Never Have the Yankees Shut out 4 Times Consecutively

Never before have the Yankees been shut out four games in a row. They have been shut out in their last three games, so that could happen tonight. The team record for offensive futility is 37 innings, set in 1908. The Yankees come into this game having not scored in 29 innings. The Yankees scored but lost this game 3-2.

They prevented something that has never happened from happening. The Yankees turned to relief pitcher-turned-starter Ryan Yarborough, who has pitched well this season, including in his most recent start. The Los Angeles Angels are a much weaker hitting team the the Boston Red Sox, Yarborough’s last foe. Did you think something that never happened would happen tonight?

Lineups

The Los Angeles Angels had Zach Neto as the shortstop, batting leadoff. Noah Schanuel was the first baseman, batting second. Mike Trout was the designated hitter, batting third. Taylor Ward was the left fielder, batting fourth. Logan O’Hoppe was the catcher and batted fifth. Luis Rengifo was the right fielder and batted sixth. He moved to third base in the eighth inning.

Jo Adell was the center fielder and batted seventh. Scott Kingry was the second baseman and batted eighth. Lamon Wade Jr. pinch-hit for him in the seventh inning and stayed in to play right field. Kevin Newman was the Third baseman and batted ninth. Chris Moore pinch-hit for him in the seventh inning. He stayed in to play second base.

For the Yankees, this was the lineup Aaron Boone put together to prevent something that never happened from happening.  Trent Grisham batted first and was the center fielder. Aaron Judge was the right fielder and batted second. Cody Bellinger batted third and was the left fielder. Paul Goldschmidt was the first baseman and batted fourth.

Jazz Chisolm Jr. was the third baseman and batted fifth. Ben Rice was the catcher and batted sixth. Giancarlo Stanton pinch-hit for him in the eighth inning. JC Escarra came in to play catcher. Anthony Volpe was the shortstop and batted seventh. Jasson Dominguez was the designated hitter and batted eighth. Oswald Peraza was the second baseman and batted ninth. Austin Wells pinch-hit for him in the eighth inning. DJ LeMehieau took over for him at second base.

Game Reaction: Did Never Happen?

Never was averted, the Yankees did not get shut out for the fourth game in a row. Chisolm Jr. hit a solo home run in the second inning. That broke the Yankees’ scoreless streak at thirty innings.Each of the first four runs in the game was scored via a home run. It seems to be the case that most teams score most of their runs by a home run.

The game was tied at two in the eighth inning, with the result of the game hanging in the balance. It was JC Escarra, not Austin Wells, who came in for Ben Rice after he was hit by Giancarlo Stanton. That was a little surprising, as Wells is a much better hitter and defender.Fernando Cruz walked the bases loaded in the eighth inning of a tie game. That was bad.

When a team is not winning and not scoring runs, they cannot commit eighth-inning errors. Also in the eighth inning, the Yankees had runners on first and second with no one out and the top of their order up. They did not score and do not deserve to win this game.

News and Notes

The Yankees have never been shut out in four consecutive games. They have been shut out in the last three games, so four is possible. The Yankees have not scored in twenty-nine innings. The team’s consecutive innings record scoreless drought is thirty-nine innings, set in 1908.

The power outage in the Bronx deserves some more attention. It is puzzling how so a talented team. A team that has scored five runs in an inning sixteen times this season. Could be held scoreless for so long. They have a chance tonight, with an Angels starting pitcher, Jack Kochanowicz, with an earned run average north of five runs a game. Then again, Kyle Hendricks had an earned run average over five runs a game, and the Yankees made him look great.

Slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who has been two for four in both games since he returned from the injured list after missing seventy games, was not in the lineup tonight. That is a tough move when you want to prevent something from happening that has never happened before. Though Ben Rice is getting his first-ever start at catcher.

Scoring Summary

In the first inning, Schanuel hit a solo home run. The Angels took a 1-0 lead.The Yankees scored a run. Never happened, crisis averted. In the second inning, Chisolm Jr. hit a solo home run. The game was tied at 1.In the fourth inning, Bellinger hit a solo home run. The Yankees took a 2-1 lead.

That was their first lead since the last game in Kansas City. However, that lead was short-lived. In the fifth inning, Adell hit a solo home run. The game was tied at 2. Mike Trout scored in the eighth inning on a Jo Adell ground ball that Volpe booted and then threw away. The Angels lead 3-2.

Final Thoughts

No one can explain the Yankees’ offensive slump. The team is simply too talented, regularly starting four most valuable player award winners. The slump came on suddenly and is happening despite the addition of Giancarlo Stanton and the near-universal Yankee use of the vaunted torpedo bats. The Yankees are approaching something that has never happened. This futility is shocking. The Yankees play the Angels in the fourth and final game of the series tomorrow at 7:05 pm Eastern.