Note: Just as MLB teams wear pink accoutrements on Mother's Day,
to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research,
they wear light blue ones on Father's Day, for prostate cancer research.
Before yesterday's game, I was concerned that Odrisamer Despaigne, a journeyman pitcher, would be just the kind of guy to have the start of his life against the Yankees. Thankfully, it didn't turn out that way.
Jose Abreu hit a home run off Yankee starter James Paxton in the bottom of the 1st inning, but it was a solo shot. Paxton settled down after that, going 6 innings, allowing a total of 2 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk, striking out 7.
The Yankees struck in the top of the 3rd, and Aaron Boone's team did it in the Joe Torre style, piece by piece, instead of with home runs. DJ LeMahieu singled with 1 out. Despaigne may have gotten rattled by that, because he then walked both Luke Voit and Gleyber Torres. Cliche Alert: Walks can kill you.
Clint Frazier flew out, but Brett Gardner singled home DJLM and Voit to give the Yankees the lead. Gio Urshela singled home Torres. Mike Tauchman drew a walk to reload the bases. Austin Romine, playing to give catcher Gary Sanchez a rest in a day game after a night game, singled home Gardner and Urshela. 5-1 Yankees.
Despaigne began the top of the 5th by hitting Gardner with a pitch. Almost certainly, this was not intentional. If it was, then it was a dumb move, because Urshela doubled. Tauchman popped up, but Romine struck again, doubling home Gardner and Urshela. 7-1.
Has Romine finally learned how to be a big league pitcher? Atrocious Pun Alert: Romine wasn't built in a day.
The Pale Hose pulled a run back in the bottom of the 5th, but the Yankees small-balled their way to another run in the top of the 6th. Finally, Yankee Fans wanting a home run were properly served in the 7th, as Cameron Maybin hit one.
The teams traded runs in the 8th, but the bullpen of Adam Ottavino, David Hale and Zack Britton got the job done. Yankees 10, White Sox 3. WP: Paxton (4-3). No save. LP: Despaigne (0-2).
*
With the win, the Yankees are 43-27, half a game ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Eastern Division. The Boston Red Sox are 5 1/2 back, but, due to rainouts meaning the Yankees have 3 games in hand on them, the Sox are 7 games behind us in the all-important loss column.
The Yankees needed to make a move to accommodate the arrival, tomorrow, of Edwin Encarnacion. So they sent down outfielder... Clint Frazier? And kept Mike Tauchman on the big league roster?
True, Frazier has finally learned how to hit -- if not in clutch situations. But his fielding has been bad, and his attitude hasn't been good, either. Boone said the argument is that Frazier needs to play every day, which he can do at Triple-A Scranton.
Which means that, when Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton come back -- both of which may happen this coming week -- Tauchman will go down, and Maybin, despite his contributions, may have to be designated for assignment, given the rules regarding player transactions. It's considerably less fair to him than getting sent down is to Frazier. But the rules are the rules.
The Internet has been hit with the pun, quoting Howard Cosell's ABC Wide World of Sports call of George Foreman winning the Heavyweight Championship of the World in 1973, by demolishing Joe Frazier in Jamaica: "Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!"
Interestingly, 2 former Yankees were winning pitchers today: Sonny Gray, in the Cincinnati Reds' 11-3 win over the Texas Rangers; and Andrew Miller, in the St. Louis Cardinals' 4-3 win over the Mets, who are 34-37, 7 1/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East, 5 games out of the NL Wild Card hunt, and not looking like they're going to make any kind of run for the Playoffs.
At any rate, the Yankees come home, to start a series with the Rays, and can do some damage to their hopes. Tonight, Masahiro Tanaka starts against Yonny Chirinos. Tomorrow night, it's J.A. Happ vs. Ryan Yarbrough. And in the Wednesday matinee, a getaway day, CC Sabathia will again try for his 250th career win, against Blake Snell.
Then the Houston Astros come in for a 4-game series that may be a Playoff preview, and will include Old-Timers' Day on Sunday.