Two-Day Layoff Leads to Yankee Run Explosion

If you had told me on Saturday morning that the Yankees would have scored 12 runs over the next 3 days, I would have guessed that they would have gone 2-1.

I would not have expected 1-0. But I'll take it.

After 2 straight days of rainouts in Detroit, the Yankees came home for a 2-game series against the Miami Marlins. Marlins part-owner Derek Jeter did not fly north with the team.

Luis Severino started, his 1st game after being pounded in that 14-1 disaster at Fenway Park last week. It was a nice bounceback game: 6 innings, 86 pitches, 57 for strikes, no runs, 1 hit, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts. He probably should have been left in for at least 1 more inning, but, with a big lead, I understand Aaron Boone not taking the chance.

The Yankee bats needed to back him up. Did they ever: They scored 2 runs in the 1st inning, 1 in the 2nd, 2 in the 3rd, 2 in the 4th and 4 in the 5th. 21224. That's not a linescore, that's the ZIP Code for... (goes to look it up)... the southeast side of Baltimore.

These runs included a solo home run by Aaron Judge in the 2nd inning (his 4th of the season), a 2-run homer by Didi Gregorius in the 4th, and a solo homer by Didi in the 7th (giving him 5). Every Yankee starter had a hit except... the much-hyped Giancarlo Stanton, in his 1st game against his former team. He is now batting .210. He did, however, draw a walk and reach on an error, and ended up scoring on subsequent at-bats both times. His on-base percentage is .310, which should be a lot higher, but it's not nearly as pathetic as his batting average.

Adam Warren pitched a scoreless 7th. Chasen Shreve allowed a run in the 8th. Dellin Betances pitched a scoreless 9th. Yankees 12, Marlins 1. WP: Severino (3-1). No save. LP: Caleb Smith (0-2).

The Yankees are now 8-7, 5 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the American League Eastern Division.

Clearly, more is going to have to be done. And the Sox are going to have to lose some. So the rest of baseball, especially the rest of the AL East (Baltimore, Tampa Bay and Toronto), is going to have to step it up.

The series with the Marlins concludes tonight. Masahiro Tanaka starts against Jarlin Garcia. The Yankees have tomorrow off, then those pesky Blue Jays come into Yankee Stadium for 3.