Eovaldi Emerges

Last night proved the Yankees can hang with the best the American League has to offer. The surprising Houston Astros are in town for a 3 game series and the Yanks took the opener in a nailbiter, 1-0.

The offense was non-existent once again until the 9th inning where they ultimately won the game but that's for a different blog. The thing we really want to focus on that came out of last night is the fact Nathan Eovaldi pitched magnifecent. 8 innings, no runs allowed, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts. Solid performance by a guy who was an afterthought in the Yankee rotation back in April.

Eovaldi seems to have turned a corner and it's happened at just the right time. With CC Sabathia going on the 15-day DL and possibly lost for the re
st of the season, Eovaldi has stepped into the slot we all thought CC would occupy. Reliable, solid starting pitcher.
“Tonight was the best I’ve felt about an outing,” he said.
Since that game in Miami on June 16 when he couldn't get out of the first inning, he’s gone 8-0 with a 2.93 ERA in his past 12 starts.
“Last year I had to rely on my fastball a lot more than this year,” Eovaldi said. “That and my slider, then I’d get behind in counts with my slider. I didn’t have a great feel for my curveball last year, and then I didn’t have the split. This year I’ve been using my curveball a lot better and all my offspeed pitches (have been better), which is helped me out a lot.”

The difference is now Eovaldi is more of a pitcher than a thrower. The results are showing.  The Yanks win keeps pace with the surging Toronto Blue Jays at top of the AL East. The two teams have 7 head to head matchups remaining and certainly those games will determine who wins the divison but a win last night will prove valuable should the Yankees make it to October. The Astros are among the AL's elite so whether it's a 1-0 win or 16-2, a win's a win and it gives you the confidence moving forward to gain another victory. Eovaldi's emergence couped with Tanaka, Pineda, and Severino will provide the Yankeees with a dynamic rotation going down the stretch and in a postseason series. After 2 years of missing the playoffs, that's all you could really ask for from this team.
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A-SLAM Latest In Season Of Redemption For A-Rod

Last night saw the latest highlight of Alex Rodriguez' comeback season. After going 0 for 3 in his first three plate appearances A-Rod belted a 1-0 fastball into the bullpen in right centerfield and put the Yankees ahead 5-4 in the 7th.

“A home run feels great,” Rodriguez said. “A grand slam feels pretty awesome. … I said in Spring Training, there were going to be some ups and downs. The last two weeks are pretty good examples of some downs, but it’s also important to keep perspective when you’re doing great or when you’re struggling.”
We all knew A-Rod would come back down to earth eventually. He's already exceeded expectations. So what's there to lose? Right now..the division. With The Toronto Blue Jays hot on the Yankees trail in the A.L. East, every game is important. Every at-bat is crucial.

The Blue Jays were taking care of business last night in Philly when Alex came up to the plate in the 7th with the bases loaded and the Yanks down 4-1. Talk about pressure. The man was once renowned for failing in clutch situations. This season, Alex has been the unsung hero more often than not. It was these same Minnesota Twins he slugged THREE Home Runs against last month and single-handily kept the Yanks in the game, which eventually led to a Yankee victory.

The Grand Slam was A-Rod's 25th on the season and 25th Grand Slam of his career. It was his first HR since his 40th birthday on July 27th. He was due. You sensed that all he needed was to be put in a situation where the Yankees needed him the most. I was at the game last night, I sensed it before he even came out to the on deck circle. It was just time. I looked over to my friend and said, Alex is due, if he comes up with men on, he's going to come thro. And he did...in a big way. With everyone in Yankee Stadium behind him and chanting "Let's go A-Rod" , he hit one into the Bronx night. The place went crazy and stayed didn't calm down until Alex came out for a curtain call.

“What’s bothered me is when you have poor at-bats and when you chase, when you’re not being productive and helping the team win,” Rodriguez said. “I think when you hit a lot of home runs, they come in bunches. Sometimes there’s droughts. I just went through one. … I’ve been stinking up the joint here for about three weeks now. That one felt good.”
It certainly did Alex. So much so that the Yankees official Twitter posted a pic of Alex with the caption #BAEROD. Now that everyone is in FULL support of #13 what else is in stored for A-Rod for the rest of this season? We're gonna need him down the stretch if we're getting to October. In a season of redemption, Alex has everything he needs to be New York's NO. 1 beloved athlete.




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#BAEROD

A-Rod breaks his slump with his 25th Grand Slam of his career and puts the Yankees ahead for good to defeat the Twins

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