Sweep In Offing As Will Warren Pitches Great In Game 3 For New York Yankees
A sweep was possible for the Yankees in this third and final game in Kansas City at scenic Kauffman Stadium. The Yankees had a difficult task as Will Warren was the starting pitcher against Seth Lugo. Lugo is an injury replacement for Cole Ragans. Warren has much worse statistics than Lugo this season but pitched well on Thursday night. New York walked away with a 1-0 victory.
Lineups: Warren Goes For Sweep
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 first baseman, batting fourth. Salvador Perez was the designated hitter and batted fifth. Jac Caglianone was the right fielder and batted sixth. Nick Loftin was the left fielder and batted seventh. Freddy Fermin was the catcher and batted eighth. Kyle Isbel was the center fielder and batted ninth.Â
For the Yankees, Trent Grisham batted first and was the center fielder. Ben Rice was the designated hitter and batted second. Paul Goldschmidt batted third and was the first baseman. Cody Bellinger was the right fielder and batted fourth. Jasson Dominguez was the left fielder and batted fifth. Anthony Volpe was the shortstop and batted sixth.
JC Escarra was the catcher and batted seventh. Pablo Reyes was the second baseman and batted eighth. He moved to third base in the eighth inning. Oswald Peraza was the third baseman, batting ninth. Aaron Judge pinch-hit for him in the eighth inning. DJ LeMahieu came into the game as the second baseman in the eighth inning.Â
Game Reaction
All Yankee fans are waiting for Warren to become more consistent. He has great movement on his pitches, but he struggles with location. They needed him to pitch well if they were going to sweep.
Both Warren and Lugo made it through five innings without yielding a run. It was a good thing the game was moving along because there was rainy weather moving in. There was a rain delay in the top of the sixth inning, but there was no chance this game would be called because it was the last time the Yankees and Royals were going to play this year. This could endanger a potential sweep for the Yankees.
The Royals took Lugo out in the sixth inning. The Yankees struggled with him, so his leaving made getting a sweep more likely. Warren was still going for the Yankees, but the rain delay meant that he was unlikely to continue. Warren did come out to pitch after a 28-minute rain delay. However, he only pitched to three batters. He was then replaced by Tim Hill as the Yankees sought a lefty-lefty matchup to increase the likelihood of winning and getting a sweep. Through six innings, this game was pitched very well.
News and Notes
Giancarlo Stanton is expected to be in the lineup as the Yankees head to Boston for their next series. His return is important. Not only is he a powerful bat, but as a right-handed hitter, he gives the left-handed hitting Yankee lineup some diversity.
Judge was not in the starting lineup for this game. It was a so-called maintenance day. His playing, because he has been so unbelievable this season, dramatically increases the odds of a Yankee sweep.
With his six scoreless innings and seven strikeouts, Clarke Schmidt pitched very well Wednesday night. The Yankees were still buzzing about that great start. His pitching performance yesterday enabled the Yankees to go for the sweep last night.
Scoring Summary
The game’s first run was scored in the eighth inning, as Goldschmidt singled and Reyes scored. That made it 1-0 Yankees. Goldschmidt is hitting .381 with runners in scoring position. That was it. The Yankees won 1-0.
Conclusion
Warren, who has been inconsistent this season, helped the Yankees sweep the Kansas City Royals. The Yankees won all six games against the Royals this season. The Yankees swept the Royals in April. Warren will not be able to pitch for the Yankees as they travel to Boston to begin a three-game series with their main rivals. They play their first afternoon game in a month on Sunday. They are not off until June 26.
