When a team goes into a team-wide slump, sometimes, all it takes to break out of it is one big day with the bats.
Maybe that's the real reason that Batman, who has no superpowers, is still the leader of the Justice League.
Okay, all jokes aside: Since Aaron Judge got hurt, from June 4 to July 7, the Yankees went 13-16, losing games by an average score of 4.34 to 3.69. In 12 of those games, they scored 2 runs or fewer, going 1-11 in those. A roster chosen by general manager Brian Cashman for its firepower has fallen victim to injury, slump, or both.
Yesterday, in the middle game of a 3-game home Interleague series with the Chicago Cubs, Gerrit Cole started for the Yankees, and the man who might start for the American League in the All-Star Game 3 nights from now did his job, going 7 1/3rd innings, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk. He had just given up a home run to former Yankee Mike Tauchman when he was taken out in the 8th, having thrown 103 pitches.
Michael King went the rest of the way, without allowing a baserunner. So the change was made at the right time. And, since he was the only reliever used, that should leave the bullpen fresh for today's pre-All-Star-Break finale.
In the bottom of the 1st inning, Giancarlo Stanton hit a 447-foot blast off the window of the Audi Club luxury-seating area in left field, to put the Yankees on the board. Josh Donaldson hit a home run in the 2nd, to make it 2-0. Harrison Bader hit a 2-run double in the 4th, to make it 4-1.
Gleyber Torres led off the 5th with a single, and reached 2nd base on an error. Stanton came up again, and, at first, it looked like he'd hit a drive off the right-field wall, and he made it to 3rd with a triple as Torres scored.
But manager Aaron Boone challenged the call, thinking it was a home run. The replay showed that the ball hit the foul pole. (Or, as the great New York sportscaster Warner Wolf always called it, the fair pole. After all, a ball hitting it is considered fair.) It was just 322 feet from home plate -- it's 314 at fence level -- and, thus, a true "short porch" home run. After hitting one of the longest home runs of his career, Stanton hit one of the shortest. But it counts just the same as his blast earlier. More, actually, because this one had a man on base.
Yankees 6, Cubs 3. WP: Cole (9-2). SV: King (6). LP: Drew Smyly (7-6). Hopefully, this snaps the Yanks out of it. Of course, even if they win today, then comes the All-Star Break, and all momentum is lost.
The series concludes this afternoon. Domingo Germán starts against Kyle Hendricks.