Aug 4, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Aaron Judge (99) looks up after being intentionally walked during the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
On Sunday, Aaron Judge had three plate appearances in which he did not see a single pitch from the Toronto Blue Jays.
After being intentionally walked three times for the first time in his career, Judge and his New York Yankees will find out Wednesday if the Los Angeles Angels will treat him the same way.
The teams’ scheduled game on Tuesday was rained out, leaving the Yankees heading into their second doubleheader of the season with seven wins in eight games following a 10-23 skid.
Judge hit his major league-best 40th and 41st homers in the first two games of a three-game series against Toronto before being hit by three intentional free passes Sunday, as the Yankees earned a 4-3 victory on DJ LeMahieu’s single in the 10th inning. Judge is batting .485 (16-for-33) with six homers in his last nine games but also has 12 walks, including four intentional free passes in the last two contests.
“You want (Judge) at the plate,” said Juan Soto, who homered Sunday and is batting .386 (32-for-83) in his last 20 games. “I’m doing everything I can to accommodate him and you see him getting overlooked. It really makes me mad. I don’t like that. I want him to be challenged and see what he can really do.”
“It is what it is. It’s part of the game. They’re trying to win too, so that’s respected.”
The Angels head into their first doubleheader of the year with 12 wins in their last 21 games. Ten of those victories were by three runs or less, including the last two over the New York Mets.
After Zach Neto hit a three-run homer Saturday in a 5-4 victory, Los Angeles survived committing three errors in a 3-2 win Sunday.
Angels relievers Jose Marte, Mike Baumann and Roansy Contreras allowed two hits in four scoreless innings, while Matt Thaiss and Kevin Pillar had sacrifice flies.
“They did a tremendous job,” manager Ron Washington said of his relievers. “Before the game, I stopped all three of them and asked them if they were ready to finish the game. But it worked.”
Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon was activated Tuesday after being sidelined with lower back tightness, and Taylor Ward was placed on the paternity list. The team also announced that infielder Luis Rengifo underwent season-ending right wrist surgery. Rengifo last played on Friday.
Yankees right-hander Luis Gil (11-5, 3.20 ERA), who is 2-0 with a 2.76 ERA in his last three starts, will start the doubleheader. Gil last started July 29 at Philadelphia, when he allowed three runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings during a 14-4 victory.
Gil’s return to his previous season’s form comes after he went 0-4 with a 9.37 ERA in four starts from June 20 to July 7. On May 29, Gil allowed one run on two hits and tallied nine strikeouts in eight innings during a season-high 2-1 road win against the Angels.
Los Angeles right-hander Davis Daniel (1-2, 4.91 ERA) will oppose Gil. He has sandwiched two strong starts around two losses.
Daniel began his second major league stint of the season on July 31, when he allowed one run and five hits in five innings in a no-decision against the Colorado Rockies.
New York’s Will Warren (0-0, 6.75 ERA) will make his second career start in Wednesday’s nightcap. Warren made his major league debut on July 30 at Philadelphia after Gerrit Cole was removed, and he allowed four runs and four hits in 5 1/3 innings.
For the Angels in Wednesday’s second game, Carson Fulmer (0-2, 3.69 ERA) will be the starter. He allowed two runs and three hits in six innings in a no-decision against the Rockies on Thursday.
Fulmer’s only previous start against the Yankees was a scoreless 1 1/3-inning relief appearance for the Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 11, 2020.
–Field level media
