Getting Anthony Rizzo back for the Guardians' series, as one of the few members of the team who've had any prior postseason success against Cleveland, was the ultimate blessing for the Yankees. The 1st base question that held the team back against Kansas City was solved, the veteran presence was restored, and after all that missed time Anthony Rizzo was finally good at baseball again.
The Yankees' Game 2 victory was a really promising one for several reasons. It is still worrying that our base running is so dire, and Weaver giving up a homer to Ramirez is a sign we should be cautious with him, but...instead of being another net win like Game 1 we actually took the steps this game. Game 1 was lost due to some wild pitches by Cleveland, and while this game had some terrible defensive plays throughout, it wasn't a gimme. The Yankees' offense not only got to Tanner Bibee, the Guardians' best starter, but to SEVERAL members of the to-date immaculate Cleveland bullpen. Hunter Gaddis gave up a home run to Aaron Judge, one the whole borough must have heard. Erik Sabrowski was responsible for the majority of the midgame rally. Even Cade Smith could only do so much to quell this team.
Gleyber Torres, Alex Verdugo, Anthony Volpe, Jazz Chisholm and ESPECIALLY Anthony Rizzo all had great nights. Rizzo was responsible for the late RBI double that helped the Yankees cement the lead [before Judge ripped the game open]. Already the veteran 1st baseman has had an excellent ALCS, and is on track to become one of the most important Yankees of this postseason. And while Gerrit Cole did get a little dicey around innings 4 and 5, he was strong in the first few, and stifled the Guardians enough to prevent them from tying the game. The only trouble the 'pen got into was Ramirez late, but by that point it was mostly just frosting.
The Yankees, through 2 games of this ALCS, look extremely good. Thursday night in Cleveland it'll likely be Clarke Schmidt against Matt Boyd. On paper that's a game we can win, but nothing is ever simple with these Guardians teams. And if I get too comfortable now I could be into a world of pain if the Guards figure us out soon. So I'm just enjoying the moment, and hoping the Yanks can keep building on it.
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