Max Scherzer Faces Cam Schlittler In a Juxtaposition In Game 2

Max Scherzer was the starting pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays as they faced Cam Schlitler and the New York Yankees. This game might be the largest gap in age or experience between starting pitchers in Major League Baseball history. Scherzer is a 40-year-old pitcher making his 218th start of his illustrious career.

Scherzer pitched against Schlittler, who was making just the second start of his career. Because Scherzer has seen better days (he won three Cy Young Awards), the Yankees had the pitching advantage in this game. However, they had the pitching advantage last night and lost because they made huge mistakes. What mistakes do you think the Yankees made tonight?

Lineups As Max Scherzer Faces Cam Schlittler

The Blue Jays had Nathan Lukes as the centerfielder, batting leadoff. He moved to right field. George Springer was the designated hitter, batting second. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the first baseman, batting third.

Bo Bichette was the shortstop, batting fourth. Addison Barger was the right fielder and batted fifth. He moved to third base. Alejandro Kirk was the catcher and batted sixth. Joey Loperfido played center field and batted seventh. Myles Straw pinch hit for him in the sixth inning and stayed in to play center field. Ernie Clement was the second baseman and batted eighth. Will Wagner was the third baseman and batted ninth. Davis Schneider pinch-hit for him in the sixth inning. He stayed in to play left field.

For the Yankees, Trent Grisham batted first and was the center fielder. Cody Bellinger was the left fielder and batted second. Aaron Judge was the right fielder who batted third. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was the second baseman who batted fourth. Giancarlo Stanton batted fifth and was the designated hitter.

Ben Rice was the first baseman, batting sixth. Austin Wells was the catcher and batted seventh. Jorbit Vivas was the third baseman and batted eighth. Paul Goldschmidt pinch hit for him in the seventh inning. Oswald Peraza came in to play third base. Anthony Volpe was the shortstop, batting ninth. 

News and Notes: Mistakes Kill

The Yankees made three mistakes in the fifth inning of yesterday’s game that killed them and irked their Starting Pitcher, Carlos Rodon.  The mistakes were awful and fit a pattern for the Yankees, unfortunately. That could prevent them from making the playoffs. First, a ground ball run-scoring single should have been fielded by Peraza. It went right under his glove.

Second, Peraza compounded his mistake by throwing wide of first base. He was rushing because of a fast runner. If he cannot hit, he has the lowest batting average in Major League Baseball; he must field at an elite level. If he makes fielding errors, he is of little value to the Yankees. They should trade for a third baseman at the trading deadline. They have been linked to Eugenio Suarez and Jose Ramirez.

Peraza was in good company. Also, in that fifth inning, Volpe, who won a Gold Glove last year, made a throwing error. He threw low, and Goldschmidt could not dig it out. Goldschmidt has dug out many low Volpe throws, but not this one. The 12th error for Volpe led to another unearned run for Rodon, and Volpe’s 12 errors are the most by any position player in baseball. He has had the worst sophomore slump in the history of sophomore slumps.

Game Reaction

The Yankees needed to jump out to a three-run lead. It was important that the Yankees supported the young starting pitcher against Scherzer. The roof at the Rogers Centere was open as it was beautiful in Toronto. 70 degrees Fahrenheit with no chance of rain. The Blue Jays were at it again. Fouling off strikes and taking balls. In the second inning, Cam Schlittler left the bases loaded, and after two innings, he had thrown 49 pitches.

Both Scherzer and Schlittler exited the game after just five innings. This game was going to be decided by a battle of the bullpens. Volpe made another error tonight, his 13th of the year. It cost the Yankees big time.

Scoring Summary

In the first inning, Chisholm Jr. hit a three-run home run for the Yankees. The Yankees led 3-0 early. Those were important runs scored off Scherzer. In the first inning, the Blue Jays scored. First, Barger singled and Guerrero Jr. scored. That made it 3-1 Yankees. In the fourth inning, Bellinger hit a solo home run. The Yankees led 4-1. That was his 18th home run of the year, which matched his total from last season.

In the fifth inning, Barger singled and Springer scored. The Yankees led 4-2. Barger had driven in both runs in this game so far for Toronto. In the sixth inning, Schneider singled and Straw scored. The Yankees led 4-3. Then Springer singled and Schneider scored. That tied the game at 4. In the ninth inning, Rice hit a solo home run. The Yankees lead 5-4.

Final Thoughts

The Yankees needed Shlittler to outpitch Scherzer. Their bullpen has been taxed. They are also vexed by losing five games in a row in Toronto. The Roger Centere is a house of horrors for the Yankees. The Yankees must exorcise those demons. If they do, they will be three games behind the Blue Jays in the American League East division instead of five games. The Yankees and the Blue Jays play again tomorrow at 7:07 p.m.