Sweep Avoided in Game 3 Behind Strong Rodon Yanks Win

Sweep averted for the New York Yankees as they beat the Guardians in Cleveland, Ohio, 5-1. They won the game behind a strong start from Carlos Rodon, who was good enough to win. Even so, Rodon allowed a first-inning run in the Yankees’ sweep, avoiding victory, but he was excellent after that. The Yankees need Carlos Rodon to be good. Pitching is the most important thing in baseball, and the Yankees need Rodon to break up potential sweeps. Do you think Carlos Rodon will be effective all season?

Lineups: Yanks Avoid Sweep

The Guardians had Steven Kwan batting first and were playing left field. Gabriel Arias was the second baseman and batted second.  Jose Ramirez batted third and was the designated hitter. Carlos Santana, the first baseman, is batting fourth. Will Wilson was the second baseman and batted fifth. Angel Martínez was the center fielder and batted sixth. Nolan Jones pinch-hit for him in the ninth inning. Jhonkensy Noel was the right fielder and batted seventh. Schneemann pinch-hit for him in the ninth inning. Austin Hedges was the catcher and batted eighth. Brayan Rocchio was the shortstop and batted ninth. 

For the Yankees, Ben Rice led off and was the first baseman.  Aaron Judge was the right fielder, batting second. Cody Bellinger batted third and was the center fielder. Paul Goldschmidt was the designated hitter and batted fourth. Jazz Chisholm Jr. batted fifth and played second base. Anthony Volpe batted sixth and was the shortstop. Austin Wells batted seventh and was the catcher. Jasson Dominguez batted eighth and was the left fielder.  Oswaldo Cabrera was the third baseman and batted ninth. 

Scoring Summary: Rodon Good Enough to Avoid Sweep

 Aaron Judge tripled in the first inning, scoring Ben Rice, and the Yankees were leading 1-0 right away. Just like last night. Then Paul Goldschmidt doubled in Aaron Judge, and the Yankees led 2-0. Also in the first inning, Jose Ramirez singled and Cody Bellinger committed a two-base error, which allowed Gabriel Arias to score. That cut the Yankees’ lead to 2-1. In the second inning, Ben Rice singled and Jasson Dominguez scored. The Yankees lead 3-1. Paul Goldschmidt then singled, and Ben Rice scored. That extended the Yankees’ lead to 4-1. In the seventh inning, Austin Wells doubled, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. scored. That extended the Yankees’ lead to 5-1.

Game Notes: Rodon Strong for Second Consecutive Start

A note on the many injuries the Yankees have. Giancarlo Staton took on-field batting practice before yesterday’s game. LeMahieu began his rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on April 22 and went 3-for-3 with a homer. Clayton Beeter and Jonathan Loáisiga could be back soon. Jasson Dominguez was listed among the candidates for the American League rookie of the year. If he wins, it will be the second consecutive year a Yankee wins the Rookie of the Year voting. Carlos Rodon got 8 more strikeouts.

He was 6th in Major League Baseball coming into today’s game with 39 strikeouts in 31 innings pitched. Aaron Judge, whom superlatives fail to describe, got hits in 2 at-bats, then walked, then in the sixth inning he hit into a double play. That was the first time he got out in his previous 7 at-bats. This game was Will Wilson’s major league debut. H got his first hit in the ninth inning off Luke Weaver. Luke Weaver came in to pitch the ninth inning, not Devin Williams. With the win, the Yankees avoided the sweep.

Conclusion

This was an important game for the Yankees to win. They needed to avoid the sweep. Carlos Rodon was good enough. However, he struggled in the first two innings but was great after that, and Cleveland starting pitcher Ramin Ortiz labored. Ortiz lasted just four and a third innings. So, the Yankees head into their off day tomorrow with a victory. They start a three-game series with Toronto on Friday. Let’s hope they do not face another sweep in the third game of that series. Those games are at home for the Yankees, but that is a brief homestand as they go right back out on the road after those games.