Are the Yankees Back on Track? Red Sox Series Breakdown | Pinstripe Post

It's a drive by Danny Dotson, just Chisholm goes deep. Hello, welcome to the Pinch Strike Force. My name is Ryan Sampson, but he's the star of the show, Joel Sherman. Today is Monday, August 31st. Joel, since the last time we spoke to, the New York Yankees took the series against the Boston Red Sox. They did drop the series against the Houston Astros. An all-important game felt like yesterday, Sunday. They take that game, which did give them the season series win over the Boston Red Sox, which could play crucial later on when it comes to postseason seeding, if they end up in the wild card. There's a lot to talk about. Aaron Judge talked about how he's not going to be doing rehab games. Luis Hill is back with the Yankees. Michael Fulmer is a bullpen pitcher. There's a lot that happened, and before we get to any of that, as always on a Monday morning, Joel Sherman, how you doing today, buddy? Good. Since last we were together, I've taken both of my boys back for their senior year in college, which was interesting and made me feel even older, but no, a good experience, but I was at what I thought was the most meaningful Yankee game of the 2026 season yesterday, Sunday. Really, when you think about all the implications and where they were about midday Saturday, and how, say, a Yankee fan felt after game one of the doubleheader, and what they felt by the end of business Sunday, where the Yankees won the series against Boston, vitally won the season series against them. The Yankees finished tied with Toronto last year at 94 wins, and Toronto had the home field advantage when they got to the division series. Right now, the Yankees and Red Sox are on a collision course for a second straight year to play a wild card series, a best of three. It was in Yankee Stadium last year. The Yankees, for all intents and purposes, it's four games in the standings, but now have a five-game lead on Boston because of the tiebreaker with 30 oddish games or so left. We're really starting to get towards the end here. It's going to be hard to make that up. So that was a big, big victory, because if not, we'd be talking about it was really three, you know, what would be down to two in the standings and a real two if they lost, because then Boston would have the tiebreaker. So a huge Yankee victory on Sunday, and yeah, a lot of good things happened for them between the nightcap Saturday and the win Sunday, and now they, you know, it's interesting for this late in the season, Ryan, they have to go out to the West Coast twice still. They've got this road trip, and then they've got an Arizona-Minnesota as their last road trip of the season. West Coast road trips this late in the year when the body is tired or tougher. Look, it didn't help the Mets. They had four West Coast trips all early this year. If they were in the race, I think it would have benefited them not to have to leave the Eastern time zones that much. They obviously struggled. I do think it's tough on the body to go back and forth so late in the season, but the Yankees had a very successful weekend and are now in very, very strong position to have the second-best record in the league, perhaps still try to track down Tampa Bay, who they have, is it three or four games left with at the end of the season? I know they have a series. I think it might be a four-game series at the stadium. It's the next-to-last series of the year before they finish with Baltimore, and so that is not out of the question, but they did a lot to make sure that at least the first round of the playoffs are played in the Bronx. No doubt, Joel. It is a four-game set against Tampa from the 22nd to the 24th against the Tampa Bay Rays, which, like you said, could be potentially for the division if they could catch up to them, but like you also had stated before, the fact that this four-game lead is now like a five-game lead because of the tie-break the Yankees own for the season series, it was very crucial yesterday, but I want to start with ultimately this pitching that's happening right now with the Yankees. It felt like, Joel, they were in a very crazy spot on Saturday. The fact that they were going into a doubleheader with two starters in Max Freed and Carlos Rodon, who are not, I mean, I don't think Rodon's fully built up yet as they're both coming back from injury and Freed clearly not, it put their bullpen in a crazy spot, and it was awesome seeing Michael Fulmer on Friday come into the game with a two-run lead in the sixth inning, and you're going, oh, my God, they're putting this guy in this spot, and he, credit to him, he came through. Paul Blackburn continues to shine, but the fact that the starters have, didn't give them as much length the Saturday, and the bullpen was really tested, but then sandwiched in between, you got Schlittler and Will Warren, who had his best outing I thought of the year. Talk to me about the state of the Yankees pitching right now. It continues to really impress me in how they just, no matter what the situation in Joel is, they take the ball, and they just shove, and they've performed admirably well, I would say. Yeah, their run prevention has been, from the mound in particular, has been great. I thought it was Will Warren's most important start as a major leaguer yesterday to give it, to give them length. I'll give you two insights from the weekend, which was, I was at the pregame press conference before game one of the Saturday doubleheader. I'm sure you've seen the imagery since then, where they asked Aaron Boone, like about his bullpen, and he went, and that's really how he felt, like how I'm going to get through games, because he knew he was looking at short starts. He knows he's asked too much of Hedrick and Blackburn already, and then I'll give you one other insight from talking to a lot of the people. I was at the game yesterday, is they were very, very concerned about the 18-inning possibility of Sunday, and tonight, Monday, and how do they get the ball to Cole Schlittler again Tuesday, Wednesday, where they feel somewhat confident that they'll get 18, 19, 20, like those guys will give them some length, because Elmer Rodriguez is pitching tonight. While they liked what they saw last time, it's still a rookie, you know, out on the West Coast, it's a long trip, they're in the middle of 11 games in 10 days, they're in the middle of just playing, you know, essentially a playoff series against Boston over the weekend, four games in three days, and they were very concerned about how they were going to get through these, so that Will Warren, who opens the game in the worst possible way, he does not do well against lefties, Roman Anthony comes off the I.L., hasn't taken a major league swing since May, and he hits about a 110-mile-an-hour double, there's a scorched liner for the second out, and then the third batters, the second lefty he faces is William Abreu, he walks him on four pitches, so it's first and second, one out, and you know, you could start worrying if you're the Yankees, but this guy can't get out of the first, he ended up striking out the next two guys, and then just kind of getting into his best groove of the season, and getting 21 outs yesterday, was, and then Tim Hill finishing it for six outs, where everyone else, day off, kind of reset it a little bit, they would love to, I'm sure, find a way tonight to stay away from Blackburn and Hedrick yet again, like, as many days as they could stay away from Blackburn and Hedrick at this point, is all the better, and you know, they get to add another arm on Tuesday, they'll go to 14 pitchers, right, you could expand to 28 on September 1st, so they'll add another, and I just think Yankee fans are gonna have to get comfortable with this, is some guys you're not gonna want to see pitching, are gonna pitch this month, because you just can't, like, the Yankees know they're gonna be in the playoffs now, and you just, you gotta save something for then, and the best thing that could happen to the Yankees is that the division race clarifies, they either know for sure by the time they get to that Tampa series, that they're in it, or now they're eight back, and they're not in it, I do think they have to start to think about the big picture, like, which is, how do we make sure Aaron Judge gets enough at-bats, how do we make sure that, you know, we pull back the reins on Schlittler, who's leading the American League in innings, they pull back on Hedrick, they pull back on Blackburn, they don't overuse Bednar, who actually has hardly pitched now for a week, because, you know, how the games have been played, but at some point they're gonna have to prioritize the big picture, and you want to win the division, if you go seize the division, then you get a week off, and you, you know, you'll be the number one seed in the American League, so it's worthwhile to go for it, but it would be best for them to have it clarified sooner than later, because they've got to stop pushing some arms, and then you want to start working in your hitters, who, you know, like, how you want to see them, you know, especially Judge, you know, play him as you want him. Yeah, look, I think it's a great point by you, especially the clarification of where the division is, I'm curious what your thoughts are, my fact that Michael Fulmer, again, was brought in on Friday night in such a high-leverage situation, and didn't look terrible, Joel, like, I, it's like, hey, we got Michael Fulmer, he's coming up, and we're gonna throw him right in, I'm pretty sure he was up when the bases were loaded, as well, in the bullpen, like, they were warming him up, like, in another spot over the weekend, so, they probably think highly of him, Joel, but I think you could speak more to, like, is this a guy that could potentially, down, down the road in September, is one of those guys where you're gonna see a lot of Michael Fulmer over this next month? You're gonna see a lot of Michael Fulmer over the next month. Yeah. I mean, that's just because, because he's either going to be real, or he's going to be somebody who could be put in a game, and again, I can't, for the people who are nice enough to watch this, or Yankee fans, I can't say this enough, you've got to take a deep breath when you see somebody come in a game who, because it can't be Hendrick and Blackburn every day, it's, they've got to use the length of their bullpen, you know, there's gonna be a, you know, I would expect that the guy on call tonight, if Rodriguez is troubled, is Luis Gil, to give them some length, because again, they'll want to protect, they'd rather use one long than four short. At some point, they've got to back away from some of this. I'll give you another insight that they're not screaming out loud. They were very impressed with the video of Fulmer, and they were a little surprised that other teams didn't jump on it, and they kind of really like him. Now, to find somebody free in late August, sitting out on the waiver wire, you know, like, as I said to one of their people, I said, look, I'll give you credit, you're smart, I just don't believe 29 teams are dumb, and that everybody saw the same video you saw of Michael Fulmer, almost everybody could use an arm, and only you guys were the geniuses to get it. Now, what we don't know is maybe there were 10 teams trying to get them, and the Yankees portrayed a, hey man, we have open playoff spots in the bullpen, if you come pitch well, and that might set you up for the offseason when, you know, you're an older free agent, and so, you know, and clearly, you know, one of the things the Yankees could always sell, they're great at helping pitchers become better relievers. You know, their track record is well stated, so if Michael Fulmer had five choices, you know, the fact that he could go to a playoff team in a high-profile situation and maybe get better because the Yankee pitching is, you know, infrastructure is good, perhaps that helps, but I'm telling you, like, I was blown away, like, a couple of people said to me, man, we really liked everything we saw with Fulmer, and it's interesting because they're playing the team tonight, the Angels, who aren't very good, who got rid of them. It's funny how that works, right, Joel? I always think of when you say something like that, it's John Sterling saying that's baseball, Susan, like, that's just how it works when things like this happen. Luis Gil, he returns to the majors, and there was some gymnastics going on, like, for the Yankees to get through this four-game set. I mean, they had Justin Topa, you saw him, and then they let him, you know, they sent him back down, they let him go, Brandon Beck gets recalled, we see Clark Schmidt, he does a double-A rehab start, Ryan McMahon played as well, but Luis Gil, who was originally thought of to be potentially a starter at the start of the season, after battling back injuries, he's now a bullpen arm. How are the Yankees going to use him, and could he potentially play himself over the next month into that opportunity to be a high-leverage reliever for them? Yeah, I think it's a pretty important month for him. Let's be frank, Luis Gil is here because the Yankees had run out of other 40-man options, either because of rule, you can't bring a guy back within 15 days, or injury. Chiavilli is hurt, Castro is hurt, they've just run out of 40-man roster options, so he comes, and he could give them a little length, and the thing they have to protect against is, they're losing 8-1, you don't want to throw, like, all your arms to just get through a game. Again, as many games as you can play in this short period where you use 1-2-3 pitchers, that's a real advantage for the Yankees. They've got to kind of start backing off of some guys, and so I think Gil was the logical 40-man choice because there was no other choice, and he was throwing well enough that they're curious what it looks like, and he will be out of options after this year, and so is he a guy who's going to be part of their pitching staff, part of their rotation, part of their bullpen? Does he do enough this month to make some teams out there go, hey, Luis Gil, I remember what that looked like in 2024, trade for him? So Luis Gil needs to have a good month. It would really help the Yankees, it would really help his career to kind of set him up in a better place, and you know, look, at some point the Yankees are hoping that Clark Schmidt and Ryan Weathers get back. I want to be very, very careful here that he's throwing, but I have not heard, like, nobody's talking on the Carlos Legrande could get all the way back. He's throwing They haven't shut him down. They haven't completely turned off that spigot to say zero shot. I'm going to say it's pretty close to zero right now just because still a new role, you're protecting him, his future, etc., but they haven't shut it off. You know, if you start playing multiple rounds of the playoffs, remember they'll carry some kind of taxi squad. They'll have guys probably down in Tampa continuing to, you know, they'll be that, like, Jason Dominguez, Anthony Volpe kind of group continuing to work out just in case you have an injury to an infielder, an outfielder, etc. So I think he's in it, but I think, I think that, I think guys like Heal, Schmidt, and Weathers, like, if they, if one, two, or three take to relieving, well, I mean, now think of their bullpen. And also think about what it does for not, this is what I'm talking about, is you'd like to get to about the last 10, 12 games of the season where you say Clark Schmidt is going to relieve Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. Then the following week, he's going to resume Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday so that you can see it. Like Ryan Weathers, if he could come back for like the last 10, 12 games, it's like you'd like to get to the point of clarity. But hey, if you got to go for the division, you might be Clark Schmidt's pitching the seventh inning against Tampa Bay because we, you feel that's the best way to win the game. So I do think it's going to be, and by the way, a lot of teams are in this situation as, you know, as they're trying to beat the clock and get injured guys back. You know, like if you notice, Corbin Burns pitched a rehab game on Saturday. Will Smith, the Dodger catcher, is coming back Tuesday night. Carlos Correa is starting to run the bases this week to see if he could come back from a pretty devastating ankle injury to play third base again for the Astros. It's just the, hey, is there enough time to get key guys back all over the sport? And the Yankees have that, especially with the pitching and, of course, their most important player with Judge, who interestingly to me is on this trip. Yeah, and I think that's, before we get to the judge of it all, the Yankees did suffer another injury in the bullpen, too. We should remind everyone, Fernando Cruz, who is now dealing with a partially torn UCL. So we don't know if his season is over or if he's going to try and rest and rehab to get back to be a part of that equation as well for the playoffs. So again, it's a juggling piece. It's I don't want to be negative here because it is a really important weekend. They just came off of and they had a really great series win. But the fact that they had not addressed the bullpen at the deadline and that they had injuries now to Weathers and Cruz freed is coming back from injury. Rodon is coming back from injury. It puts them all on a much tighter spot, more high, and they're in so many tight games that it just puts all these guys in tight situations to be in high leverage situations. So like Joel said, expect some names this next month to be whoa, this guy's coming in or whoa, that guy's starting or that guy's pitching because I thought it was interesting that they used Clark Schmidt and double A as an opener yesterday, Joel, for 20 pitches. Could that be potentially something Schmidt could do up in the upcoming month at the major league level for the Yanks? So I was part of a group that talked to Clark yesterday and I asked him, you know, I asked three questions that I was very specifically interested in. Number one, it seems like the add a limit for him is going to be 30 pitches. So I would think of him as a two inning guy that that's kind of what are they doing? And I think that they're kind of aiming for something between a reliever and remember what Michael King did for them a couple of years ago that high that hybrid role and he agreed. He said, you know, he was on that team and he said that could be what it looks like. So I think that there could be situations where the Yankees think, you know, the best way to use Clark Schmidt today is the first six outs of the game or think the best way to use them is some middle innings. And I just think we're in a pitching tryout situation that includes tonight. I think they're intrigued by Elmer Rodriguez. He's going to be an important guy for this month because he's going to start in weather's place and get some real innings in and maybe be in their bullpen. They have some live arms and maybe they when this is all said and done Ryan, they may say see we didn't need the reliever. We just had a lot of good pitchers. They all got healthy enough and we use the best picture instead of using more collateral to get some seventh inning guy who maybe is good and maybe isn't maybe they'll get to the finish line and this will work. I still think they needed just for comfort and are but but it's a tricky business to find, you know, like look at Brazoban with the White Sox, you know, we had pitched so brilliantly for the Mets for four months. Then he pitched bad and got hurt with the White Sox and you know, and you've given up real collateral to go get him now. They have control of him beyond this year. But you know, it's it's a tricky business. You trade for people at the deadline and it's a very short window and in relief a very small job in a short window to get it right. And that's why most of it doesn't go right. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Joel cam Schlittler. I do want to highlight him as well. He became now the after Friday. It was his 20th start with one earned run or fewer this season. That is tied with Whitey Ford from 1964 season for the second most in a season as in Yankees history. The only other picture of more is Ron Guidry with 21 in 1978. So it's very attainable. If cam has another great start with one earned run or less and he also has the most in Major League Baseball with 20 starts at one earner less and the next closest is 16 Joel the Yankees. I don't think there's any doubt about it. They found themselves a true ace in that mid to late round in the draft. How impressive is this been for you that cam has one gone the distance and to just completely dominated almost every outing that he goes out there. Yeah, he's another guy though. They need to back off of you know, there were five walks on Friday night also and he's a control pitcher for a power guy. He's a control pitcher. He look beyond anything else Ryan, you you know this you grew up a Yankee fan and I've obviously covered a lot of baseball in New York in the last 40 years part of being a Yankee is you got to figure out how to do well against the Red Sox. And so he's already checked that box multiple times including his most important start of his career in the playoffs last year. So he's done all the things you would want out of a young a slight picture. He's done for the Yankees. I do really think it's important that like extra rest. He's handled this great. He's handled it great, but you still have September and the Yankees hope they're going to pitch through October. Sure. It is an extra month of pitching coming up. They hope and I would try very hard to be like 15 fewer pitches today is fine. And this is why I tell Yankee fans it's going to be like the fifth inning and he has 75 80 pitches and he's pitching a one hit shutout and the score is like three to nothing and you're like, why is he taking him out? And I'm like, you've got to see the big picture a little bit. You've got to because because no, you know, I would tell every Yankee fan look in the mirror. The job is not to win a game on September 5th. The job is to get a parade. And so every decision from here on in has to be with that in focus and you might cost yourself something down the stretch because Michael Fullman's in the game. Yeah, it's just the way it must be. If you're thinking big picture, you've got, you know, like I would have a tonight. I would have a no Blackburn Hedrick rule tonight. Like even though both could probably be available without being used yesterday. I would just say it's another day. You know what? Good luck, Michael Fullmer. I mean, we know the Yankees have historically loved to try to avoid that and give the guys two days off in a row to get that little mini reset because it's crucial. Like they're playing for October. You've said it so many times that this is where the Yankees mentality is. This is what their focus is. They're focused on October and trying to position themselves the best way possible. Speaking of positioning themselves the best way possible, they're waiting for their MVP and best best hitter in Aaron Judge to make his return. We heard him speak to the media the other day and he stated quote unquote. I don't need rehab that games and I don't need rehab at bats. So Joel this this clearly and again, this goes to what you've said before. This is Aaron Judge calling the shots. This is him saying when I'm ready to return how I'm going to return. I'm gonna be playing the field. I'm batting, you know, second or third wherever they position me in the line up. But your thoughts on the fact that, you know, judges judges calling the shots here and he could be nearing a return and I saw your your piece last week. I'm making a guess again and you told us again last week. Yes, maybe September 10th if he was going to position himself that way. So what can you say about Aaron Judge's return? Yeah, I'm you know, my over under was September 10th because I think I said September 10th DH against Colorado September 11th play the Mets in right field on the 9-11 game, which will be meaningful for everyone in a bunch of different ways. I think he's getting closer. I think that he very much is following the mode of John Carlos Stanton. Like you can I think in a world before the traject machine came along you had to go on rehab to see real velocity and real stuff. I think players feel that the traject machine gives them a lot of that. I would not be surprised if someplace along the way. He's doing some simulated game stuff on the field. I don't know if the Yankees want to like, you know, if Ryan Weathers gets to the point where he can throw a you know, a bullpen. He might as well throw a live bullpen from the mound and have and do it against Aaron Judge, you know hitting and so I think there's that I think in a different age, you got to go on rehab. I still think there's always a benefit to a rehab game or two because it's an actual game and I think the sport is being ruined by the fact that we poopoo games too much like poopoo on field batting practice poopoo games like we are putting on an entertainment. It's okay to go hit outside every once in a while. So fans could see batting practice. It's okay to go to the double-a facility, you know thing for two games. So fans in your double-a plays see you play and it is an actual baseball game instead of hitting against the machine, but he is going to call the shots on this and I think that the fact that he's going with them means that he is really ebbing close to some real stuff that is best done with them as opposed to in Tampa back at the stadium with trainers. So I think if I were a betting man, you will see him hit on the field at some point on this West Coast. Yeah, it feels like and I think that hit on the field and hear that he's hitting against velocity underneath against reject is the okay. Now we're at Def Con something. We're getting real close to it and he's going to play soon and I but up but I'll say this also is he does need to prep his body. He hasn't played baseball since May 31st and more important. He was not allowed to do anything for a couple of months. He wasn't allowed to ride a stationary bicycle. So he has a lot of ground to make up. I mean, he's he's a world-class athlete. I'm sure he'll make it up but you also don't want to rush it because any setback and then the season's over and he's got you've got to be like, hey, a hundred percent Joe Torrey used to do this thing. Ryan where he'd be like, are you ready to play today? When a guy was injured and he go guy would go. Yeah, we go. Okay, so you'll play tomorrow. It was like his way. Like we'll let's just give it one more day like it and in some ways they were the Yankees. They knew they were good. You could always afford the one more day and that's how I would feel about judge. You feel good today. Let's give it a couple of more days. Yeah, because as much as you want to get him back again, there's nothing more important than October and he's got to play all the games that completely agree with you Joel. It's a highly anticipated. It's fascinating that it is ramped up so quickly. It feels like over the last couple weeks to now the point of hey, he's going out in the West Coast trip. Like you said, he's there with the team. He's probably going to be doing some on-field drills that everyone will see maybe even take some live BP or you know, batting cage practice. So it's it's a much warm welcome for this offense because we see such a Jekyll and Hyde with this offense right Joel and we see games like Saturday morning or Saturday afternoon where they go over again and runners are scoring position. I was there Thursday night all for him running scoring position, but then they have a game where they hit 13 singles and they you know, they're not going to bludgeon you to death with homers like you feel like the Yankees would and then they have yesterday where they explode for a bunch of runs that mixed with homers and whatnot and they faced a bunch of lefties this past weekend, which I thought was impressive. So there's a lot of thoughts here with this offense judge would solve. I think a lot of those things that we talked about where this Yankees offense isn't great in the first inning isn't great versus lefties isn't good again, you know with runners are scoring position, but talk to me about the state of this Yankees offense and what they're getting from these guys right now. Yeah. Well, the last two games couldn't go better because as an overall team and I would include the pitching in this they use seven pitchers in the nightcap Saturday to win. They used essentially their six daughter and fifth reliever to get through a game yesterday and the offense to your point 13 singles, no team had scored nine or more runs off of 13 singles in five years or no extra base hit. So that was the length of a lineup helping and then yesterday. Obviously now some of this was done against the position player in the end, but a lot of the damage was done against the real pitching to force them to a position player and it was a lot of guys doing it. I think the most important thing was that Elio Ramos had a big day was two for two with two walks. It included a three-run homer off a Ranger Suarez. That was really really important. I do say to Yankee fans, you got to be careful. There was a lot of jump jumping to judgment on like say Randall Grichek early in the year. Oh, he stinks. What did they waste two million dollars? They released them and then he is actually would have been the answer to exactly what they would have needed if they kept them. It was like Elio Ramos had like 10 at bats against lefty pitching and it was like, why did they trade for this guy? He's terrible and you know, his track record is he's going to hit lefties and hit them. Well on so I I think you've got to have a little patience there. I think once judge comes back, he's going to become essentially maybe start against lefties and a pinch hitter. I do think they have some interesting positional stuff coming up what they do how they do it who survives who doesn't who plays where they play Etc. But I think it's good. The other thing that I thought was big and I was talking to a couple of their hitting guys yesterday about this is last year left on left. They hit a lot of homers. So like maybe they're they were like had a guy who hit 220 like like jazz didn't hit well against lefties, but he hit homers against lefties. Austin Wells hit homers against lefties. Trent Grisham, Ryan McMahon, Cody Bellinger, Cody Bellinger that has dimmed a little this year. And so Wells going left on left before he homers off of the position players. I thought was he came off the bench. His at bats have been so much better for five or six weeks now and he came off the bench and hit a left on left home, right? It's it was important, right? If it felt big at that point and I I think the Elio Ramos of it all was even bigger to my right or did he did he come in and hit because they had brought in a righty. Maybe I'm wrong about that. Maybe he hit a homer off a righty and I'm wrong. I'm trying to yeah, because he pinch hits for Sanchez. So maybe it's a righty in the game at that point as I'm rethinking it in my head is off Moran lefty. Yeah, that's what I thought is yeah, it's a left on left homer. And so yeah, I thought I thought that I think I think they're left-handed hitters against left with the Yankees are going to see a ton of left-hand pitching again starting with Boston if that's who they play in the playoffs. By the way, that might include Garrett crochet by the time you get to the playoffs another guy trying to beat the clock and get back and become a bullpen guy the guy who finished second for the AL Cy Young last year. So they're lefty guys like you could go strikeout strikeout. If it includes a three-run homer in the third at bat, that's fine. And so there's got to be there was a real damage quotient last year left on left that's been missing to some degree this year. And so the Wells homer and the first Wells homer and the Ramos homer Ramos off a lefty. That's your job Wells off a lefty. Hey, we could live with the 200 average if you pop a couple of multi-run homers against lefties because you're going to see them and they're not going to be quick to pinch hit for Wells in the postseason because you don't want to take your starting catcher out, right? And the fact that Rosario hit a homerun yesterday to and Goldschmidt Goldschmidt was off Moran, but Rosario hit one off Suarez as well. That's what I'm saying is that to me the most important homers of the game is this rerun homer by Ramos off of Suarez and Wells off of a lefty as well because because Wells is it going to be taken out in the postseason and Ramos is that bats are going to be against the lefties especially once judge comes back. We're never going to you know, like if Ramos might get double-switched into a game somehow and now he's hitting against the writing but like at full strength and they're closer to it now because of Bellinger. And by the way, Bellinger has come back. Well, which is important for them, right? And so and you know, he really showed his importance again Friday night as the all-around player. He is that throw is ridiculous Joel. So can I I want to I all the flowers on the throw and everyone's talking about the throw. I thought Wells made a great play on it. It's a short hop where he's being screened by the runner coming at him and then he fully exposes his arm across the guy's body, which is dangerous and he holds the ball and that's all bang bang and there was this criticism of Raffaella running there. I had no problem with Raffaella running there like like if they needed a perfect throw and to get him out and by the way, if you don't you need a two-out hit to score him. I would take my chances on that as opposed to a two-out hit. Can the Yankees execute that perfectly? The Yankees had two players execute perfectly the left fielder and the catcher to get the biggest out of the game and one of their biggest outs of the year. Yeah, right. It's a one-nothing game that they win. And so I had no problems where people are like he defied the third base coach and I'm like the third base coach was wrong. He should have gone. Yeah, test the guy's arm was just coming back from injury, right? Like I know it's even have an arm injury, but it's like let's let's see if he can make the throw and and the Yankees defensively like Cody Bellinger's is their best offender. You can argue Wells might be their second best defense has the two right guys involved. So it was I thought it was it was an incredible throw in 100 miles per hour right on the ground line. It was perfect. But I do want to ask you also about the Lombard injury. Do you feel like he could be pretend they got good news? There was no real structural damage. He is dealing with inflammation with the patella. I don't know. Is this is this an IL stint? You think it's coming up for Lombard? Oh, I don't Ryan because yesterday. I don't know if you saw the pregame yesterday. I was the guy who asked the question. I said to Boone who's your backup infielder today and he pointed at me. He said you like and I was uh-huh and that and so if they thought he was an IL they wouldn't have played without a backup infielder yesterday or tonight. I assume tonight and tomorrow like if they think this is a two or three day injury there put a now now McMahon comes back Tuesday when rosters expand, but they're going to play tonight again with F. Now, he said postgame in an absolute emergency Lombard could have gone out there. So but I think even in an absolute emergency once it became a blowout. I think you had a better chance of Max Fried playing third base or something, you know, I mean then then then Lombard but but they wouldn't have played shorthanded. If they didn't think this was a two or three day thing. Now, it's up it get to the stadium today. The swelling could not have gone down and now suddenly you're like they open up the clubhouse and reporters start putting out on social media. Hey, there's a locker here for Max Schumann or Anthony Volpe in which case you'll know it's a different thing, but you know in the in the short term the fact that they played an important game shorthanded. I mean again, that's one of the things that made the win yesterday. They were six starter, you know, who's been pitching himself out of the rotation. They're playing shorthanded in the infield where they know they have to play nine innings with Rosario at third, which they don't really want to do which they're going to have to do again tonight probably and so it was really good win on a lot of levels including that it felt like a full team win and everyone was involved and they had some issues. They had to work through you had talked about it's some interesting position player things coming up for the Yanks. Volpe is playing third. I saw over the weekend, which is interesting considering Rosario your you you would think he's going to be starting versus lefty against the Red Sox in the playoff series with Ramos. Does he get a start in left field and do you slide Bellinger over to Center because you don't trust Trent Grisham against the lefty in a playoff series. I think it's interesting Joel that like where they're at and how they could pretend it again. They got to get to October 1st. They got to get everyone healthy. But if if judge comes back if and when judge comes back you'd figure it'd be judge would it be Bellinger and Center and Ramos and left against the lefty if they were going to face one of the playoffs? Yeah, it's an interesting thing. Look, I I think they're going to run the whole race with Ahmad Rosario. I think they feel like his underlying stuff against lefties is still good. They love who he is what he brings to the team. And so like as you think like could Volpe earn his way back up or something like that. I think it's going to be tough without an injury. I think for better or worse, they're committed. They believe in Ahmad Rosario and they're going to run this race with him. So I think that's that. I think the more interesting one is without another injury when judge comes back. Who's the move? It's probably Spencer Jones because he has the options league options, right? But Spencer Jones has hit lefties and I'm not sure as long as it doesn't involve getting close to a wall because I don't know what the Yankees do in the minor leagues about having their outfielders work near the wall because Jason Dominguez and Spencer Jones both stink going towards the wall and they got to get better at it. I'm not sure that Spencer Jones is in a better center fielder than Grisham. And I'm not sure that Spencer Jones doesn't hit lefties better than Grisham. And so is your best outfield actually against lefties where you don't even start Ramos. So I said to one of the Yankee people yesterday and he said interesting. I said I would always play my defense regardless of lefty righty because I just hate giving away stuff. And so I'll just that's why I think the left on left homer is so valuable. It's like is McMahon a rough at bat against lefties incredibly rough incredibly rough. Now. I will say this is I don't think you give up much defensive. It's Caballero at third, right? So like Caballero against the lefties could and and you know Lombard at shortstop in that way. I just hate giving up defense. I and and I will say this is Elio Ramos makes Jason Dominguez look like a gold glove. Yeah, he's a bad defender. Every fly ball looks like the first fly ball. He's ever seen in his life and I and and I look I think the bad is real. I think he'll hit lefties in Yankee Stadium. You could hide them a little in right field, but you're not going to do that. You're not taking judge out of right field. So it's like are you playing Elio Ramos in left field at Yankee Stadium in a playoff game at night against the Red Sox National Television millions watching here comes the fly ball. Look, oh it got lost in the I just I'll play the defense. I'll play the defense and tell Ramos. Hey, get ready to hit against a Roaldus Chapman in the ninth. That's your job today. I just I am not giving up defense. I'm not I'm not going to have your coal or freed or Schlittler on the mound and go whoops like you pitch great, but we just gave away a bunch of stuff. I do. I do worry Joel that when it comes down to it though with Grisham and and if you were to think about Jones in center field, I just the Yankees have clearly positioned themselves to say Trent Christian is our guy. We're going to live and die with that guy leading off getting on base, but he's still he's got this these moments where you're like, did you get the right jump there? Did you read the ball right off the bat? Like it hasn't been good. It hasn't been good and has been good. It's been unacceptable. Look the the Saturday was brutal the afternoon. He hasn't even been on the ball. Elma Rodriguez is first start back. There's a liner. There's a tough the tough play. It's like the one straight at you over your head, but what bothers me about the play by Grisham is like that's a tough play, but like once you realize you've misread it, you've got to get on whatever your horses can't just keep doing the cool cruise and then have the ball clank your glove like you've got a wreck like whatever speed, you know, I always joke is like, hey, what speed would you run? If there was a feral tiger running around the field? Probably faster than you just did. So why don't you act like that? Like it's a rookie pitcher on the mound. He needs your best at it. By the way, Schlittler needs your best effort. Cole needs your best effort, but Elma Rodriguez really needs your best effort and I just don't think that's your best effort. Yeah, and to credit Spencer Jones. He keeps putting together quality long lengthy at-bats taking a lot of pitches right from the beginning. I've been saying this Ryan, right is like count like he doesn't strike out on three pitches. He strikes out at three and two the and he's just gotten the at-bats have gotten better and better. And again, that's like kind of where that's where I would be like, you know what Spencer Jones is kind of making us think twice about the center field position because he's giving us the same thing you would argue Grisham is giving you which is long lengthy at-bats to try and get on base draw walks when you can feel a base steal a base and and he's more athletic and he's going to give us better defense in center field. You could argue I look at the Yankees who knows how much baseball we're playing in 2027. Anyway, because of labor so and they're the Yankees all that matters is October 2026, but it's a nice little calling card that Spencer Jones has put down here to suggest he could be part of something next year and maybe even a significant part of it that they're like like it is no longer outlandish to think you know what he may be a an above-average starting outfielder like there is that potential for him and then it's you know, like if everyone had options, he would not be the one that you would send down. I agree with you Joel my final thought for you and question for you Luis Garcia. I am continually I just I am impressed with the guy in his swing and how how smooth it is. I think I've said this before he reminds me a lot of Robbie Cano in the way. He swings so smooth. Yeah, there's several just know in that swing the barrel just gets to the ball and it just pops. He had a lefty on lefty again over the weekend. What more can you say about Luis Garcia and the fact that this guy, you know, he's asked to go to first base. He's played it pretty well defensively. I would argue and he's becoming a real important part of the lineup. Now. Yeah, it will be an interesting little you face a lefty in the postseason is Paul Goldschmidt at first if he is who's the DH. I think Garcia is earning the abat Rice has had a great year, but obviously the second half I do think that Rice has worn a lot of the judge stuff. Yeah, I think he's put the weight on his shoulders. I think he's that kind of player and guy. I do think he's a well above average Major League hitter. I think there's some mental and physical fatigue. He's experiencing right now. I think that will be an interesting tough decision by Boone if everybody gets healthy and gets there and it is the Red Sox and you're facing a ton of lefty pitching. Garcia's at bats are good. He seems unfazed by New York. He seems unfazed by big moments. Exactly what you want, you know, it's always goes back to you know, I know the hate Brian Cashman group. Well, they're the loudest group in the world and what always gets overlooked is anything positive that happens like acquiring Luis Garcia jr. Who seems like a real good fit for the Yankees and again, somebody they have control of next year when you're assuming Goldschmidt won't be back and you're assuming Stanton is what so then Rice and Garcia become first base DH and you feel like wow, that's too big lefty bats to put around one probably hit in front of one hits behind judge over the long season and then you're feeling like it's a team that should score a lot of runs again, but that's 2027 and a long way away and who again who knows how much will play but yeah, the bats are impressive again. He's a guy who it just does not it feels like he's in could you mentioned Cano what always struck me about Cano Ryan is Cano was in control of an event like in an age when the pitcher always feels in control of the bat because the velocity and the stuff is so great. Sure Garcia feels like in control of an event like oh, I swung and missed it that it's like fine like he's like fine. You got to get two more by me and he's got a he exudes confidence that he can hit and so it makes me feel like it wasn't fluky what happened earlier this year with Washington where he was a one of the real breakout players of the season and went from one kind of guy to another I think he's hit a stride. I think he's a very good Major League hitter with real the ball really comes off his back. Yeah, it the contact is exact. We all know about the slug and what he was having the type of year you're talking about with the Nationals, but the contact has impressed me and the fact that he could place the ball feels like in in all fields in especially in any kind of count. So that's why I just wanted to highlight Luis Garcia, but we always love highlighting you Joel Sherman. We appreciate you a pet peeve. Of course. Can do a pet peeve to go out on that will probably get me in trouble. So there was there's been some stuff. I noticed this morning with a bit of I like all the Boston announcers, whatever where they were very critical of judge Chisholm stealing spaces and the Yankees whatever happened with the Yankees piled on in the end. So I am this is not a Yankee thing. If it happens, I think anybody could go find my work at the network. I think I've written about this in the past. I would never stop trying to score runs for a variety of reasons. It is not my job as an offense to stop myself from scoring. It is your job to stop me from scoring the score. I believe is 7 to 1 in the ninth inning and while the bullet you're playing behind the runner and you're you're essentially throwing up a traditional white flag. We just spent an entire show talking about how important it was that the Yankees use no one else in their bullpen. Yeah, and so 7-1 is very comfortable where the Yankees are 99% going to win though. Didn't the Reds blow a game recently or the Giants in a red game like somebody like was down and gave up six runs in the night like it happens once a year to somebody. So but the loss for the Yankees is if they even have to warm up a reliever in the top of the ninth inning and 7-1 if you get a guy or two on base and then pop a home run or something, you've got to warm Bednar up. You've got to warm them up or you got to warm up Fulmer or you got to warm up Luis Hill who has to be your long guy. I don't I'm not in charge of your team. You're in charge of your team. I'm in charge of my team and my team can't warm up another reliever. So I'm going to score as many runs personally. Jazz Chisholm's a free agent at the end of the year when people look at his stats. Nobody's going to go. Well, those were the two free stolen bases in that when Austin Wells goes to arbitration. They're not going to say well that Homer was off of a position player position player. So like the stats really matter and if the white flag really should go up if in other words if I should stop running. Why should I even swing then against a position player? Why not just accept the strikeout right? Because there's nothing that's a greater white flag. You're doing than putting a position player into the game. Right like so you put a position player into the game. So I should do what stop trying to build up my statistics, which I'm judged by. I'm going to pad the hell out of them if I can and and but the biggest thing is in this day and age when there's more pitchers, but less pitching and everyone's worried about how they get in the game. I'm going to score as many runs all the time as I can to prevent from even having to warm up a loss yesterday for the Yankees would have been a loss within a win would have been having to even warm up a pitcher. You are going to ask Tim Hill to pitch a second full inning. So you want to have as big a lead as possible to avoid even warming up another pitcher. I have to worry about my team. Absolutely. If you don't want to you if you quit that's about you. That would go for games where the Yankees are getting blown up. This isn't a New York thing. Every team is trying to save pitchers and pitches. I'm going to score as many freaking runs as I can every game and Ryan to the point. We've talked all year about the Yankees offensive problems. It felt good probably for the Yankees to score a lot of runs. They're in charge of the Yankees. They want to feel good about themselves. They felt great. Like the number power on with all the days where they've scored 0 and 1 and 2. So I'm going to manage my team. You manage your team if you're willing to quit cool, but I'm not going to quit. And again that goes for if the Mets are the team on defense if the Yankees are the team on defense you bring in a position player. That's about you man. That's about you. And by the way, you're bringing in a position player because you don't want to waste any more bullets with your pitchers. The Yankees are scoring runs because they don't want to waste any more pitchers besides the ones that Tim Hill is going to throw in the ninth inning. Sorry. That's one of my pet peeves. No, listen, if you guys haven't heard the the WEEI radio play-by-play guys Will Fleming specifically was suggesting that Moran throw at Yankees catcher to start a fight and then with second baseman Jazz Chisholm as well. They called him a Bush League player plays the game the wrong way. There were a lot of comments made by them during that game and that situation Major League players that like Joel said they're there. These guys are getting paid to to score runs and if they're going to stand there, but there's a technical tactical reason to score more runs there. Absolutely Joel. They interview us. It's a six-run game two guys get on base, which is not outrageous against Tim Hill. Who's not having a great year in the ninth inning. I've got a warm-up probably Bednar and I don't want to do that you so you know what I'm going to do. I'm going to keep trying to score. Remember when jazz is stealing the bases. He's thinking maybe I'm stealing the bases to make it 8-1. So now it's a little more bulletproof. Maybe it's not you don't want anybody up until there's three guys on base or a run scores like I don't have any and by the way, if it was 12 to 1 if you play behind the runner, you're that's your decision on defense. That's like telling me like I'm playing like again, just call the game that right like when you bring in the position player, there is no bigger white flag than bringing in a position player. No doubt Joel. No doubt. We appreciate Yankees fans always hopping on here for pinstripe post. Make sure you hit that like and subscribe button on the New York Post Sports YouTube channel catch Joel obviously on the show with him and John Heyman on the show podcast here on the New York Post Post Sports YouTube channel. Joel's obviously at MLB Network. He's going to be doing some content there as well. Joel. Thank you so much man for hopping on here and giving us all your insight and we're looking forward to catching up with you again next week. All right. Thanks Ryan. All the best.