Clarke Schmidt Finally Dominant As New York Yankees Sweep Game 2 Of Doubleheader

Clarke Schmidt was good for the Yankees as he pitched 5 innings and gave up only 1 run. He needs to work on his stamina as he pitched to only two batters the third time through the lineup. The Yankees won the game 5-1.

That type of performance for Schmidt is good if, like today, there are high-quality relievers available. If he is to become an ace, the Yankees need about seven innings from him. Nevertheless, five innings of one-run ball is a good outing for Schmidt. It is hard to sweep a doubleheader from a team and Schmidt enabled that. Do you think this sweep will propel the Yankees against the Orioles?

Lineups: Yanks Bullpen Blows Game

The Blue Jays had Bo Bichette batting first and playing shortstop. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the first baseman and batted second. Anthony Santander batted third and was the designated hitter. George Springer, the center fielder, was batting fourth. Andrés Giménez was the second baseman and batted fifth. Will Wagner was the second baseman and batted sixth. Tyler Heineman was the catcher and batted seventh. Nathan Lukes was the center fielder and batted eighth. Alan Roden was the left fielder and batted ninth. 

For the Yankees, Trent Grisham led off and was the center fielder. Ben Rice batted second and played first base. Paul Goldschmidt batted for him in the eighth inning and got one at-bat. He stayed in to play first base. Aaron Judge was the designated hitter, batting third. Clay Bellinger batted fifth and played right field. Jazz Chisholm Jr. batted sixth and was the second baseman. Anthony Volpe batted seventh and was the shortstop. Jasson Dominguez played left field and batted seventh. JC Escarra batted eighth and was the catcher. Oswaldo Cabrera was the third baseman and batted ninth. 

Scoring Summary: Clarke Schmidt Was Dominant

In the first inning, Grisham set the tone with a solo home run, his seventh, which gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead. In the third inning, Santander hit a solo home run, which knotted the game at 1.

In the sixth inning, the Yankees scored three runs to take a 4-1 lead. First Judge hit a solo home run. Then Dominguez doubled in Chisolm Jr. Finally, Escarra singled and Dominguez scored. The Yankees were leading 4-1. In the eighth inning, Escarra hit his first career home run to take a 5-1 lead.

Game Notes

The weather was 58 degrees Fahrenheit, and it was partly cloudy at the start of the game. However, the wind was gusting and strong at 23 miles per hour out to right field. That suggested that some home runs could be hit out in that direction.

Schmidt started the game for the Yankees who were looking to sweep the doubleheader behind a strong performance. The second game of the doubleheader started 30 minutes after the first one ended. The Yankees are now 17-11 and the Blue Jays are 13-15. This game was a makeup of the postponed game on Friday.

The Yankees next travel to the struggling Baltimore Orioles for a three-game series. This was an exceptionally short homestand. The incomparable Judge came into the game with a .410 batting average. He has said he is on a mission. It is hard to sweep a doubleheader from a team and the Yankees should be proud of their accomplishment.

The Clarke Schmidt Conundrum

The Yankees need Schmidt to pitch well. He was aided in this game by the fact the Toronto Blue Jays cannot hit. However, this strong outing should give the Yankees some confidence. Schmidt pitched well today, but he has a career full of 5 inning performances. If he is to take the next step for the Yankees, they need him pitch longer into games. The Yankees cannot afford the surefire tax on the bullpen every time through the rotation.

Conclusion

The Yankees needed Schmidt to pitch well. He did as the Yankees won this game 5-1. Schmidt was helped because the Toronto Blue Jays could not hit, but the bullpen was taxed and there is another series coming up with a division foe, Actually, two. The Yankees host the Tampa Rays next.

With an off day yesterday, even though this was the second game of a doubleheader. The Yankees were helped by the fact that the first game of the doubleheader was a blowout in their favor.