Three takeaways from the Yankees' nine-game road trip
The Yankees' Ben Rice, right, is congratulated by Aaron Judge after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday in Los Angeles. Credit: AP/Mark J. Terrill
LOS ANGELES — Three Yankees takeaways from their nine-game trip to Denver and the West Coast in which they went 6-3:
1. Don’t make too much of this Dodgers series
The Dodgers, who outscored the Yankees 26-7 in the first two games of the series, came into the weekend slightly better and still are. The Yankees had a good bounce-back victory Sunday night, but it is clear the Dodgers’ lineup is a bit more unrelenting. That doesn’t mean the Yankees can’t or won’t get to that level by season’s end. There is a long way to go until October, and the Yankees are sure to make additions at the trade deadline, because they almost always do. So will the Dodgers. The teams may well be on a collision course for a World Series rematch, but if they get there — and that’s no guarantee, especially for the Dodgers in the far deeper National League — the clubs squaring off in October are likely to be somewhat different versions of the ones that just battled at Dodger Stadium. A fun end-of-May-early-June series, yes. But not anything to put too much stock into one way or the other.
2. DJ LeMahieu still could end up a key contributor this season
LeMahieu, who missed the first 41 games of the season because of a left calf strain he suffered in his first game of spring training, was in a 0-for-15 slide entering Sunday night and had not looked particularly good at the plate since his return, hitting .171 going into Sunday. But LeMahieu went 4-for-5 with two RBIs in Sunday night’s 7-3 victory that helped the Yankees avoid a three-game sweep, showing there might be some life left in the bat of the two-time batting champion. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is due to come off the injured list early this week, perhaps as soon as Tuesday, and will play primarily at third base. At least for the time being, the Yankees appropriately are keeping LeMahieu at second base, as that’s the position he’s played for the majority of his career and the one at which he’s won three Gold Gloves. Though Chisholm is more comfortable at second, his athleticism allowed him to adapt well at third after the Yankees acquired him from the Marlins last summer. LeMahieu is the better third baseman of the two, but the 36-year-old’s more comfortable position, and better one, is second. Though it mostly has been a slow go for LeMahieu at the plate, his work in the field has been solid to good.
3. Luke Weaver’s hamstring bears watching
Aaron Boone said he planned to go to the closer in the ninth inning Sunday night, even after the fourth of LeMahieu’s four hits gave his team a 7-3 lead and made it a non-save situation. But Weaver, who brought a 1.05 ERA into the night in 24 appearances, “felt something” in a hamstring, Boone said afterward. The manager, usually given to optimism, didn’t sound terribly optimistic discussing Weaver. “It was enough to take him out,” Boone said. “We’ll see what we have when we get home.” If Weaver requires a stint on the IL, Devin Williams will move back into the closer role he lost to Weaver toward the end of April. That would be fine, as Williams has mostly pitched very well since losing the job, not allowing a run in 13 of 15 outings. But what precedes the ninth suddenly would become a big question.
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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