Cam Schlittler Pitches For New York Yankees In Game 2

Cam Schlittler was again relied upon to pitch well for the Yankees. He had to be the stopper after the horrible 7-0 loss the Yankees suffered. He pitched well, but his wildness got him in trouble. The Yankees won this game 10-9. It was good that the Yankees got back to beating the Minnesota Twins. Many people are talking about Cam Schlittler making the Yankee starting rotation in the playoffs. Where would you put Cam Schlittler?

Lineups For Cam Schlittler Start

The Minnesota Twins had Byron Buxton leading off and playing center field. Austin Martin was the second baseman and batted second.  Trevor Larnach batted third and was the designated hitter. Kody Clemens batted fourth and was the first baseman. Royce Lewis was the third baseman and batted fifth. Matt Wallner was the right fielder and batted sixth. Mickey Gasper was the catcher and batted seventh. Ryan Fitzgerald was the shortstop and batted eighth. James Outman was the left fielder and batted ninth. 

For the Yankees, Trent Grisham played center field and led off. Aaron Judge was the right fielder and batted second. Ben Rice was the first baseman and batted third. In the eighth inning, Paul Goldschmidt pinch-hit and stayed in to play first base. Cody Bellinger was the left fielder and batted fourth. Giancarlo Stanton was the designated hitter and batted fifth. Jose Cabaerollo pinch-ran for him in the ninth inning. He stayed in the game as the designated hitter.  Jazz Chisholm Jr. was the second baseman and batted sixth. Ryan McMahon was the third baseman and batted seventh. Anthony Volpe was the shortstop and batted eighth. Austin Wells was the catcher and batted ninth. 

News and Notes

It was abnormally warm in Minneapolis. That was good weather for baseball, but it was unexpected by most who packed warm clothes for the September trip to the “Twin Cities.” The Yankees’ dugout had a swarm of gnats. The Yankees Roberto Clemente Award nominee, Carlos Rodon, inspires both on and off the field. Last year, Rodón and his wife, Ashley, created the Carlos Rodón Foundation, which helps couples facing pregnancy complications and difficulties relating to infertility.

There is a position battle brewing for the Yankees at shortstop. The ailing Volpe has been replaced by Caballero in the last six games. Volpe, after getting a cortisone shot in his ailing shoulder.

Game Reaction

Cam Schlittler was staked to a 2-0 first-inning lead and then got the first two outs of the first inning. Then he walked two batters. He got out of the inning. Judge played right field for the second game in a row.

It was very impressive to see the Yankees score nine runs in the first three innings. In that time, they got three sacrifice flies. That is pretty good for a team that relies on the home run to score. They only hit one home run in the first three innings and scored nine runs.

Zebby Matthews has one of the best names in baseball, but he did not pitch well tonight. Schlittler became wild in the fifth inning and was removed from the game. Joe Girardi, on the television broadcast, speculated that the wildness was a result of long offensive innings. But one wonders why Schlittler was able to retire nine Minnesota Twins in a row.

Scoring Summary

In the first inning, Bellinger singled and Grisham scored. It was 1-0 Yankees. They were not done. Stanton hit a sacrifice fly, and Judge scored. The Yankees led 2-0. In the first inning, Lewis singled and Larnach scored. The Yankees led 2-1.

In the second inning, Wells doubled to center and hit the top of the wall. Volpe scored. The Yankees led 3-1. Then, Grisham hit a two-run home run, and Wells scored. The Yankees led 5-1. Then, Stanton singled and Judge scored. The Yankees led 6-1. In the third inning, Grisham hit a sacrifice fly. McMahon scored. The Yankees led 7-1. Then Judge hit a sacrifice fly, and Volpe scored. It was 8-1 Yankees. Then Rice doubled and Wells scored. The Yankees lead 9-1.

In the fourth inning, Volpe singled and Chisholm Jr. scored. It was 10-1 Yankees. In the fifth inning, Outman hit a two-run home run, and Fitzgerald scored. The Yankees led 10-3. Then, on a wild pitch, Buxton scored. Schlittler became wild. It was 10-4 Yankees.

In the sixth inning, Gasper singled and Wallner scored. The Yankees now led 10-5. Then Fitzgerald hit a two-run home run, and Gasper scored. It was 10-7 Yankees. Then Larnach hit a sacrifice fly and Buxton scored. It was 10-8 Yankees, and all of a sudden, the Yankees’ poor bullpen pitching turned a laugher into a close game. In the ninth inning, Larnach hit a solo home run. What was once a 10-1 game ended 10-9.

Conclusion

Schlittler was staked to a huge lead in the game. The Yankees scored nine runs in the first three innings. The recipe for any pitcher in that situation is to throw strikes! The Yankees need to keep winning, as the American League playoff race is tight. The Yankees are only one game ahead of the Red Sox entering tonight, despite taking two of three games from them over the weekend.