Former Yankee Michael King Traded in 2023 Takes on Schmidt

Former Yankee Michael King is now a great pitcher. He faced the inconsistent Clarke Schmidt in the second game of a three-game series between the San Diego Padres and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The former Yankee King baffled the Yankees all night, in the Yankees’ 6-1 loss.  The Yankees had lost three games in a row and five of their last seven. The Yankees should trade Schmidt. Then, as a former Yankee, he could excel. Why do players who leave the Yankees do well?

Lineups

The San Diego Padres had Fernando Tatis Jr. as the right fielder and batting leadoff. Luis Arraez was the first baseman and batted second. Manny Machado batted third and was the third baseman. Wonderkid Jackson Merrill was the center fielder and batted fourth.

Xander Bogaearts was the shortstop and was batting fifth. Gavin Sheets was the designated hitter and batted sixth. Jayson Heyward was the left fielder and batted seventh. Oscar Gonzalez batted for him in the seventh inning. He remained in the game as the left fielder. Elias Diaz was the catcher and batted eighth. Tyler Wade, another former Yankee, was the second baseman and batted ninth. In the seventh inning, Jose Iglesias batted for Wade. He remained in the game at second base.

The Yankees put forth this lineup to defeat former Yankee King. Trent Grisham batted first and was the center fielder. Ben Rice batted second and was the first baseman. Oswald Peraza pinch-ran for him in the seventh inning. He stayed in to play second base. Aaron Judge was the right fielder and batted third. Pablo Reyes replaced him in the ninth inning.

Cody Bellinger was the left fielder and batted fourth. Jasson Dominguez was the designated hitter and batted fifth. Anthony Volpe was the shortstop, batting sixth. Austin Wells was the catcher and batted seventh. Oswaldo Cabrera was the third baseman batting eighth. Jorbit Vivas was the second baseman, batting ninth. Paul Goldschmidt pinch-hit for him in the seventh inning. He stayed in the game at first base.

Scoring Summary: Former Yankees Seem to Get Better

In the fourth inning, Schmidt balked with the bases loaded, and Machado scored. That made it 1-0 Padres, it became 2-0 when Heyward hit a sacrifice fly and Merrill scored.

In the fourth inning, Judge, who else?Hit a solo home run, his 12th. The Yankees cut the San Diego lead to 2-1. Bellinger then scored on a single by Dominguez, and Tatis threw wildly to third base, and the ball went into the camera well. The game was tied at 2.

In the seventh inning, Tatis Jr. doubled. Sheets scored, and it was 3-2, Padres. That was the first inherited runner Fernando Cruz allowed to score all season.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Austin Wells singled and Jasson Dominguez scored. That run tied the game at 3. Grishan walked. That scored Anthony Volpe, and the Yankees led 4-3. Ben Rice then hit a double.

Wells and Golschmidt scored, and it was 6-3 Yankees. Bellinger singled, and Grisham scored. It was now 7-3 Yankees. Anthony Volpe then hit a ground ball that was misplayed by Machado. Peraza scored. That made it 8-3. Then Wells hit a grand slam, and the Yankees led 12-3.

Game Notes 

The weather was bad again, with rain expected. It was in the lower 60s. But there was a 60% chance of rain. If they got last night’s game in, they should be able to get tonight’s game in as well. The weather did not seem to be an issue in this game.

Judge, the captain of the Yankees, was 0-of-3 last night. That ended his 14-game hitting streak and his 30-game on-base streak. His batting average dropped to .414.

Before the game, the Yankees designated Carlos Carrasco for assignment, ending his Yankees career. The Yankees recalled right-handed reliever Yerry De Los Santos from AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to fill the vacant roster space. De los Santos got in the game in the ninth inning.

Schmidt was looking for his first win of the season in this game. The Yankees needed a long outing from him to save the bullpen.

There are early most valuable player rankings out. Judge is again the unanimous American League Most Valuable Player, but the Yankees have four players getting votes. There are no former Yankees on the list.

San Diego Padres‘ Arraez was leading the major leagues in two-strike batting average. He is hitting .375 in these situations.

In the seventh inning, the San Diego Padres brought in yet another former Yankee in Wandy Peralta. The former Yankee did not pitch well. He poured gasoline on the fire.

Conclusion

The Yankees needed to win this game to halt a three-game home slide. However, the starting pitching matchup did not inspire confidence, and the Yankees lost this game 6-1. The Yankees need Schmidt must pitch better as the Yankees need him because Carlos Rodon and Max Fried cannot win every start they make, as evidenced by Rodon’s great start last night, wasted in a loss.