by Tamar Chalker
April 28, 2023
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After a slugfest on Wednesday, the Yankees used another strong start by Gerrit Cole and a big offensive night from backstop Jose Trevino to kick off their road trip into Texas with a victory. Holding a one-run lead into the late innings, Trevino capped off his night with a solo shot in the ninth to give New York a 4-2 win over the Texas Rangers.
Unfortunately, Aaron Judge was pulled from the game in the fourth with discomfort in his right hip, putting a bit of a damper on the evening.
Quick Stats:
Gerrit Cole went 6.2 innings and gave up two runs on one walk and six hits. He struck out eight.
Michael King picked up his first save of the year, throwing 2.1 innings and holding Texas hitless, with just one walk and two Ks.
Jose Trevino went 3-4 with a home run.
Big Story:
Pitching and solo shots were the name of the game on Thursday. They were enough to make up for some misplays in the field. While the Yankees weren’t given any errors, there were some ugly plays that could have been far worse. Still, Cole pitched another strong game and Michael King was strong the rest of the night. Between that and the early lead, the game didn’t really feel nearly as close as it was. Of course, the Yankees' key second inning could also have been much bigger if it weren’t for the home plate umpire giving a wild Heaney some help. The Yankees started the second inning with back-to-back jacks from DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres. Oswald Peraza was hit by a pitch and scored on a single by Anthony Volpe. The bases were loaded with two outs and a full count to Anthony Rizzo, who watched the third strike cross the plate at his shins. It was a truly awful strike call that should have at least given the Yankees another run and perhaps knocked Heaney out of the game pretty early. Instead, he bounced back and kept the Yankee bats quiet through the sixth inning. Players of the Game:
Jose Trevino went 3-4 and had added some insurance in the ninth with a homer. Michael King’s hitless 2.1 innings were crucial, giving him his first save of the year. Notable Performances: Gerrit Cole looked solid and only isn’t a player of the game because he’s already set the bar rather high for himself this season. He still looked great with 6.2 strong innings and eight Ks. Better to Forget: IKF continues to struggle at the plate, going 0-4. My Take/Random Thoughts (in no particular order):
I’ve enjoyed watching the Yankees run more this year and get younger and faster, not necessarily depending on power hitting. I hope they continue to go in that direction, but it is also nice to see them hit a few homers and get a long start from their ace.
The Yankees won a good game against a pretty decent Rangers squad, but I can’t help but think that had Rizzo gotten that walk in the second the game might not have been close at all.
Aaron Judge didn’t look right in his at bats and I hope that whatever discomfort he has is minor because the Yankees can’t depend on an outfield of IKF, Hicks,and Cabrera to do much at the plate. That being said - I think IKF is showing some good signs defensively in center. He almost had a nice play and managed to at least keep the ball in front and also was backing up Hicks when he made a less than stellar play in left.
Jose Trevino exudes joy when he plays like this and it is infectious.
Next Up: Clarke Schmidt will try to pick up his first win of the season. He is 0-2 in five starts with a 6.30 ERA over 20 innings. He has 24 Ks and only six walks, but is getting hit for a .298 average. Meanwhile, Texas sends Jacob deGrom to the mound. The big righty is 2-0 with a 3.04 ERA and has racked up 43 Ks and issued only 3 walks while holding opponents to a .182 average. First pitch is at 8:05pm (EST).
