Throughout their excellent month of May, the Yankees have been able to rely on great performances from virtually their entire ensemble. Aaron Judge and Max Fried are the leading men, but it feels like every day a new cast member steals a piece of the spotlight. Backup catcher J.C. Escarra stepped up today with a 3-for-4 performance and two RBI, which were key contributions in a nail-biting 5-4 victory over the Rockies. With the win, the Bombers have clinched six consecutive series wins, and maintain a six-game lead over second-place Tampa Bay in the AL East.
Like the previous two games of the series, the Yankees grabbed a run in the first. A pair of hits set up an RBI chance for Cody Bellinger. He grounded a potential double-play ball to second, but beat out the throw to first to earn an RBI on the fielder’s choice.
The Rockies responded to that run by grabbing two of their own against Will Warren, who had excelled in his previous three outings but seemingly had to take a beat to adjust to the altitude effects of Coors Field. Jordan Beck attacked Warren’s first pitch of the afternoon and lined it to right for a double, which set the tone. After another single and a walk loaded the bases with none out, Warren tossed a ball in the dirt to Ryan McMahon, which eluded Escarra long enough for Beck to score from third. McMahon then poked a grounder to first base, which allowed the second run to score and the Rockies to take a 2-1 lead.
After striking out Brenton Doyle, Warren appeared to give up a third run when Michael Toglia belted a grounder to the shortstop hole and was ruled to have reached on an infield hit. Anthony Volpe made a terrific play to get to the ball and fire to first, and after skipper Aaron Boone challenged, it became clear his throw had beaten Toglia to first. The call was upheld, and that run off the board proved to be essential.
Warren escaped the bases-loaded-nobody out jam with just two runs allowed thanks to his shortstop, who would immediately pick him up at the dish. Volpe followed his defensive brilliance with a triple to lead off the second, and Escarra slapped a double down the left field line to bring him home and quickly tie the game.
No longer trailing, Warren’s stuff roared back to life. He bounced back from that long first inning with a nine-pitch 1-2-3 second. He was untouchable in the third, striking out the top three hitters in Colorado’s order, all on sweepers which moved just fine in the mountain air. He then fanned the first two men he saw in the fourth before a walk to Toglia ended the K streak. A weak tapper from Mickey Moniak retired the side—Warren had seven K’s overall after four. Thanks to the impending showers, that would wind up being his final line: two runs on two hits with two walks.
To Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela’s credit, he also settled down after looking rough out of the gate. He retired the side in order in the third, then worked around an Escarra single to put up another zero in the fourth. But once Paul Goldschmidt and Ben Rice reached base ahead of Judge, interim manager Warren Schaeffer didn’t allow Senzatela to face No. 99 a third time. As rain began to fall at Coors Field, Judge greeted new reliever Jake Bird with a blistering double down the left field line to give the Yankees the lead back.
Schaeffer then elected to walk Bellinger intentionally to pitch to Jasson Domínguez. As rain continued to pour, Domínguez scorched a line drive into deep right center, but Brenton Doyle made an outstanding catch to save at least a run, maybe two. It was still a sac fly, and the Yankees wrapped up the road fifth up a pair, 4-2.
Volpe followed with a lengthy at-bat which was interrupted by crew chief Andy Fletcher’s decision to dispatch the grounds crew. After an hour and 46 minute rain delay, the at-bat resumed, this time with Jimmy Herget on the mound. Volpe flew out to right center, bringing the frame to a bit of an anticlimactic conclusion.
Thanks to the lengthy delay, Warren’s day was done, so Jonathan Loáisiga stepped in to pitch the fifth and sixth innings. He retired the first five batters he saw without incident, but with two down in the sixth the Rockies struck quickly. McMahon singled and was brought around to score on a double from Doyle which Domínguez had trouble tracking. Mark Leiter Jr. was able to retire the side after a wild pitch and walk to preserve the 4-3 lead.
Following a scoreless bottom of the seventh from Leiter, the Yankees grabbed what would ultimately become the game-winning insurance run with two outs in the eighth. Domínguez worked a walk against Tyler Kinley, then stole second base—a superbly timed steal, might I add—to set the table for Escarra, who came through once again in an RBI situation. He lined a single to right over the outstretched glove of the first baseman Toglia to earn his first career three-hit game, plating Domínguez and restoring the two-run margin.
The Escarra knock also brought in two valuable runs, the second of which was the difference in the game. He also continued his excellent work with Warren as a battery, and has continued to impress as an elite framer behind the dish. We hear about pitching factories all the time—the Yankees have one of those. They also have a catching factory. Fewer organizations can claim that.
Devin Williams was the next man up for Boone’s bullpen in the eighth, and he struggled a little with his command. He alternated a single and a walk with a pair of strikeouts to bring the potential go-ahead run to the plate in the form of Toglia. But Williams climbed the ladder to strike him out and end the threat.
In the ninth, Luke Weaver came in for the save and was ambushed by the leadoff hitter Moniak, who pounced on a 1-0 fastball and hit it into the seats in right to close the gap to 5-4. It was the first homer allowed by Weaver since last October. Then, a pair of one-out singles put the winning run aboard. Battling subpar fastball command, Weaver won a long battle with Ezequiel Tovar, getting him to fly out to right and secure the second out. He then gingerly fielded a comebacker from Hunter Goodman and carefully tossed it underhand to Goldschmidt to quell the Rockies’ rally and secure the expected result: a series win in Colorado.
The Yankees will follow this surprisingly close series with a three-game set against the surprisingly hot Los Angeles Angels, who won eight consecutive games before dropping a pair to Miami. The Yankees have yet to announce a starter for Monday night’s opener, though nominal fifth starter Ryan Yarbrough would be on normal rest and ready to go; the Halos will tab young righty Jack Kochanowicz. First pitch is set for 9:38pm ET on YES.
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