Yankees Lose 5-3 to Rival Red Sox With Judge-Less Lineup

The Yankees lost to the Red Sox 5-3 as they confronted their new reality without Aaron Judge. In this game, the vaunted starting pitching was hit, as Ryan Weathers surrendered two home runs and was shaky on the mound. He gave up five runs on seven hits in six innings pitched.

The team cannot afford rocky starts from its starting pitchers now. They also must take extra bases when they can, with steals and sacrifices. They cannot afford to hit into double plays; they hit into two in the first five innings tonight. Do you think the Bronx Bombers will be able to play this new brand of baseball?

Yankees and Red Sox Game Summary June 5 Game Summary

The Yankees got off to a great start as Ben Rice hit a home run in the very first inning. The Yankeees jumped out to a 1-0 lead; however, that lead was short-lived. In the third inning, the Red Sox tied the game at 1 on a groundout. Then Wison Contras singled and the Red Sox took a two-to-one lead. Then somebody named Andruw Monasterio hit a solo home run. It was his second home run of the season.

In the fourth inning, Spencer Jones doubled, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. scored. That made the score 3-2. In the fifth inning, Wilson Contreras hit a two-run home run, and the Red Sox led 5-2. In the bottom of that inning, they got one run back on a solo home run by Trent Grisham. It was 5-3 Red Sox.

Aaron Judge Injury and Roster Moves

Here are the facts. Aaron Judge has a stress fracture in his uppermost rib on the right side. He will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks, and until such time, he is relegated to riding the stationary bicycle. He was placed on the ten-day injured list, but will be out of the lineup for much longer than the 4-6 weeks. The best case is that he is cleared to resume baseball activities right away. Under that scenario, he will be out until at least August. With Judge on the Injured List, the Yankees recalled Spencer Jones from AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre.

This is a massive loss for the Yankees. First of all, they are already shorthanded with Giancarlo Stantion also on the injured list. So, both of the Bombers big sluggers are injured. However, Judge is more important to the Yanks than Stanton. He is probably more important to the team than any player is to any team in baseball. Since 2020, the Yankees are 135 games over .500 with Judge in the lineup and 8 games under .500 without him. Now he is going to be out for more than a month, and the team is in trouble.

However, the Yankees might be better than in the past at dealing with an injury to Judge. First of all, their starting pitching is great, with the possible exception of tonight’s starting pitcher, Ryan Weathers. Though even he has been great in some starts this season. Second, they can run. Anthony Volpe, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Jose Cabarello can all run. The team must now leverage this and pick up extra bases when they can. They must also score runners in scoring position every opportunity they can. The team’s beleaguered bullpen must be iron-clad.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Yankees lost this game to the Boston Red Sox 5-3. The player of the game was Wilson Contreras, who hit a decisive two-run home run in the fifth inning. These two teams play tomorrow night again at 7:35. The game is on Fox, and it is virtually guaranteed that the pregame show will be dedicated to the Judge injury.

Conclusion

This was an important game for the Yanks to win, being the first game after they got bad news about Judge. The good news about this game was that the replacement for Aaron Judge, Spencer Jones, had three hits. This was only his eleventh game played. He has before him a huge opportunity. Now he just needs to hit for some power.