ESNY’s State of the New York Yankees: Welcome back, Bombers!

The New York Yankees looked strong in a visit to Baltimore and even stronger in a home sweep of the Detroit Tigers.

New York Yankees fans, let’s cue the music!

It’s a new day, ladies and gentlemen. The New York Yankees have had stronger at-bats, the pitching is strong, and the lineup is starting to take shape. The team decided that winning in Cleveland was fun, stared across the room at Slim Shady, and decided to join him in standing up.

Anyway, enough referencing whatever Spotify playlist I have on in the background. The Yankees turned taking three of four against the Indians into a four-game split with the Baltimore Orioles and then swept the Detroit Tigers.

All in all, it was a great week for the Bronx Bombers.

Good morning, Baltimore

Though the New York Yankees lost their first game at Camden Yards, it didn’t set the tone for the series. Deivi Garcia fell behind early in a 4-2 loss, but really just made two mistakes and looked pretty sharp otherwise.

Not to mention, Garcia’s short outing was soon overshadowed by the rest of the Yankees’ pitching showing up in droves. Corey Kluber actually got some run support and pitched 6.2 innings of one-run ball to get his first win as a Yankee. 24 hours later, Domingo German’s redemption tour continued as he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning.

Yes, this was a series split, but New York easily could have taken three of four games if not for the pesky new extra-innings rules. Without an automatic runner on second, perhaps they shut the Orioles down?

Either way, the Yankees have beaten up on Baltimore several times in the past few seasons. It was nice to see that hasn’t changed despite the team’s overall slow start!

Tapping out the Tigers

Let’s be honest. Nobody really expected the Tigers to be a problem. Even with the controversial AJ Hinch managing and the Yankees’ struggles, this team is tanking faster than Dave Coulier’s non-Full House career.

Well, Detroit’s visit to East 161st and River Avenue proved just what New York needed. The Yankees outscored the Tigers 18-4 in three games behind smart hitting and some absolutely dominant pitching.

Gerrit Cole was in his usual form Friday. Jameson Taillon was locked into full upside mode and got his first win in pinstripes. Kluber once again starred with eight shutout innings and saw his ERA go from 5.40 at the start of the week to an elite 3.03 after Sunday.

Oh, and how about the Yankees only hitting home runs in one game of the series and still coming away with the sweep? Nice as it was to see Aaron Judge hit two home runs including a grand slam on Friday, it’s even better to see New York being smarter with situational hitting.

Looking ahead

You’ll recall last week, I said the New York Yankees needed some tuneup games to remind them they were in fact a good team. Specifically, I said they needed some base hits alongside the home runs.

Well, Aaron Judge’s batting average jumped from .246 to .291 as he slugged three home runs. Similarly, Giancarlo Stanton can now apparently be a contact hitter and saw his rise from .186 to .271. This wasn’t just a tuneup, but a full-on show.

And the Yankees will need their strength this week. The rival Houston Astros return to Yankee Stadium for the first time since the 2019 ALCS, not to mention since the cheating scandal. Tensions will be high, especially when Cole faces Lance McCullers, Jr. on Thursday.

Throw in a weekend visit from the feisty Washington Nationals, and the New York Yankees will truly be tested this week.

Let’s hope they learned enough from a pair of easier opponents that they don’t get complacent.