Yankees play home derby, sweep Red Sox with 6-3 win

It’s hard to find anything nicer than a four-game Red Sox sweep. Doing it with plenty of homers, and with a chance to steal the AL’s best record in the process, could be top of the list. With a 6-3 win over Boston, the Yankees drop to 16-6 on the year. This team is so much fun.

(Not) The Full Monty

Shout out to Matt Ferenchick for the subtitle suggestion. Jordan Montgomery had his night cut short because of a rainstorm, and out of shame, because he was putting his bargains to work. Probably the best thing he’s been throwing all season.

Montgomery used his entire arsenal, with each launch being quite effective. He threw 15 changes and got three hits and misses; he threw ten fourseamers and got three swings and duds; he threw nine curved balls and got three swings and misfires. Even his lead, which generated no puffs, received many called strikes – six of them in 14 tries. After the game’s first hitter hit an error, Montgomery struck out the next ten men he faced. He looked like he had some unsuccessful stuff for a minute.

The only point he allowed came in the fourth inning. After hitting Kevin Pillar and forcing Rafael Devers out, he allowed three straight singles. One of them also hit Gleyber Torres’ glove. The last line on Montgomery: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 K. It looked better than it says, too.

The 27-year-old has been devious this season, with three good starts beating a clunker in Philadelphia. He now has a 4.66 (4.33 FIP) ERA for the year, and expects that to drop steadily if he continues to pitch well. There is a lot to like about the left-hander.

Luke Hops

Can the Yankees play the Red Sox every day? Boston seems to have taken over from the 2019 Orioles AL East doormat team, and you love to see it. For the fourth night in a row, Aaron Boone’s roster hit Ron Roenicke’s pitching staff. They made their score with a mixture of speed and power, making it a although interrupted in the evening.

The Yankees forced Martín Pérez to work hard in the first inning, forcing the veteran left-hander to throw 24 shots. With two outs and the bases loaded, Miguel Andújar nearly delivered a knockout, sending a hanging lead all the way to the left field wall for a long, strong. At 381 feet it would have been a grand slam in 14 other ball fields (Mike Petriello). Better luck next time, Miggy.

The Bombers regrouped the next inning, however, after Tyler Wade was hit with a pitch. Allowing Wade, the number nine batter, to take first base will almost always come back to haunt you. The 25-year-old has wheels and he’ll find a way to score. That’s exactly what he did, as Aaron Hicks doubled down through center right, sending Wade to the races, where he scored standing.

This brought Luke Voit to the plate, which made it so that Hicks could enjoy a relaxed jog around the house. The first baseman demolished a 2-2 change that hung just above home plate. Check this out:

He naturally sent that 428 foot pace to center field, traveling at 107.5 mph.

Sees was not made there, however, as he had another homerun in the bottom of the fifth, this time against Josh Osich. This one came off the bat at 101.4 mph, and he went 380 feet to left field. You know what’s the only thing better than one of Luke’s house jumps in one night? Two of them.

With two bombs Monday night, that’s seven in the season for the Yankees first baseman, who hits .281 / .343 / .625 (158 wRC +). A healthy Seer gives the Bombers another formidable hitter in the middle of the roster, and it’s pretty crazy how well he flies under the radar. He’s so good.

More Derpfense

If there’s one area the Yankees juggernaut can improve on in 2020, it’s his defense. Torres in particular has been a shortstop adventure. He had two pitch errors tonight, one in the first and another in the fifth, plus a ball hit his glove in the fourth. The 23-year-old has six errors so far over the season, the second worst score in the league, only behind Devers.

No matter what measure you choose, he has struggled to fill the job this summer. For example, his -10.8 UZR / 150 ranks 23rd out of 26 qualified shortstops. By DRS, his -2 is 22nd out of 26. He is in the lowest level of shortstops, and that’s a bit worrying! Now I don’t think he really is this bad, and as long as he hits, the Yankees will take mediocre defense. Right now, with his below average bat, he stands out even more as a sore spot.

Andújar, meanwhile, has a lot to learn in left field. He turned around early in the sixth, on what turned out to be a ground rule double at Alex Verdugo’s bat. The 25-year-old whirled around, trying to read the ball, but failed on the wall. It’s a new job for Andújar, and this experience was always going to take time. I can’t fault him for learning on the go, but you can be happy the Yankees chose to use Mike Tauchman as a defensive substitute.

Leftovers

Because the #NextManUp energy returned, Thairo Estrada naturally went to the bottom of the fourth. The backup infielder made a home run off Osich, and it wasn’t cheap either – 411 feet! Aaron Hicks also had a homer, with his solo shot against Heath Hembree in the seventh inning. Hit all the dingers, guys.

The Yankees’ reading box had a good night, as Luis Avilán, Mike King and Aroldis Chapman (welcome back!) Combined to throw 5.1 innings of two-run. King and Chapman both allowed points, but the header was never in doubt. Chapman also appears in midseason form, hitting 101.3 mph on his fastball.

And finally, the Yankees were one hour and 23 minutes behind in the rain in the fourth inning. This is the team fourth rain delay this season. I love baseball and seeing any baseball this season is a treat. But with the pandemic and the league’s concerns to enforce social distancing inside clubs, those long delays don’t seem to be worth it.

Next, the Yankees host the Rays for a three-game series in the Bronx. Masahiro Tanaka will face Blake Snell tomorrow night, with a first pitch scheduled for 7:05 pm. Luckily there isn’t any rain in the forecast so we won’t have to worry about sitting through another long delay.

The score of the box