Can Luis Gil Defeat MacKenzie Gore In Game 2?

Luis Gil made his fourth start tonight since coming back from a nearly season-ending injury. Gil was bad in his first start back off the injured list, but he has been a bit better in the two games since. Gil still walks too many batters. However, he was good enough tonight; the Yankees won 3-1.

MacKenzie Gore came over to the Nationals as part of their trade for Juan Soto. He has been good in stretches, but has struggled in the second half of this season. This was a winnable game for the Yankees and Gil. Do you think Gil will make the Yankees’ postseason roster?

Lineups For Yanks in Support of Luis Gil

The Nationals had James Wood leading off and playing Left Field. C.J. Abrams was the shortstop and batted second. Luis Garcia Jr. batted third and was the second baseman. Josh Bell batted fourth and was the first baseman. Riley Adams played catcher and batted fifth. Dylan Crews was the designated hitter and batted sixth. Brady House was the third baseman and batted seventh. Robert Hassell III was the right fielder and batted eighth. Jacob Young was the center fielder and batted ninth. 

For the Yankees, Paul Goldschmidt played first base and led off. Aaron Judge was the designated hitter and batted second. Cody Bellinger was the left fielder and batted third. Giancarlo Stanton was the right fielder and batted fourth. Jose Cabaerollo came in for him defensively in the seventh inning.

Trent Grisham was the center fielder and batted fifth. Amed Rosario was the third baseman and batted sixth. Ryan McMahon pinch-hit for him in the sixth inning and stayed in to play third base. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was the second baseman and batted seventh. Anthony Volpe was the shortstop and batted eighth. Austin Wells was the catcher and batted ninth. 

News and Notes

Before this game, the Yankees activated Fernando Cruz from the injured list. He has been out since July, and his return strengthens the Yankees’ bullpen. Cruz’s return comes at a crucial time for the Yankees, who are 5.5 games back of the Blue Jays for first in the American League East and a half-game back of the Red Sox for the top AL Wild Card spot. Although the Yankees added several relievers at the Trade Deadline, their bullpen has continued to struggle this month, recording a 4.29 earned run average with six blown saves over 22 games.

The 2026 Major League Baseball schedule has been released. The 2026 season will begin on Wednesday, March 25, with a standalone Opening Night matchup between the Giants and Yankees at Oracle Park in San Francisco, followed by a 14-game Opening Day slate on Thursday, March 26. It is the earliest scheduled traditional Opening Day in Major League Baseball history.

Game Reaction

Gil had his best performance so far against the weak-hitting Nationals. He pitched five innings and walked four while striking out five. He gave up relatively few hits but continued to hurt himself by driving up his pitch count.

Gore has struggled in the second half this season, though he pitched well tonight. Stanton is a beast. He must be in the Yankee lineup every game. In the third inning, he hit a three-run double with the bases loaded. That scored three runs. Then in the sixth inning, he hit a missile of a home run to plate two runs. It was Stanton 5, Nationals 1.

Volpe and Wells continue to kill the Yankees when they are in the batting order. Though they both have some power, they both are batting near .200 and are in danger of dipping below that magic number. The aforementioned Cruz was the Yankees’ first option out of the bullpen. He was rusty.

Scoring Summary

In the third inning, Abrams singled and Hanson III scored. The National led 1-0. In the third inning, Stanton doubled and Goldschmidt, Judge, and Bellinger all scored. The Yankees led 3-1.  In the sixth inning, Stanton hit a two-run home run. It was a 113 miles per hour 450-foot shot. Bellinger also scored. The Yankees led 5-1.

Conclusion

The Yankees needed to beat up on the Nationals in this series at home, and then they need to go to Chicago and beat up on the hapless White Sox. Critics will point out that the Yankees can beat bad teams but struggle against good ones. That is true, but all wins, regardless of who you play, count the same.

The Yankees feel good about their game with the Nationals tomorrow as well. They have Max Fried going for them against unheralded Cade Cavali (who has a good story). Fried pitched six shutout innings in his last start. Gil helped his postseason roster quest with this outing.