Luis Gil Looks to Stay Sharp in Game 3

Luis Gil has pitched well after a bad first start after coming off the Injured List. The Yankees got another big start from him. They won this game 10-5. Luis Gil was a bit wild, but far out-matched the Minnesota Twins’ Starting Pitcher, Taj Bradley.

The Yankees needed to sweep this series to keep pace in the American League playoff race. The Yankees can now likely not win the American League East Division. But by eeking out a win yesterday, the Yankees picked up a game on the Red Sox in the American League wild card race. Do you think Luis Gil has pitched well enough to earn a spot in the Yankees’ playoff rotation?

Lineups For Luis Gil Start

The Minnesota Twins had Byron Buxton leading off and playing center field. Austin Martin was the left fielder and batted second.  Trevor Larnach batted third and was the designated hitter. Luke Keaschall batted fourth and was the second baseman. Matt Wallner was the right fielder and batted fifth. In the fifth inning, James Outman pinch-hit for him and stayed in to play right field. Brooks Lee was the shortstop and batted sixth. Royce Lewis was the third baseman and batted seventh. Edouard Julien was the first baseman and batted eighth. Jhonny Pereda was the catcher and batted ninth. Kody Clemens pinch-hit for him, and Mickey Gasper came in to play catcher.

For the Yankees, Trent Grisham played center field and led off. Ben Rice was the catcher and batted second. Aaron Judge was the designated hitter and batted third. Austin Wells came in for him. Cody Bellinger was the right fielder and batted fourth. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was the second baseman and batted fifth. Paul Goldschmidt was the first baseman and batted sixth. Jasson Dominguez was the left fielder and batted seventh. Austin Slater came in for him. Ryan McMahon was the third baseman and batted eighth. Jose Caballero was the shortstop and batted ninth. 

News and Notes

Yankees Starting Pitcher Max Fried is the frontrunner for the Gold Glove for pitchers. Despite his foibles there, he has fielded well. Fried won the Gold Glove with the Atlanta Braves in 2220, 2021, and 2022.

Judge earned player of the week honors for the week of September 15. He was unbelievable. He had a 1.760 on-base plus slugging percentage and 5 home runs.

Game Reaction

Luis Gil gets flustered too easily. In the second inning, he gave up a run, then gave up another run on a wild pitch. In the third inning, Buxton doubled, and Luis Gil hit Martin.

For the second night in a row, the Yankees had a big inning. Tonight, the Yankees scored five runs in the fourth inning. With how bad the Yankees’ bullpen had been recently, they need to keep scoring.

Scoring Summary

In the first inning, Bellinger singled, and Judge scored. The Yankees took a 1-0 lead.  In the bottom of the second inning, Lewis singled, and Wallner scored. The game was tied 1-1.

In the second inning, on a wild pitch by Luis Gil, Julian scored. The Twins led 2-1. In the third inning, Grisham hit a solo home run. The game was tied at 2.

In the fourth inning, Dominguez hit a double, and Goldschmidt scored. It was 3-2 Yankees. The Yankees were far from done. Next, Grisham hit a three-run home run. Dominguez and Caballero scored. The Yankees led 6-2. Then, Minnesota pitcher Bradley balked in a run, and Rice scored. The Yankees were leading 7-2.

In the fifth inning, Keashall singled and Buxton scored. It was 7-3 Yankees. Then, Lee singled, and Keaschall and Larnach both scored. It was 7-5 Yankees.

In the eighth inning, Ryan McMahon singled and Jasson Dominguez scored. The Yankees led 8-5. In the ninth inning, Cody Bellinger hit a two-run home run, and Aaron Judge scored. It was 10-5 Yankees

Conclusion

Luis Gil needed to pitch well tonight. The Yankees were relying on him to have a good start to keep pace in the American League playoffs. Luis Gil pitched fairly well, but he gets flustered when bad things happen. He needs to learn how to better deal with adversity. There will be plenty of that in the playoffs, where he is likely to pitch.