The New York Yankees spent the past three days watching Miguel Cabrera inch closer to reaching 3,000 hits while also enduring more frustration with runners in scoring position.
On Friday, they will face another historical moment when they host the Cleveland Guardians for the first time since the team changed names.
New York is returning from splitting a six-game road trip through Baltimore and Detroit. They dropped two of three in Baltimore before ending the trip with Thursday afternoon’s 3-0 loss when Cabrera remained one shy of the 3,000-hit club.
The Yankees gave up three hits to the slugger Wednesday but held him hitless Thursday and intentionally walked him before allowing two runs in the eighth.
“It’s a baseball call all the way, but there’s no doubt that there’s a little more feeling to it, understanding the situation,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “In the end, you have to do what you think is right within the context of the game.”
The Yankees did not score more than five runs on the trip and were blanked twice. They ended the trip by going 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and are hitting .176 (19-for-108) with runners in scoring position.
“That’s a part of our game and something we’ve got to get going,” Boone said. “When we’re not doing that and we get opportunities we’ve got to take advantage.”
Cleveland was known as the Indians since 1915 before announcing the name change in July. In their final two games at Yankee Stadium under the old moniker, the Guardians outscored the Yankees 22-4 in a pair of lopsided victories Sept 18-19.
So far this season, Cleveland has scored double-digit runs four times and scored 19 runs in a three-game sweep of the visiting Chicago White Sox. The Guardians secured the sweep by collecting 13 hits in Thursday afternoon’s 6-3 win when Franmil Reyes and Josh Naylor drove in two runs apiece.
“It’s awesome, but it’s about more than me,” said Naylor, who was activated off the injured list last week following a recovery from a fractured right leg. “It’s about the team and we did a good job this series.”
Jose Ramirez went 2-for-5 Thursday and is hitting .426 (20-for-47) during a season-opening 12-game hitting streak. He enters Friday with a 16-game streak dating to the end of last season.
Jameson Taillon (0-1. 3.72 ERA), who has allowed two earned runs in each of his first two starts, opens the series for the Yankees. He allowed two runs on five hits in five innings of a 3-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on April 11 and then allowed two runs on three hits in 4 2/3 innings in Saturday’s 5-2 win at Baltimore.
Taillon is 0-2 with a 4.91 ERA in two career starts against Cleveland. He last opposed them April 25, 2021 in Cleveland, when he allowed four runs and five hits over four innings of a 7-3 loss and Reyes hit a three-run homer off him.
Eli Morgan (1-0, 4.50) will make his first start after allowing three runs on five hits in six innings during three relief appearances. He last pitched in Sunday’s 8-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants when he allowed two runs in the sixth inning.
Morgan’s lone start against the Yankees was Sept. 19 of last season, when he opposed Gerrit Cole and pitched six innings of one-run ball to earn the win.
–Field Level Media