Aug 4, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Aaron Judge (99) singles during the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Aaron Judge is producing numbers similar to those in 2022 when he broke the American League single-season home run record, and the New York Yankees’ top power threat will have the full attention of the visiting Los Angeles Angels when the teams meet Tuesday to open a three-game series.
Judge is up to 41 homers and 103 RBIs this season, while also leading the major leagues with 92 walks, including 11 intentional free passes.
Four of those intentional walks came in the last two games and Judge could see fewer pitches to hit in the series against the Angels.
The Yankees are on a 7-1 streak dating to July 27 after losing 23 of their previous 33. Judge has five homers and is batting .517 (15-for-29) in the last eight games.
Judge homered in the first inning on both Friday and Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays. After his homer on Saturday, he was intentionally walked with no one on and two outs in the second inning of an eventual 8-3 victory. On Sunday, he was given three free passes before DJ LeMahieu hit the game-winning single in the 10th inning of a 4-3 win.
“You want (Judge) at the plate,” said Juan Soto, who homered Sunday and is hitting .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 them to challenge him and see what he can really do. It’s what it is. It’s part of the game. They’re trying to win, too, so that’s respected.”
The Angels are 12-9 in their last 21 games, with 10 of them by three runs or less. They come in with a pair of one-run home wins over the New York Mets, following Saturday’s 5-4 victory with a 3-2 win Sunday when they overcame three errors.
Los Angeles saw relievers Jose Marte, Mike Baumann and Roansy Contreras allow 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.”
The Angels are expected to welcome Anthony Rendon back to the lineup on Tuesday after the third baseman missed another week with lower back tightness. Rendon was placed on the injured list on July 26 after missing nearly three months with a hamstring strain and is expected to be removed from the leadoff spot.
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 open the series and try to tie Carlos Rodon for the team lead in wins. Gil last started July 29 at Philadelphia when he allowed three runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings in a 14-4 victory.
Gil’s return to his form from last season comes after he went 0-4 with a 9.37 ERA in four starts from June 20 to July 7. On May 29, Gil dominated as he allowed one run on two hits while notching nine strikeouts in eight innings of a 2-1 road win against the Angels.
Los Angeles right-hander Davis Daniel (1-2, 4.91 ERA) will make his fifth career start and has combined two solid outings with two losses.
After suffering back-to-back losses to Oakland and Texas in early July and spending some time at Triple-A Salt Lake, Daniel returned to the majors in late July and allowed one run and five hits in five innings in a no-decision win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.
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