Clarke Schmidt Is New York Yankees Hope In Game 2 Against Cleveland Guardians

Clarke Schmidt was looking to continue to improve as he battled back from the injuries that delayed the start of his season. Before a hometown crowd in The Bronx, Schmidt, whose earned run average has dropped to less than four runs a game, was able to pitch well, and the Yankees lost 4-0. Cleveland has a good batting order, so this game was a good challenge for Schmidt. He was not helped by allowing the first three batters to score.  How good would the starting rotation be if they had Gerrit Cole?

Lineups As Schmidt Battles the Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians had Steven Kwan as the left fielder, batting leadoff. Angel Martinez was the center fielder batting second. Jose Ramirez was the third baseman, batting third. Carlos Santana was the designated hitter, batting fourth. Kyle Manzardo was the first baseman, batting fifth. Daniel Schneemann was the second baseman and batted sixth. Gabriel Arias was the shortstop and batted seventh. Bo Naylor was the catcher and batted eighth. Jhonkensy Noel pinch-hit for him in the ninth inning. So, Austin Hedges had to come in as catcher.  Nolan Jones was the right fielder and batted ninth. David Fry pinch-hit for him in the ninth.

For the Yankees, Trent Grisham batted first and was the center fielder. Ben Rice was the designated hitter and batted second. Aaron Judge batted third and was the right fielder. Cody Bellinger was the left fielder and batted fourth. Paul Goldschmidt was the first baseman and batted fifth. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was the third baseman and batted sixth. Anthony Volpe was the shortstop and batted seventh. Austin Wells was the catcher and batted eighth. DJ LeMahieu was the second baseman, batting ninth.

Game Reaction

The Yankees got in an early hole as Schmidt allowed the first three Cleveland batters to score. Being behind early was not ideal, but the game was not out of reach, despite Schmidt’s early struggles. It was problematic that the Yankees failed to take advantage of Cleveland starting pitcher Luis Ortiz’s penchant for walking batters. He walked 30 in 59.1 innings pitched. That works out to 11.6 per nine innings, which is very poor.

Schmidt settled down after a rough start to give the Yankees 5.2 innings. He was removed with runners on first and second base as the Yankees went to the bullpen. Meanwhile, the Yankees made the inaccurate Ortiz look like the second coming of Cy Young. He also pitched 5.2 innings, but they were scoreless, and he struck out seven, walking only three.

As the Cleveland bullpen took over, the Yankees’ offense did nothing. Cleveland’s bullpen is not as good as last season, though they were plenty good enough to silence the Yankees’ bats.

News and Notes

All-Star voting is open. You should go and select your favorites for the “Midsummer Classic.” You could select all the Yankees, which should probably be the case, on merit, for the outfield. The All-Star Game is on July 15 in Atlanta. The Home Run Debry, which is the best part, is the day before on July 14.

Judge is just two for his last seven. That has dropped his batting average to .387. He was 0-2 with two walks in Tuesday’s win. He is going to walk a bunch despite several Yankees having good years.

Yankees Closer Luke Weaver has been placed on the 15-day IL, and he could be out longer than that. The first chance as a closer came Tuesday. Protecting a 3-1 lead, Devin Williams allowed a run while getting the save. It is likely, with Weaver out, that many Yankees relievers will see expanded roles, and Williams may be the closer.

Scoring Summary

In the first inning, Angel Martinez hit a two-run home run, and Steven Kwan, who walked, scored. Cleveland took a quick 2-0 lead. Then, Schneeman doubled and Ramirez scored. It was 3-0 Guardians. Schmidt threw 27 pitches in the first inning and will not be long for this game. In the eighth inning, Kyle Manzardo hit a solo home run. That moonshot made it 4-0, Cleveland.

Conclusion

Schmidt looked to pitch well to follow up the Yankees’ 3-2 win Tuesday.  The Yankees seem to perpetually rely on Schmidt to elongate their starting pitching rotation. Schmidt, however, has progressed slowly and seems nervous on the mound. He has an annoying hitch in his delivery.