About Yesterday
- ebotti0
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
Yankees 9 Orioles 4
Ed Botti
May 2, 2026
On an overcast afternoon in the Bronx 46,049 faithful Yankee fans showed up to watch the somewhat surprising 21-11 Yankees face off against their division rival Baltimore Orioles, looking to improve upon their 15-17 record, despite having 11 players on the disabled list.
On the mound we saw a match up of Yankee lefty Ryan Weathers (1-2 3.21 ERA) square off against Orioles righty Kyle Bradish (1-3 4.20 ERA).
Not exactly Guidry vs Palmer.
The Yankee game plan was evident from the start; make Bradish throw strikes or take his very generous pattern of walking hitters (2I in 34 innings) and then make him pay when he is forced to throw a strike.
That is exactly what they did.
By the end of Bradish’s 4 inning outing, he walked 4, gave up 6 hits and 5 runs.
Weathers on the other side of the diamond pitched well enough to bring his record to 2-2 by throwing 5 innings while giving up 3 hits and 1 earned run, on a Pete Alonso home run.
He survived a shaky defensive 6th inning, but his teammates picked him up to secure a solid 9-4 win and their 22nd victory in 33 games played in this young 2026 season.
Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham (2/3 of the best outfield in Baseball) made sure the Yanks would secure number 22 by hitting three home runs, two doubles, six RBIs and six of the Yankees’ 11 hits and reaching base in seven of nine plate appearances on this day.
Bellinger finished the day by going 4-for-4 with two home runs, a double and 4 RBI. Grisham chipped in by going 2-for-4 with a home run, double and a walk.
Quick Stats:
2B Grisham (3, Bradish); Bellinger (7, Bradish); McMahon (1, Bradish); Escarra (3, Enns).
HR Bellinger 2 (5, 2nd inning off Bradish, 0 on, 0 out, 5th inning off Akin, 0 on, 0 out); Grisham (5, 4th inning off Bradish, 1 on, 2 out).
TB Bellinger 11; Chisholm Jr.; Domínguez; Escarra 2; Grisham 6; McMahon 2; Rice 2.
RBI Bellinger 4 (20); Chisholm Jr. (11); Grisham 2 (18).
2-out RBI Bellinger; Grisham 2.
Team RISP 4-for-9.
Team LOB 6.
Weathers 5 innings, 3 runs, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 2BB 5 Ks.
Big Story:
The Yankees have now won 12 of 14 and are continuing to send a strong message to the rest of the League.
Not only can they hit for power, but they are also causing a lot of havoc on the bases, running hard, and making their opponents make plays, or suffer the consequences.
Seven of the nine Yankee hitters contributed with base hits while five of nine took their walks and handed the baton to the next in line.
Couple all of that with fantastic starting pitching, and you have the recipe for winning baseball.
As we saw last year, every game counts, and yesterday's win was as important as a win in late September. Kevin Cash and his Rays are playing great, and the Blue Jays are heating up and playing pretty well. Both will have something to say about the AL East before all is said and done.
Player(s) of the Game
Cody Bellinger and his 4 for 4 afternoon gets the belt. Not only does Bellinger have a sweet lefty swing, he also continues to remind the Yankees and their fans that he is a superior
outfielder and base runner in addition to his lethal bat.
In other words, he is a complete player.
Notable Performances:
He didn’t have a huge role in the game, but Tim Hill came out of the bullpen and threw 1 pitch to get out of a jam in the 7th. It was the 8th time so far this season that he needed only 1 pitch to get a big out.
Better to Forget:
A little confusion in the Orioles half of the 6th inning between Rice at first and Caballero at shortstop on a what could have been a game changing play. Lucky for the Yankees, they were able to get out of a pretty tough situation, add on, and secure the win.
My Take:
Just 3 short weeks ago or so, Yankee GM Brian Cashman reiterated that Anthony Volpe will be the everyday shortstop as soon as he is judged to be ready to put stress on his surgically repaired shoulder.
That was a pretty innocuous remark to make at the time because Volpe’s fill in Jose Caballero, was struggling with both his offense and defense, while Volpe was on the threshold of beginning his ascent through a minor league rehab assignment.
However, since April 10, Caballero has become the type of “do what it takes” player winning teams want and need by going 23-for-72 (.319) with four home runs and seven stolen bases, by just being a tough out and aggressive base runner, and by positioning himself to make the plays in the field.
In other words, playing the game of baseball and utilizing his skill set to the maximum and not trying to be anything more than what he is, regardless of what some bean counters in the front office say.
Cabellero will never be confused with Derek Jeter, that is for sure. But, as we have come to learn, neither will Volpe.
Over the years, I have seen both of them play quit a bit, and personally I haven’t seen the athleticism to be an upper level, everyday major league shortstop. I think both of them have a second baseman’s arm, with average range, and mediocre footwork.
Having said that, I am pleasantly surprised by the improvement of Caballero.
Remember folks, this is a player that Tampa essentially gave away last season for
Everson Pereira and a player to be named later, who became outfield prospect Marshall Toole.
Tampa traded Pereira to the White Sox and Toole is hitting .176 in A ball.
Meanwhile Cabellero is playing a pretty darn good brand of baseball, at least for the first 33 games of 2026.
I wasn’t at spring training this year, so I didn’t see it firsthand, but I have to give Dan Fiorito, the new infield coach, a heck of a lot of credit for his turnaround in the field.
So, the long and short of it is, what was once viewed as a short-term fill-in situation may now actually be a shortstop competition/controversy.
I personally didn’t see that coming, at least not with Caballero. Time will tell if he can keep this level of performance going, the odds aren’t in his favor, but who knows?
The bottom line is winning, and the Yanks are winning with Caballero at shortstop.
For the time being, I see no reason to change that.
Next up- The Yanks and O's do it again today at 1:35. The game can be seen locally on YES or listened to on 101.9 FM or 660 AM (WFAN). O's # 3 prospect, righty Trey Gibson, makes his MLB debut against Yanks Ace Max Fried. Max is looking to improve upon his great start (4-1 with a 2.09 ERA) and keep the ball rolling.
Enjoy your Sunday!
