can go back to 2B, but that's not under his control. The next best option (as has been discussed here) is looking for a better 2B option, so at least DJ can go to the bench as a utility guy.
Judge didn't hit a homer, but Yankees won.
Cam Schlittler actually did the Tuesday-Sunday wrap around SP thing in AA. Did OK but lost on Tuesday, 4.1IP, 6H, 2R, 2 BB, 6K... Sunday: W, 5 IP, scoreless, 4H, 6K....seems they keep him at about 88 pitches or less per outing. Can we please see him start for SWB on Friday or Saturday? His Ks per 9 are slightly down from his 32.1 innings last year in AA, but his walks are down even more if my quick in my head calculations are right. At worst he would be the #3 SP in AAA. He's at 53 IP this year. His K/BB last year at AA was about 3.5 to 1,…