Kris Bubic, a Difficult Match For Clarke Schmidt, In Game 2

Kris Bubic was, on paper, a difficult pitching matchup for Clarke Schmidt and the New York Yankees. It seems like Schmidt, who Yankee fans have been waiting for for years, always draws tough pitching matchups like Bubic. The KC starter has dramatically improved this season, but the Yankees got to him tonight. He was once a mediocre pitcher but is not that anymore. The Yankees won this game 6-3. They jumped on Bubic and scored many runs in the second inning. Do you think Bubic will start the All-Star game for the American League?

Lineups: Khris Bubic Is a Star

The Kansas City Royals had Jonathan India as the second baseman, batting leadoff. Bobby Witt Jr. was the shortstop, batting second. Maikel Garcia was the third baseman, batting third. Vinnie Pasquantino was the designated hitter, batting fourth. Salvador Perez was the catcher and batted fifth.  The super-prospect Jac Caglianone was the first baseman and batted sixth. 

Drew Waters was the left fielder and batted seventh. Nick Loftin pinch-hit for him in the eighth inning. He stayed in to play left field. John Rave was the right fielder and batted eighth. Kyle Isbel was the center fielder and batted ninth. Mark Cahna pinch-hit for him in the eighth. He stayed in the game to play right field.

For the Yankees, Paul Goldschmidt batted first and was the first baseman. Ben Rice was the designated hitter and batted second. Aaron Judge batted third and was the right fielder. Cody Bellinger was the left fielder and batted fourth. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was the third baseman and batted fifth. Oswald Peraza replaced him in the batting order and the field. Anthony Volpe was the shortstop and batted sixth. Trent Grisham was the center fielder and batted seventh. DJ LeMahieu was the second baseman and batted eighth. Austin Wells was the catcher, batting ninth. 

Game Reaction

The Yankees made Bubic work. They made him throw 41 pitches in the fourth inning, and the Yankees scored five runs in the second inning. Bubic settled down and did not allow any other runs, but he was finished after 4.1 innings. That was not how many thought this game would play out.

It is funny, but this Yankees lineup can be rough on a pitcher. Last night, they lambasted and chased a highly touted rookie in Noah Cameron. Tonight, they got Bubic, who led the American League in earned run average.

This game was shaping up like a battle of the bullpens, with the Yankees holding a 5-0 lead in the fifth inning. Schmidt pitched well for the Yankees. He was his usual inconsistent self. In five innings, he had only allowed two hits. It is a little odd how the Yankees beat up on the Royals game in and game out. With this loss, the Royals fell to .500. This team made the playoffs last year. They better start playing better, or they will not make the playoffs this year.

News and Notes

In Giancarlo Stanton’s first rehabilitation assignment yesterday at the Yankees’ AA affiliate in Somerset, he was 2- for-3 with a walk and 3 RBI. Those are good results, but the better news is that the fragile slugger did not get hurt. 

The unbelievable Judge hit a 469-foot home run last night. It was the third-longest home run hit in Major League Baseball this year. Judge had two more hits last night and now leads the big leagues in batting average (.396), on-base percentage (.491), slugging percentage (.776), OPS (1.267), hits (97), and extra-base hits (43).

Scoring Summary

In the second inning, Volpe grounded into a fielder’s out and Bellinger scored. That made it 1-0 Yankees, but they would score more runs in a parade of hits. First, Wells doubled and Volpe scored. Second, Goldschmidt singled, and Wells and LeMahieu scored. Then, Rice singled and Goldschmidt scored. When all that was over, it was 5-0 Yankees. This was the Yankees jumping all over Bubic.

In the seventh inning, Judge hit a solo home run. The Yankees took a 6-0 lead. In the ninth inning, Perez hit a two-run home run, and Pasquantino scored. It was 6-2 Yankees. Rave then singled for the Royals, and Loftin scored, and it was 6-3 Yankees.

Conclusion

Bubic looked good and pitched well for the Kansas City Royals. The Yankees needed to jump on him early and scored several runs in the first inning. They did just that. The good news for the Yankees is that their beleaguered bullpen was not used last night. Schmidt pitched great. The Yankees and the Royals play again Thursday night at 7:40.