The Red Sox and Yankees rely on each other to win their series in order to gain in the standings. The Rays and Jays are trying to bring them down. The Orioles continue to do their thing and just play baseball. Let’s see what happened this week and what is to come on the weekend in the MLB American League East.
BOSTON RED SOX
The four-game series against the Jays started with Nick Pivetta. He went 4.2 innings and gave up four runs. After J.D. Martinez suggested to Alex Verdugo that he take batting practice in the field, Verdugo went 2-for-4 and hit his 10th home run. Rafael Devers also went 2-for-4 and hit his 27th home run. Franchy Cordero went 2-for-4 and Hunter Renfroe went 2-for-3. The Sox won the game 5-4 after being behind in the 5th inning. Matt Barnes got his 22nd save.
Game two was postponed due to weather but made up the next day with a doubleheader. Garrett Richards started and gave up four runs in four innings. Yacksel Rios and Brandon Workman put zeros up but the Sox offense couldn’t come from behind. Devers went 2-for-4. They lost 4-1.
Tanner Houck pitched four innings and gave up one run in the second game of the doubleheader. Enrique Hernandez and Devers went 2-for-3. Kevin Plawecki went 3-for3. Jarren Duran showed his speed on an inside-the-park home run that was ruled an error by Springer. Sox won the game 4-1.
The series finale was a laugher for the Jays. Eduardo Rodriguez pitched 3.1 innings and gave up six runs. Phillips Valdez gave up three runs in 1.2 innings and Brandon Workman gave up four runs in two innings. Plawecki made his Red Sox pitching debut going scoreless in his inning. The Sox lost 13-1.
Sox head to Tampa to face the Rays with a 1.5 game lead in the division. Martin Perez, Nathan Eovaldi, and Nick Pivetta are scheduled to pitch over the weekend.
TAMPA BAY RAYS
Shane McClanahan started for the Rays against the Yankees. He went six innings and gave up 3 runs. Brandon Lowe went 3-for-4 and hit his 22nd home run. Randy Arozarena went 2-for-4. The Rays threatened to take the lead but ended up losing 4-3.
Michael Wacha went head-to-head with Nestor Cortes Jr. in game two. Wacha gave up one run in five innings pitched. The offense only had three hits and the game was tied until the 10th inning. Andrew Kittredge inherited runners on base after Pete Fairbanks was removed with an injury. The Rays ended up losing 3-1. Cash later said it was inflammation in the shoulder and not expected to be serious.
The Rays got their revenge on the Yankees in the series finale. Luis Patino pitched six scoreless innings. Yandy Diaz and Austin Meadows went 3-for-5. Meadows hit two home runs and Brett Phillips hit a grand slam in the 6th inning. Ji-Man Choi also hit his 7th home run in the 6th inning where the offense scored 10 runs. The Rays avoid the sweep 14-0.
Hertz levels are off the charts@Brett_Phillips8 📈 pic.twitter.com/5STYr3QTDw — Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) July 29, 2021
The Red Sox come into town to fight to keep first place. The Rays are 1.5 games behind and can easily take first place by Monday. Josh Fleming, Ryan Yarbrough, and Shane McClanahan are scheduled to pitch.
NEW YORK YANKEES
The bullpen woes continue for the Yanks. Fortunately, it didn’t cost the first game against the Rays. Jordan Montgomery went 5 scoreless innings. The offense had a 3-0 lead until Chad Green pitched. He gave up two runs. Zack Britton gave up a run after Ryan LaMarre hit a solo home run to make it 4-2 in the 8th. Gleyber Torres went 2-for-5 and Gio Urshela went 2-for-4. Aroldis Chapman closed the game and the Yankees won 4-3.
Never a doubt. pic.twitter.com/q2lhWYxG8g — New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 29, 2021
4-10 IN SWEEPING A SERIES
Gerrit Cole just didn’t have it in the first inning of the series finale. He gave up four runs in the first. That was all the Rays needed to win. He left the game in the 6th with men on base and Albert Abreu gave up the inherited runs. Cole was charged with giving up eight runs which is a season-high for him. Abreu gave up six runs of his own which resulted in the Yankees losing 14-0. As devastating that loss may be, they still took the series which was the worst they had to do.
The next stop for the Yankees is Miami. National League rules mean Jameson Taillon, Domingo German, and Jordan Montgomery have to bat. Should be cringe-worthy for the 9th spot during the games. This also means Giancarlo Stanton will finally have to play in the outfield.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS
The Jays started the series off on a bad note against the Red Sox. Thomas Hatch pitched 3.2 innings and gave up 3 runs. The Jays had the lead in the 5th inning until the 8th when Trevor Richards gave up two runs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.went 2-for-4. Bo Bichette hit his 18th home run. The Jays lost 5-4.
Game two was made up on Wednesday due to the weather. Robbie Ray pitched game one of the doubleheader and gave up the only run the Red Sox scored. Randal Grichuk hit his 19th home run of the season and George Springer hit his 9th. Jays won 4-1.
Steven Matz pitched 4.1 innings and gave up four runs in game two of the doubleheader. Bichette went 2-for-3 and brought in the only run the Jays scored against Tanner Houck. Jays lost 4-1.
The Jays split the series against the Red Sox similar to how the Rays avoided a sweep. Hyun Jin Ryu pitched six scoreless innings. The only run given up to the Sox was by Tayler Saucedo. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.hit his 33rd home run of the season. Marucs Semien and Santiago Espinal went 2-for-4. Teoscar Hernandez went 3-for-5 with three RBI. The Jays won it 13-1.
HEADS UP, TORONTO! Your first souvenir is on its way 💥 #PLAKATA pic.twitter.com/FFDUhEIBDn — Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 30, 2021
The Jays return to Toronto for their first series in their actual home this year. The Royals will be the first visiting team in Toronto over the weekend. Ross Stripling and Alek Manoah are scheduled to pitch.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES
The O’s faced the Miami Marlins this week. Spenser Watkins pitched four innings and gave up four runs. Austin Hays hit his 10th home run of the season and Cedric Mullins hit his 17th. O’s lose 7-3.
Jorge Lopez started for game two and went two innings. He gave up five runs. Trey Mancini hit his 19th home run of the season and Pedro Severino hit his 9th home run. The O’s walked it off in the 9th inning with a bases-loaded walk. They split the series against the Marlins.
The Boss BB. pic.twitter.com/W76dDk5RqS — Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) July 29, 2021
The O’s are in Detroit for a four-game set. Alexander Wells pitched five innings and gave up four runs. Adam Plutko gave up two more runs. Ryan McKenna went 2-for-4. The offense just scored two runs as they lost 6-2.
The series continues for the O’s against the Tigers. Matt Harvey, John Means, and Spenser Watkins are scheduled to pitch over the weekend.
TRADE DEADLINE
The Yankees have made a splash in the trade deadline as it approaches 4 pm. They have acquired Joey Gallo, Joely Rodriguez, and Anthony Rizzo so far. The Red Sox acquired Kyle Schwarber who is still on the IL with currently no timetable on when he will join the Red Sox lineup.
The Jays, as of writing this, traded for Brad Hand and are in the running for Jose Berrios. This trade deadline has been pretty exciting and as 4:00 pm approaches, we will see what the AL east lineups and the pitching staff will look like for the rest of the season.
Yankees get busy but is it too little and too late?
Featured Image via Roger Steinman
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