As Yankees GM Brian Cashman assesses his 26-man roster for next season, he'll most likely take a long, hard look at Miguel Andujar. 

Why? Well, where does he truly fit?

He'll be 25 at the start of the season, and his 2018 campaign that saw him as the runner-up for Rookie of the Year made the Yankees very happy to see him trending in the direction of the other young superstars on their team. 

Anthony McCarron, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Didi Gregorius came to New York nearly five years ago tasked with replacing a pinstriped legend at a high-profile position. He was the shortstop-after-Derek Jeter, but he never seemed to let that looming shadow engulf him and he crafted a strong career as a Yankee.

Now, however, Gregorius is a free agent and it's hard to peg whether his future is in the Bronx. Will the Yankees, who saw the value of depth last season, bring him back even though they have a potential replacement on the roster?

Or is Gregorius, the best free agent shortstop, headed for a nice multi-year deal elsewhere, even after his disappointing return from Tommy John surgery this year? 

John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter |

In trying to predict what the Yankees might do this off-season, only one question really matters for a team that is loaded in so many areas:

Are they ready to open the vault for the best pitcher in baseball at the moment? 

I believe they are, even if it's partly as a response to public pressure to win another championship. Other than that, it looms as a fairly quiet winter for a team coming off back-to-back 100-win seasons. 

Scott Thompson, SNY.tv | Twitter |

With the World Series over (unfortunately without the Yankees starring in it), the hot stove season -- free agency, trades, and all the intrigue -- is officially here.

For the Bombers, they have eight players potentially set to hit free agency. And there's a strong chance that all of them will be playing for new teams in 2020.

The Yankees have a few top players who could hit the market, like Aroldis Chapman, Didi Gregorius, Dellin Betances, and Brett Gardner. So what should the Yanks do? Who should they bring back? 

First of all, I wouldn't blame Yankees fans for not wanting to watch a single ounce of the World Series that kicks off on Tuesday night in Houston. Jose Altuve's walk-off homer in Game 6 of the ALCS still stings, and after what the Yankees accomplished this season, it was hard to watch that all end this past Saturday. 

For those fans that want their last fix of baseball before the offseason, there is a reason to watch. 

A few high-profile free agents will feature in the matchup between the Nationals and Astros, and they could find their way in pinstripes depending on how the Yankees want to structure their free agency pursuit this offseason. 

Anthony McCarron, SNY.tv | Twitter |

With a strong, young nucleus of stars such as Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres and Luis Severino and others, the Yankees at least have the base of a contender for years to come.

But that doesn't mean there aren't significant questions facing GM Brian Cashman and the Yankee braintrust this offseason after another disappointing exit from the playoffs. And winning windows sometimes close before we think they will, if clubs don't make the right moves. 

Will it be a long, Cole'd -- get it? -- winter? Will Aroldis Chapman opt-out? Who's on first? (No, seriously). 

After the Yankees split Saturday and Sunday at Minute Maid Park in Houston, New York returns home Tuesday to the Bronx at 4:04 p.m. from Yankee Stadium for Game 3 of the ALCS against the Astros.

Yankees notes

Sunday's Game 2 of the ALCS alone made the series live up to the hype. After the Yankees dominated Saturday's 7-0 win to grab Game 1, the Astros got New York back in Game 2 with an 11th-inning leadoff home run by SS Carlos Correa against LHP J.A. Happ. Correa starred for the Astros at the plate and in the field, highlighted by his sixth-inning throw home when he caught 1B DJ LeMahieu rounding third base by three steps.

The Yankees look to extend their series lead in Game 2 of the ALCS against the Astros on Sunday at 8:08 p.m. at Minute Maid Park.

Yankees notes

The Yankees took a 1-0 lead in the series after beating the Astros 7-0 in Game 1 of the ALCS. Gleyber Torres was the star of the night, going 3-for-5 with 5 RBI thanks to a double and home run. Giancarlo Stanton went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, but injured his quad and will not start Game 2. Starter Masahiro Tanaka allowed just one hit over six innings, striking out four batters and walking just one in the win. Gio Urshela put the nail in the coffin with his solo home run in the ninth inning, he finished the game 2-for-4 from the plate.

Gleyber Torres put the Yankees on the board first in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Houston Astros. 

In a tight-knit game that has both Masahiro Tanaka and Zack Greinke dealing early, Torres hit an RBI double with one out in the top of the fourth inning to bring DJ LeMahieu in for the first run of the game.

Gleyber Torres is 22 years old.



(via @Yankees) pic.twitter.com/DTDTYJyWGU

Tags: DJ LeMahieu, Giancarlo Stanton, Gio Urshela, Gleyber Torres, Masahiro Tanaka

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Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Aaron Boone has always had an elite human touch, but he famously struggled with pitching moves in his playoff managing debut last year against Boston. It's worth noting then, that he remained calm and followed the game plans in this series.

He took a few risks, and made a few moves that could have left his bullpen short, but it's impossible to accuse him of anything close to managing tight or choking. Quite the contrary, he assigned his pitchers to the lanes determined by pregame planning, and didn't make a single move because of passion or panic.

John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter |

In the end, the Yankees overmatched the Twins in every way possible, even adding spectacular defense to their championship resume, but by far the most significant development in this ALDS sweep of the Twins was the official return of Luis Severino.

With four shutout innings in the 5-1 win that featured some gutsy escapes from jams, Severino offered reason to believe he can at least be a third potentially dominant starter the Yankees need in this post-season, and perhaps at most the ace he has been at times in his young career.

Manager Aaron Boone -- along with the rest of the Yankees staff -- still has some decisions to make regarding the ALDS roster. But Boone said on Wednesday that those will come in their final meetings Wedneday night to finalize their best 25-man group in their mind.

Boone, though, has a vision in his mind right now of how his group will shake out. 

"In my head right now, I'm pretty clear about which way we're going to go," he said. "In my mind, it's starting to come together how I pick us lining up our starters, what our roster looks like. Again, it's about us meeting today and kinda finalizing those things. I can certainly envision how it might look and how we might roll it out."

Job one for the Yankees on Sunday was to get out of the regular-season finale with no injuries, but with the way this IL-fest of a year has gone, forget that.

The Yankees lost to the Rangers, 6-1, in the last game ever at Globe Life Park, but the pinstriped headline was Gio Urshela leaving in the fourth inning with what the team is calling a mild left ankle sprain.

The Yankees told reporters in Texas that doctors examined Urshela at the ballpark and there were no further tests planned. The Yankees don't play again until Friday when they open the AL Division Series against the Twins at Yankee Stadium, so Urshela has time to heal.

The Yankees (103-57, 7.0 GA in AL East) look for another win over the Texas Rangers (76-84, 29.0 GB in AL West, 20.0 GB in AL Wild Card), in Arlington on Saturday at 8:05 p.m.

Yankees notes

During their 14-7 win on Friday over the Rangers, Giancarlo Stanton, Cameron Maybin, Brett Gardner, Gio Urshela, Mike Ford and Austin Romine all homered for the Yankees which brought their team total for 2019 to 305, surpassing the Twins' 303 for the league lead, both are currently the highest HR totals for a team in a single season in MLB history. ... DJ LeMahieu had his MLB leading 61st multi-hit game of the season on Friday, he had a double and two singles. ... Following Friday's results, the Yankees will next face the Minnesota Twins in the American League Division Series starting next week. ... The Yankees placed outfielder Aaron Hicks on the 60-day IL on Saturday (elbow). ... LHP James Paxton (left glute tightness) left Friday's game after one inning but Paxton called it a precautionary move. 

The Yankees (102-56, 8.0 GA in AL East) look to rebound from their 2-1 loss in Tampa Bay against the Rays (94-64, 8 GB in AL East, 0.5 GA in Wild Card) on Tuesday as the two teams wrap their brief two-game set on Wednesday at Tropicana Field at 7:10 p.m.

Yankees notes

DJ LeMahieu enters the game on a 10-game hitting streak and during that stretch has 18 total hits, eight RBI, two homers and is hitting at a .391 average. ... Gio Urshela was hit in the hand with a fastball on Tuesday in the sixth inning, ensuing X-rays were negative but he is not in Wednesday's lineup and has a bruised hand. ... Brett Gardner is also having a profitable past 10 games for the Yankees, he's batting .351 over that span with three doubles, four home runs and 11 RBI

The Yankees won their first game their final homestand of the season, coming up victorious over the Angels 8-0 Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Tuesday's game...

1) Facing his first major league batter since the 2018 ALDS, Luis Severino came in expecting to throw about 70 pitches (ended up throwing 67)…he used up 12 of those on the leadoff hitter. Brian Goodwin was caught looking on the first pitch, took two balls on the next couple and then proceeded to foul off the next six pitches. Goodwin held Severino to a full count before walking on the 12th pitch. But, Severino managed to escape the inning with no runs scored and just one hit to go with the walk, but used up 19 pitches.

The Yankees got out to an early lead thanks to an Aaron Judge home run in their 6-4 win over the Tigers in Game 2 of the team's doubleheader. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Thursday's Game 2...

1) CC Sabathia threw 56 pitches in just 3.1 innings during his first start since returning from the IL. The lefty allowed only two earned runs on three hits, ands struck out five batters. Domingo German then came in and struck out five batters on two hits, as he threw 50 pitches in four innings of work.

After they took their four-game series against the rival Boston Red Sox last Friday through Monday, the Yankees (95-50, 9.0 GA in AL East) hit the middle of their 10-game road trip with Tuesday's 6:40 p.m. start vs. the Detroit Tigers (42-100, 45.5 GB in AL Central, 41.0 GB for second Wild Card) at Comerica Park.

Yankees notes

Since they dropped three straight games in an Aug. 20-22 sweep against the Athletics in Oakland, the Yankees have won their past five series. The Yankees dropped last Friday's series opener to Red Sox but then proceeded to bury their rivals as they won the past three games by a 20-6 margin and eliminated Boston mathematically from AL East contention. They did their damage in Monday's series finale, a 5-0 shutout, behind a pair of solo home runs to get on the board -- Austin Romine's fifth-inning shot down the right-field line and Gio Urshela's seven-inning bomb over the left-field Green Monster -- before DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres tacked on a run apiece in the seventh and Luke Voit added another in the ninth.

James Paxton held the Red Sox off the scoreboard as the Yankees coasted to a 5-0 victory over the Red Sox on Monday night. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Monday's game

1) James Paxton tossed his second consecutive scoreless outing and won his eighth straight start on Monday with another fantastic performance. He allowed just four hits over 6.2 innings, walking three and striking out seven. He hasn't lost a game since July 26, and in the eight starts since has seen his ERA drop from 4.72 to 3.96. His streak of scoreless innings now stands at 15.

The Yankees (94-50, 8.5 GA in AL East) round out their four-game series against the Red Sox (76-67, 17.5 GB in AL East, 8 GB of second wild card) Monday at 7:10 p.m.

Yankees notes

With three home runs in Sunday's win, the Yankees set a franchise record with 268 homers on the season. They surpassed the mark they set just last season with 18 games remaining on the schedule... Gleyber Torres' hit his 35th homer of the season, breaking a tie with Gary Sanchez for the team lead... The Yankees are 64-12 when hitting multiple home runs this season and 35-4 when they have three or more... Gio Urshela returned to the active roster on Sunday and will re-join the starting lineup in Monday's game.

The Yankees (88-48, 10 GA in AL East) host the Oakland Athletics (78-56, 9 GB in AL West, 1 GA in AL Wild Card) in Game 2 of their three-game set at Yankee Stadium on Saturday at 1:05 p.m.

Yankees notes

The Yankees fell 8-2 on Friday to A's and are now 0-4 head-to-head against Oakland this season. Since 2015, the Yankees have a 12-19 record vs. the A's, their worst record vs. any AL team in that time span. ... The Yankees moved two players to the 10-day IL, putting 3B Gio Urshela (groin) there on Friday, and LHP CC Sabathia (knee) on Saturday morning. ... In a corresponding move, RHP Jonathan Loaisiga was recalled from Triple-A Scranton. ... Luke Voit played in his first game since July 30 on Friday, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. ... Aaron Judge was also 2-for-4 on Friday, his third straight multi-hit game. He's hitting .372 in his last 10 games.

The Yankees have a rich history littered with awards and records. They're not going to be too happy about their latest, though. 

Gio Urshela was placed on the 10-day injured list on Friday. He has a strained groin muscle.

The move was the 29th time this season the Yanks have had a player land on the IL. That's a new single-season MLB record for the number of players a team has sent to the injury list. 

The Yankees put potential batting title champ Gio Urshela on the 10-day injured list on Friday. He's focusing on allowing his strained groin to heal and the playoffs, not a potential run at the batting title. 

Currently batting .331, Urshela might not hit the minimal number required to qualify for the award after going on the IL. But he doesn't care. 

"It's more important to win games," Urshela said to the New York Daily News. 

The Yankees (83-46, 8.0 GA in AL East) take on the Los Angeles Dodgers (85-44, 20.5 GA in NL West) at Dodger Stadium Friday at 10:10 p.m. to begin a three-game series with the two-time defending National League champions.

Yankees notes

Gleyber Torres went 4-for-4 with a pair of homers in Thursday's loss to the A's. He now has 31 home runs on the season... Gio Urshela had a rare down night, going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts... Aaron Judge reached base three times on Thursday, going 2-for-3 with a walk, but the three hitters behind him (Didi Gregorius, Urshela and Gary Sanchez) combined to go 1-for-12 behind him.

A big night from Gleyber Torres at the plate was not enough to prevent the sweep, as the A's topped the Yankees, 5-3, on Thursday night in Oakland. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Thursday's game

1) While throwing 109 pitches, Masahiro Tanaka only mustered six innings of work while laboring through a few innings, starting right out of the gate in the first. The A's plated three runs in the opening frame, which was helped by two walks from Tanaka, after he did not walk a single batter over his last two starts. Matt Olson grounded into a force out which scored Marcus Semien for the game's first run, then Mark Canha added a two-run single to left field. 

The Yankees dropped their third game in a row with a 6-4 loss to the Athletics on Wednesday night. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Wednesday's game...

1) J.A. Happ struggled once again, throwing just 4.0 innings and allowing five earned runs including two home runs. Happ struck out four batters, walked just two, and allowed only four hits. His record is now 10-8 on the season.

The Yankees allowed two first inning home runs in Tuesday night's 6-2 loss to the Athletics. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Tuesday's game...

1) Domingo German had a rough start, giving up three earned runs in the first inning including two home runs. He finished the game after 5.1 innings of work, allowing a total of five earned runs on eight hits. German did strike out seven batters, but it wasn't enough to slow down the A's offense. It was his first loss since June 7 against the Indians, as his record is now 16-3 on the season.

The Yankees struck out 14 times and allowed three home runs in Sunday afternoon's 8-4 loss to the Indians at Yankee Stadium. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Sunday's game...

1) LHP CC Sabathia struggled in his first game back from the right knee inflammation, an ailment that kept him on the injured list since July 28.

The Yankees (82-42, 10.5 GA in AL East) continue their four-game series with the American League Wild Card leading Cleveland Indians (73-50, 1.5 GB in AL Central, 2.0 GA in first Wild Card) on Saturday at 1:05 p.m.

Yankees notes

The Yankees beat the Indians on Friday night 3-2, thanks to Masahiro Tanaka's 6.1 innings of four hit baseball. The righty struck out two batters and allowed just two runs, good enough to get his ninth win of the season. Aroldis Chapman came in for the close, and now has 34 saves on the season. Gio Urshela led the Yankees' bats, going 3-for-4 from the plate... the team had 10 hits collectively for the game. Aaron Judge had two hits including a double and a walk, showing signs of breaking out of his recent struggles.

The Yankees bounced back to beat the Indians 3-2 on Friday night at Yankee Stadium. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Friday's game...

1) Masahiro Tanaka's night was going relatively smooth until the righty allowed his second home run of the game when Yasiel Puig blasted a solo shot in the top of the seventh inning. Tanaka finished the game with two earned runs, four hits, and two strikeouts over 6.1 innings. Thanks to the bullpen work of Tommy Kahnle, Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman, Tanaka was able to get his ninth win of the season.

After sweep of lowly Orioles, the Yankees (81-41, 10.0 GA in AL East) start a four-game series against the American League Wild Card leading Cleveland Indians (72-49, 0.5 GB in AL Central, 1.5 GA in first Wild Card) on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. 

Yankees notes

The Yankees are up to a 10-1 overall record this season in extending outings for the bullpen. ... With a win, the Yankees with lock up at 27th straight season with a winning record (1993) and it would be the team's second-fastest time reaching 82 wins in a year. In 1998, the Yankees reached a record of 82-29, that team went on to win the World Series. ... Gio Urshela is hitting at a .488 average over his last 10 games, which includes four doubles, seven homers and 15 RBI. ... Didi Gregorius has 27 RBI in his last 22 games.

The Yankees swept their doubleheader with the Orioles on Monday, thanks to an 11-8 victory in game two. It's the fifth time in six tries that the Bombers have won both games of a twin bill. >> Box Score

Six takeaways from Monday's game two...

1) When Orioles fans fall asleep at night, they're likely to be haunted by nightmares of Gleyber Torres. After going deep in game one, the infielder launched a pair of three-run home runs in game two and now has a staggering 13 home runs against Baltimore this season. Only Lou Gehrig had more against an opponent in one season, when the Iron Horse hit 14 homers against the Indians in 1936. Torres has tortured the Orioles so much that, with his team trailing by five and runners on first and second with two outs in the eighth, manager Brandon Hyde opted to intentionally walk him.

A week after sweeping the Baltimore Orioles (39-87, 37.5 GB in AL East, 29 GB in AL Wild Card) in a three-game series, the Yankees (77-41, 8.5 GA in AL East) will start a four-game series in New York against the O's, starting with a Monday doubleheader, which begins at 1:05 p.m.

Yankees notes

The Yanks appointed infielder Breyvic Valera as their 26th man ahead of Monday's doubleheader. Valera has appeared in nine games for the Yankees with season and is batting .192 with three RBI in the majors this year. ... The Yankees have beat up the O's as of late. After Baltimore won the first series between the two this season in the Bronx, the Orioles have lost 12-straight games to the Yanks and lost all 10 games they've played against New York at Camden Yards this year. ...  The Yankees already set MLB records for the most home runs against a single opponent in a season (52) and the most at a visiting ballpark (43) vs. Baltimore. ... Gio Urshela will look to continue he excellent pace this season against the O's, he has 17 homers, 61 RBI and is batting .323 in 97 games played on the year. In the Yanks' four-game series against the Blue Jays this past weekend, Urshela had three home runs, 6 RBI and batted .400. 

The Yankees beat the Blue Jays 1-0 on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre behind Masahiro Tanaka's strong performance. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Sunday's game...

1) Masahiro Tanaka got his eighth win of the season after allowing three hits and striking out four over 8.0 innings. The Yankees have now won 10 out of the last 11 games that Tanaka starts, dating back to June 11 of this season. Tanaka bounced back in a big way after giving up five earned runs and 10 hits in 5.1 innings of work in his last start on August 5 against the Orioles.

As the rallying cry of the 2019 Yankees season, the 'next man up' rotation has produced in the absence of Miguel Andujar. The 27-year-old Gio Urshela hasn't just produced, he's excelled. In the span of a couple months, he has transformed from a forgotten third basemen to a true two-way talent. 

His performance has been such a surprise, thus raising the essential question - could Andujar's future in New York be in jeopardy?

It's a fascinating thought to ponder, and surely a decision that the Yankees will eventually have to make. Andujar is due back before the 2020 season, putting him in position to reclaim his starting role. But can we assume that he will be given the starting job right away? It seems unlikely. Recent history has shown that the Yankees prefer to let guys battle it out through spring training.

After the D-backs pulled Zack Greinke from the game and traded him, the Yankees hitters jump all over Arizona's bullpen en route to a 7-5 win.>> Box score

Five takeaways from Wednesday's game

1) Prior to the game, righty Masahiro Tanaka revealed that he made some changes to his grip. That came after he imploded in his last start against the Red Sox, posting 12 earned runs on 12 hits (two homers) over 3.1 innings. On Wednesday, Tanaka still struggled. Tanaka only notched four innings on the mound, exiting the game in the fifth inning with runners on and 82 pitches thrown. Tanaka allowed two earned runs and five hits with three walks. He also struck out four batters. 

The Yankees dropped their second straight game at home with 4-2 loss to the Diamondbacks. >> Box score

Five takeaways from Tuesday's game

1) J.A. Happ gave up three runs on eight hits through 6.0 innings of work. The left-hander struck out only two batters Tuesday night, and gave up a solo homerun to Christian Walker. The loss makes Happ's record now 8-6 on the season.

Chris Carelli, SNY.TV  Twitter | About Me | Archives

The Yankees salvaged a win in the final game of their four-game series against the Red Sox, winning Sunday's game at Fenway Park by a score of 9-6. >> Box score

Five takeaways from Sunday's game

1) Finally, a Yankees starter settled things down long enough for the offense to find a bit of its lost magic. Domingo German struck out nine batters in 5.1 innings, while allowing three runs on four hits and one walk. German, who was crushed by the Twins in his last outing, was great for much of the night, with Andrew Benintendi's home run being the lone mistake of the night.

The Yankees (66-38, 8.0 GA in AL East) finish up their four-game set with the Red Sox (59-47, 8 GB in AL East) Sunday at 7:05 p.m. at Fenway Park.

Yankees notes

American League batting average leader DJ LeMahieu remains out of the lineup for the Yankeees, suffering from what the team is calling an "acute" groin strain... Gio Urshela went a perfect 4-for-4 with a home run in Saturday's loss and has posted a .720 slugging percentage over his last seven games... Though not in Sunday's starting lineup, Kyle Higashioka has knocked in runs in both of his starts since Gary Sanchez was placed on the IL. He hit a solo homer off of Rick Porcello on Friday.

The Yankees (64-33, 10 GA in AL East) can sweep the Rockies (46-52, 18.5 GB in NL West) on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.   

Yankees notes

Brett Gardner was scratched from the original lineup due to what manager Aaron Boone called a "barking knee." Mike Tauchman took his place in left. ...While the Yankees play today, two legends in Mariano Rivera and Mike Mussina will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown. ...Though the long ball has been a Yankee specialty, they didn't need it on Saturday, scoring all 11 of their runs without hitting a homer. Edwin Encarnacion drove in a team-high three runs, while Gleyber Torres had two himself. Five other Yankees collected an RBI as well.

The Yankees (63-33, 9 GA in AL East) are hosting the Colorado Rockies (46-51, 17.5 GB in NL West) on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.   

Yankees notes

The Yankees are a season-best 30 games over .500 and lead the Majors with 31-come-from-behind victories. ... The Bombers have lived up to their nickname, blasting 12 home runs (including two grand slams) over the last five games. ... The Yankees are 11-9 all-time against the Rockies, including a 7-2 record at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees (62-33, 8 GA in AL East) are hosting the Colorado Rockies (46-50, 16.5 GB in NL West) on Friday at 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.  

Yankees notes

Gio Urshela continues to make an impact in the Yankee lineup. His 3-for-4, three-RBI performance in Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader was the catalyst for a Yankee win... Luke Voit supplied the power in Game 2, as the slugging first baseman launched his 18th homer of the season off of Rays pitcher Charlie Morton. Voit has already surpassed his previous career highs in home runs, RBIs and doubles... DJ LeMahieu will face the Rockies for the first time since joining the Yankees this season. The infielder, who spent seven seasons with Colorado, was a two-time All-Star, a three-time Gold Glove Award-winner and won the batting title in 2016. Aaron Boone will not be in the dugout tonight while he serves a one-game suspension following his ejection in Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader.

The Yankees won the first game of their doubleheader against the Rays on Thursday, 6-2. >> Box score

Five takeaways from Thursday's game

1) Domingo German shook a bad first two batters en route to his 12th win of the season. The first two batters for the Rays, Austin Meadows and Yandy Diaz, both homered off of German on the fourth pitch of their at-bats. Despite the rocky start, German settled in and on his next 82 pitches (90 total), he only allowed two more hits and none in his final three innings. In total, German tossed six innings with five strikeouts.