Noah Cameron and Max Fried Hook Up In Game 1 Of Series

Noah Cameron has been very good for the Royals since getting called up. He was the Royals’ No. 2 prospect. However, he has a difficult matchup, pitching against Yankees ace Max Fried. In a lopsided affair, the Yankees won 10-2. Cameron pitched well, but Fried and the Yankees were too much for him. That said, he looked very good, and Cameron will likely be an All-Star, though maybe not for the Royals, as they have problems signing their homegrown stars. They have another in right field. Do you think the Royals will be able to sign their young players?

Lineups: Cameron and Fried Battle

The Kansas City Royals had Jonathan India as the second baseman, batting leadoff. Bobby Witt Jr. was the shortstop, batting second. Tyler Tolbert came in for him in the eighth inning. Makiel Garcia was the third baseman, batting third. He moved to shortstop when Tolbert came in.  Vinnie Pasquantino was the designated hitter, batting fourth. Salvador Perez was the first baseman and batted fifth.  Mark Canha was the left fielder and batted sixth. 

The super-prospect Jac Caglianone was the right fielder and batted seventh. He moved to first base in the ninth inning. Freddy Fermin was the catcher and batted eighth. Drew Waters was the center fielder and batted ninth. 

For the Yankees, Paul Goldschmidt batted first and was the first baseman. JC Escarra pinch-hit for him in the ninth inning. Trent Grisham was the center fielder and batted second. Aaron Judge batted third and was the designated hitter. Cody Bellinger was the right fielder and batted fourth. Anthony Volpe was the shortstop and batted fifth.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. was the third baseman and batted sixth. Oswald Peraza came in for him in the seventh inning. Chisholm Jr. hurt his thumb. Jasson Dominguez was the left fielder and batted seventh. DJ LeMahieu was the second baseman and batted eighth. Austin Wells was the catcher, batting ninth. Ben Rice came in for him in the ninth inning.

Game Reaction

Judge is a beast. In his first at-bat, he hit a 469-foot home run. That is the way he treats rookies, and it was unlikely Fried would need more than that. It was the third-longest home run in baseball this season. Caglianone got an extended standing ovation in his first home at bat. It was good to see him get a run batted in in his first at-bat.

After giving up the home run to Judge, Cameron settled down and looked good. At one point, he retired eight batters in a row. He only made two bad pitches. They were both hit for home runs. Wells had himself a night, with a sixth-inning double, and he had a career-high 5 RBI. In that sixth inning, after the double by Wells. The Yankees hit two loops in a row.

The sixth inning was the 16th time already this year that the Yankees scored five runs in an inning. Fried again pitched seven strong innings for the Yankees. He once again won after a Yankee loss. He pushed his record to 9-1 on the season. This win was the 4oth win of the year for the Yankees. They lead the American League East. Tyler Tolbert had his first career hit in the eighth inning.

News and Notes

Saturday, against the Baltimore Orioles, is Judge Superman’s bobblehead night. He is a superman, so that is fitting. Giancarlo Stanton started his rehabilitation assignment Tuesday at the Yankees’ AA affiliate in Somerset. This is important because if Stanton does well, the Yankees may not have to trade for a right-handed bat at the trade deadline. They can focus on pitching instead. Cameron and Caglianone are the Royals’ top two prospects. It is good for the struggling Royals, but the impoverished team may not be able to sign their young stars.

Scoring Summary

In the first inning, Grisham walked, and Judge hit a 469-foot home run. The Yankees staked Fried to a 2-0 lead. That was bad for the youngster Cameron. In the bottom of the second inning, Caglianone grounded out and Pasquantino scored. That halved the Yankee lead to 2-1.

In the fourth inning, Wells hit a three-run home run for the Yankees. Dominguez and LeMehieu scored. The Yankees took a 5-1 lead. In the sixth inning, Wells hit a two-run double. Chisholm Jr. and LeMeieu scored. That extended the Yankees lead to 7-1. Then Grisham singled and Wells scored. It was 8-1 New York. Judge then singled and Goldschmidt scored. Then Bellinger singled and Grisham scored. The Yankees were now up 10-1. In the sixth inning, India hit a solo home run. That made the score 10-2 Yankees.

Conclusion

This was a well-pitched game from Cameron and Fried. It was a tough test for the youngster Cameron to outduel Fried. Nevertheless, the Yankees have the Royals’ number. That was something else that Cameron had to deal with. At least the setting was nice. The Yankees and the Royals have two more games, tonight and Thursday night at 7:40.