Looking to avoid getting swept by the Colorado Rockies for the second time in as many weeks, the New York Yankees will send their big left-hander to the mound.
- Colorado Rockies (34-36)
- New York Yankees (34-36)
- Interleague, 1:05 pm ET, YES Network
- Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
After three feel good wins against the lowly Minnesota Twins, they dropped the series finale in unconvincing fashion and proceeded to play a dreadful ballgame back at Yankee Stadium against the Rockies.
The Yanks got a brutal outing from Ivan Nova, who appears destined for a trip back to the bullpen, and went a miserable 0-10 with runners in scoring position. Long story short, it should not be a hard act to improve upon.
In order to right the ship and come away with a split, the Yanks will go with their former and newfound ace to stop the bleeding.
It is hard to put into words just how good CC Sabathia has been. Between his transformation, his sheer results, and his poise, he has reinvented himself into one of the most reliable arms in baseball.
Since May 1, the southpaw leads baseball with his absurd 0.82 ERA. Putting the whole season on the table, he has yet to allow more than three earned runs in one particular outing. Last time out at Target Field he was strong once again in allowing a mere one earned run on six hits over six frames.
Opposing him on the mound for Colorado will be 24-year-old Jon Gray. The youngster dealing in his second year in the bigs continues to improve and solidify himself in the Rockies’ rotation. Putting his overall numbers aside, he is 4-2 with a 4.12 ERA over his last seven starts and has pitched to a stellar 2.25 ERA over his last three outings.
Those three starts include a brilliant 12 strikeout performance against the San Diego Padres back on June 5 at Petco Park. He will look to execute his sixth straight quality start in his first Yankee Stadium appearance.
Lineups
Yankees vs. Rockies today at 1:05pm on @YESNetwork and @WFAN660 pic.twitter.com/2hHjU1Jsya
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) June 22, 2016
#Rockies 6/22 Lineup
C Blackmon CF
D LeMahieu 2B
N Arenado 3B
C Gonzalez RF
T Story SS
R Raburn DH
M Reynolds 1B
N Hundley C
B Barnes LF— Daily MLB Lineups (@DailyMLBLineup) June 22, 2016
Players To Watch
Didi Gregorius (NYY)
The Yankee shortstop has been sensational over his last 30 days and has been pretty darn impressive all year. His .286 batting average, 6 homers, and 31 RBIs have exceeded expectations as the 26-year-old continues to solidify himself as a staple for the future.
In a month’s work, Didi is slashing .339/.379/.486. Over his last 15 days he is slashing an outstanding .357/.400/.571, and it keeps getting better. .429/.448/.750 is his slash over the span of his last seven games with two homers and 10 runs batted in.
Nolan Arenado (COL)
Colorado’s superstar just keeps swinging. He hit his league leading 21st homer last night and reached the 60 RBI plateau. By the way, we have not reached July. The guy manning the hot corner for the Rockies is nothing short of a stud, and he continues to mash against the Yankees as well.
In the three games thus far between the two times, Arenado has gone 6-13 (.462) with two homers and seven runs batted in. His homer last night provided insurance and was a dagger in the Yankees’ hopes of mounting a comeback.
Bold Prediction
New York gets seven strong innings of two-run ball from Sabathia to keep them in the mix and the offense continues to struggle. However, Alex Rodriguez comes through with a game-tying two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings. The Yankees end up coming away with a win and a series split thanks to a walk-off single from Brett Gardner.
