Yardbarker
x
Getaway Day: Yankees' dynamic duo putting on quite a show
Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez are fueling the AL East-leading New York Yankees. Mike Stobe/Getty Images

Getaway Day: Yankees' dynamic duo putting on quite a show

Another week has come and gone around the Major League Baseball horn, and if we learned anything this week it is this: The Yankees are getting even better than we already knew they were. The leaders of the pack in the American League East have already made it clear that they are better than where expectations had them pegged entering the year, but now they are looking poised to be even better than that. It is all due to the emergence — or should I say re-emergence — of Gary Sanchez.

Paired with the increasingly legendary exploits of Aaron Judge, the Yankee catcher is recapturing the lightning in his bat that made him the biggest sensation of the latter half of 2016. With the two young sluggers leading the way, the Yankees are more explosive than ever.

But they are far from the only big act in town currently, as the Colorado Rockies and Houston Astros both went streaking in the right direction this week. David Price set himself up in a tough position, the Rays will have to learn to live without their most dynamic contributor, the St. Louis Cardinals have been put on warning and the Angels are going about the business of proving people wrong.

Baseball’s mid-summer session is heating up, and Getaway Day is here again to set the tone as the new week prepares to take off.

American League

Baltimore Orioles: The inconsistent Orioles come into the new week in need of some sort of booster shot. The Orioles are hitting close to .200 as a unit over the past week but have not been able to keep the opponents off the board successfully either. They have allowed five or more runs in all but one game over the last week and now are closer to the AL East cellar than to the Yankees atop the division — the team that swept them over the weekend. Perhaps a four-game trip to see the White Sox, who have lost their last four series, can get them back on track. 


David Price does not seem keen on the Boston media. Patrick McDermott/USA TODAY Sports

Boston Red Sox: The up and down year for David Price hit perhaps its lowest mark this past week, when the pitcher ignited a war on the media midweek. It turned out to be a badly timed decision, as he went out the following day and was bombarded by Gary Sanchez and the Yankees, throwing over 100 pitches in only five innings and losing his second game in three starts on the year. 

However, the Red Sox bounced back from the early struggles against the Yanks to win a weekend tilt over the Tigers. They head into a week that will be split between two worlds, as they open it against the season’s worst (the Phillies) before heading to Texas to take on the best (the Astros).


Avisail Garcia is putting together an All-Star-worthy campaign for the struggling White Sox. Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports

Chicago White Sox: Things are bottoming out on the South Side of Chicago, as the White Sox are losers in eight of their last 10 games and have dropped four consecutive series. Despite their failures as a team, Avisail Garcia continues to charge through the season. He currently sits in the AL top 10 in batting average, RBI, slugging and on-base percentage. It would be an MVP-caliber performance if his team was not seven games out of first place and all. 

Cleveland Indians: The past week could be one that comes back to haunt the Tribe by this time next week. Despite winning the weekend over the reeling White Sox, the Indians were only able to pull out the victory in one of four matchups with the Athletics and Rockies early in the week and were drubbed 19-4 in two games against Colorado. 

What could heighten those struggles more is in the next week they face an equally tough Dodgers team before taking on the Twins over the weekend with what could be a chance to take over first place. Those cheap victories add up over time. 


Detroit Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler returned to the lineup this week. Rick Osentoski/USA TODAY Sports

Detroit Tigers: Ian Kinsler made his return from hamstring troubles over the week and picked up the production atop the Detroit lineup immediately. He scored four runs in his first five games back and added a stolen base as well, proving that his mobility is back where it needs to be. The next challenge will be channeling that into wins for the Tigers, who continue to live on the bubble at the midway part of the season. They will soon be faced with having to decide whether or not to be sellers, as attention is rising around the prospect of J.D. Martinez becoming available. 

Houston Astros: The Astros opened the week with a tie for the longest winning streak in the game on the year, a tie they ultimately broke before seeing that streak end at 11. It was yet another impressive number in a season that has been full of them for baseball’s best team. 

However, that positivity hit a bump in the road when ace Dallas Keuchel was placed on the disabled list for second time on the year as troubles with his neck continued. He is expected to only miss two starts or so, but it highlights the expectations that Houston will look to make a move on a front-line starter headed toward the trade deadline. 

While Lance McCullers — who carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning on Thursday — has been great, the uncertainty over Keuchel necessitates that the Astros swing some sort of move to insure their great regular season is not wasted away come October.


Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas hit a walk-off home run to snap the Houston Astros' winning streak. Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Kansas City Royals: Mike Moustakas’ name has been a frequently mentioned on the hot stove wires as the trade deadline approaches. This past week, he may have had one of his final big moments as a member of the Royals, as his walk-off home run on Tuesday won one for K.C. and ended the Astros’ 11-game win streak as well. With the Royals 6.5 games out and being outscored by 50+ runs on the year, those moments are needed in a season that refuses to get back on track. 

Los Angeles Angels: Although it is as distant of a runner-up spot as there is in the game, the Angels solidified their place in the AL West over the week. They won their series over the Tigers and impressed in winning the weekend over the Astros as well, the first series loss the Astros suffered since late April. 

While catching Houston in the standing is unrealistic at this point, there are legitimate signs of promise for the Angels showing through. Since the Mike Trout injury, they have won three of four series and are only 1.5 games out of the early Wild Card race. 

Minnesota Twins: The Twins have carried an image of being a "soft" division leader, one that is in place due more to its surroundings than its actual efforts. The Twins have the fourth-worst run differential in the American League and have held first place since May 11. 

If Paul Molitor’s club has shown the ability to do anything, it is its ability to endure. Minnesota enters a week where the headlines for the club will be book-ended by the organization making the first selection in the amateur draft on Monday and a high stakes series against the Indians, in which the Twins could affirm their place as leaders in Central. 

New York Yankees: Aaron Judge has continued his sensational ways on the year, as his MLB-leading 20th home run (which traveled a massive 495 feet on Sunday afternoon) proved. However, the return of last fall’s biggest breakout performer, Gary Sanchez, has given the Yanks arguably the game’s most dangerous duo. After a week where he hit three more long balls, the Yankee catcher now has 10 homers in just 34 games. He is helping key the attack for a Yankee offense that had slacked a bit lately but now carries a five-game winning streak and four game lead in the AL East into the new week. 

Oakland Athletics: The A’s mixed it up a bit last week, pulling off a couple of victories from Toronto and Tampa Bay. The ugly was still there, however, as they lost a pair of extra-innings games around a 13-4 trouncing at the hands of Tampa Bay on Friday. Amid it all, Ryon Healy got his shots in. The A’s designated hitter had four hits over Saturday’s doubleheader, with a double and home run mixed in. He’s on pace for 36 homers and 95 RBI on the year currently.


The Seattle Mariners inked shorstop Jean Segura to an extension. Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

Seattle Mariners: Outside of allowing Jose Bautista to sprint to the rare two-base walk on Saturday, the good times have continued to roll for the Mariners, who have now won six of nine in the new month. In addition, they are beginning to get more and more of their arsenal back. James Paxton won his first two starts back from the disabled list, while Felix Hernandez is also narrowing in on a return as well. 

Furthering the good news for the M’s is the news of the five-year extension the club reached with shortstop Jean Segura. The shortstop was leading the AL in batting when he headed to the DL last week, batting .341. 

Tampa Bay Rays: Things had been going well for the Rays, who last week answered a four-game losing streak by rattling off a four-game win spree in reply. However, while the losing streak was certainly disappointing in light of how they had recently performed, news of the loss of Gold Glove center fielder Kevin Kiermaier is easily the lowest point of the season thus far in Tampa. Kiermaier stands to be out of action until well after the All-Star break with a hip fracture, making it the second year in a row a significant injury will keep him out of action throughout the heart of the season. 

Texas Rangers: For a team that has struggled with its ability to compete against teams over .500, the Rangers should be proud of the week that was. A week ago, they were swept by the AL’s best club, their in-state rivals in Houston. Yet a week later, they were able to shockingly win a weekend series over the Nationals. It marked the only time in the last month the Rangers strung together consecutive victories over a team with a winning record. 

Toronto Blue Jays: We highlighted the resurgence of the Blue Jays here early in the week, and while it remains a distinct possibility that they can rise in the standings, their early week struggles certainly didn’t help. Although Josh Donaldson’s massive 10th-inning home run against his former club in Oakland sealed a victory for them earlier in the week, it also stopped a badly timed skid against the AL’s worst ball club as well. Yet their June slate is ripe with opportunity. After a series against the Kiermeier-less Rays this week, they don’t face another team with a winning record currently until the final week of the month. Opportunity is here and now for the Jays.

National League

Arizona Diamondbacks: Nobody cooks better at home on the year than the D’Backs, who ran their record at home to 25-9 after winning five of six at home against San Diego and Milwaukee in the last week. But the NL West gauntlet remains as unforgiving as ever, as even with that run of success they remain three games out of first in the division. In the new week, they’ll get see if some of that magic can take to the road with them in Detroit and Philadelphia.


Sean Newcomb pitched 6.1 innings of shutout ball in his MLB debut for the Braves. Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Braves: The big news of the week in Atlanta was the debut of the club’s top pitching prospect Sean Newcomb, who allowed no earned runs while striking out seven over 6.1 innings in his MLB debut on Saturday. It was an exciting outcome that was still overshadowed by the first of two losses they suffered on the day against the Mets and three they took over the weekend. 

Chicago Cubs: It has not been a very inspiring defense for the reigning World Series champs this year, who now sit in mid-June with a .500 record that they have had to fight to maintain. Over the last week, they suffered through a four-game losing streak at the hands of the Rockies and Marlins, and to further complicate things, the team’s struggling rotation will be without Kyle Hendricks for at least a week, as tendonitis sidelined him last week. Despite this, the overall mediocrity of the NL Central still has them sitting in second place and as one of the game’s presumptive sleeping giants. 

Cincinnati Reds: Nothing had gone right for the Reds over most of the last month, as they had struggled to manage even consecutive wins in recent times. But lightning struck this week when Scooter Gennett’s four-home run, 12-RBI game (yes, it is still weird as hell to consider this) highlighted a week in which Cincy posted a four-game sweep over the Cardinals and pulled back into the enormously wide-open NL Central race. 

Colorado Rockies: The Rockies are riding as high as ever currently, having worked up a seven-game win streak over the past week and winning eight of their last 10. Although a 7-5 loss to the Cubs brought that streak to close on Sunday, the NL’s top team put on an undeniably strong showing over the last week, winning five of six against last season’s World Series pairing in the Cubs and Indians, outscoring them 43-16 in the process. 

Los Angeles Dodgers: The showcase matchup of the week saw the Dodgers take on the Nationals, a series where pitching ruled the roost. And although they only managed to win Clayton Kershaw’s lone start, it was the type of tight, polished series that could yield an exciting preview of the postseason to come. It was the second consecutive series against a division leader for the Dodgers, who had just taken two of three from the Brewers to end the week before. 

The new week will be spent exclusively in Ohio for the Dodgers, as they’ll bounce between Cleveland and Cincinnati. To their delight, it will be a two-start week for Kersahw, which bodes well for it be a great one for L.A. 

Miami Marlins: The hangover from the inspirational Edinson Volquez no-hitter from a week ago has passed, as now the Marlins’ most discussed aspect is which one of their multi-talented outfielders could garner the most on the trade market. Both Christian Yelich and Marcel Ozuna have become two of the hottest names on the trade rumor wires, and their availability inches closer and closer to inevitability as the Marlins enter the week still 11.5 games out of things in the NL East.


The Milwaukee Brewers called up outfielder Lewis Brinson. Norm Hall/Getty Images

Milwaukee Brewers: The Brewers have stayed in control of the NL Central over the past few weeks and remain the only team with a record greater than .500 within the division. A year after being among the most aggressive sellers in the game, it would not be surprising if they become buyers as the trade deadline approaches. 

But before they take that route, they are digging further into their impressive collection of young talents to provide a push to maintain control of the NL Central. Enter Lewis Brinson and Josh Hader, the top positional and pitching prospects in the organization. They will join outfielder Brett Phillips as the latest in the string of Brewers prospects who are amplifying their unexpected run atop the division, especially with an important trip to St. Louis leading off the week. 


Mets slugger Yoenis Cespedes hit a grand slam in his return from the DL. Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports

New York Mets: Yoenis Cespedes made his return in a resounding fashion, smashing a grand slam in his first game in over a month. It was a signature moment on the most successful weekend the team had experienced in over a month. The Mets enter the new week with an intriguing series against the Cubs, another team that entered the year with a completely different set of expectations than the reality they have been living thus far. 

Philadelphia Phillies: The Phils opened the week by taking a public relations black eye when the franchise’s greatest player of all time, Mike Schmidt, stated a belief of the inability of the team’s top current player, Odubel Herrera, to provide leadership due to a Spanish-English language barrier. Schmidt backed down from the comments later, but the damage was done and did nothing but add on to the mess that is this summer in Phillies baseball. Meanwhile, the suffering was doubled down on by the five straight losses the club wrapped the week up with, their fourth losing streak of four games or more in the last month. 

Pittsburgh Pirates: Coming out of another week more defined by losses than gains, the new week for the Pirates will be marked by a remarkable return. Jameson Taillon will take to the mound against the Rockies on Monday evening less than a month after undergoing emergency surgery to address testicular cancer. It is a bright sign in a season that has had few for the Bucs. 

San Diego Padres: It is almost at that point in the year for the Padres where it is easier to find incredible outcomes that showcase how rough of a year it has been rather than to look for positives that are nonexistent. So, let’s see, what’s more remarkable: that the Padres have been outscored by 120 runs already this year or that they were actually able to SWEEP THE DEFENDING WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS amid this mess of a year? Either way, you’re right. 

San Francisco Giants: Madison Bumgarner threw off of a mound for the first time since his freakish dirt bike injury earlier in the year, and while that would usually be a sign of help being on the horizon, it likely will be too little, too late for the Giants. They are getting closer and closer to realizing their destiny as the surprise sellers of the year after being taken to task by a pair of first-place clubs in the Brewers and Twins over the last week. 

St. Louis Cardinals: For the perennially successful Cardinals, rock bottom by their lofty standards was hit over the past week. After being decisively swept at the hands of the Reds early in the week, their losing skid hit seven games, tying the longest losing streak of the club under Mike Matheny. This compelled general manager John Mozeliak to shake things up, making changes on the coaching staff and releasing veteran Jhonny Peralta in the process. 

These moves seemed to effectively put the club (and likely Matheny) on notice, and it showed as the Cards responded by sweeping the Philadelphia Phillies over the weekend. Now in the new week, the Cardinals will see if this momentum can carry over to success against the division-leading Brewers coming to town.


Max Scherzer continues his dominance for the Washington Nationals. Mark Tenally/Associated Press

Washington Nationals: The marquee matchup of the week was between the Nats and the Dodgers, a series where pitching ruled the roost. Included in the excellence on the mound in that series was the great week for Max Scherzer. Not only did he strikeout 14 Dodgers (including 12 of 15 outs through the first five innings) on Wednesday, but on Sunday he tied Nolan Ryan in becoming the third-fastest player to ever reach 2,000 strikeouts. All the while, the Nats continue to cruise along with a lead bigger than two times that of the leaders of the NL Central and West possess combined.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.