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

The Yankees dropped their second straight game on Monday in an 8-6 loss to the Twins at Target Field. >> Box score

Five takeaways from Monday's game...

1) CC Sabathia's performance could be one that pushes the Yankees to make a pitching move sooner than later as the trade deadline quickly approaches. Sabathia coughed up four home runs, the first two putting the Yanks in a quick 2-0 rut. Sabathia's season ERA climbed to 4.50 after the six earned runs allowed in just four innings tonight.

The Yankees may have the most potent offense in baseball, but even they are susceptible to some bad breaks. 

In the first inning of Monday's game against the Twins, the Yankees fell victim to one of the rarer plays in baseball. 

Edwin Encarnacion, who has a 1.019 OPS since the All-Star break, came to the plate with two runners on and nobody out when he ripped a groundball to Twins third baseman Luis Arraez. Arraez stepped on third, fired to second baseman Jonathan Schoop for the second out, and he relayed the ball to first baseman Miguel Sano before Encarnacion could get there to complete a 5-4-3 triple play. 

The Yankees (64-34, 9 GA in AL East) open up a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins (60-38, 3 GA in AL Central) Monday at 8:10 p.m. at Target Field.

Yankees notes

Brett Gardner will miss his second straight game after being removed from Sunday's original lineup with what manager Aaron Boone called a "barking knee"... Mike Tauchman performed admirably in Gardner's absence and is 8-for-16 over his last seven games, including his sixth homer of the season in Sunday's loss to the Rockies... Aaron Hicks continued his scorching July with his 10th home run of the season on Sunday. The switch-hitter is slashing a remarkable .333/.414/.667 this month.    

Forbes released its 2019 version of the 50 most valuable sports franchises in the world on Monday, and all 50 teams have a value of at least $2 billion. 

Six New York teams made the cut, with two of those teams (Yankees and Knicks) leading their respective sports. No NHL or MLS teams made the top 50, although the Rangers are the highest-ranking hockey team at 72 with a value of $1.55 billion. 

Here are the local rankings, which are based on Forbes' published valuations over the past 12 months:

With just nine days to go until the July 31 trade deadline, asking prices will fluctuate, rumors will swirl and big names will likely be on the move.

The Yankees are one of the many teams actively searching for starting pitching reinforcements. And Brian Cashman's team is well-positioned to build on its nine-game lead in the AL East.

In recent years, Cashman has been extremely cautious in deadline dealings. He's been careful to hold on to his most valued prospects, and for the most part, that strategy has paid off.

Look at the Sonny Gray deal as an example. He didn't work out in New York, but the trade is significant for another reason - -it's the most recent example of Cashman surrendering top prospects in a midseason deal. He sent out James Kapreilian, Jorge Mateo and Dustin Fowler, all of whom were top-15 names in New York's system, according to MLB Pipeline. So far, only one of those prospects (Fowler) has reached the Major Leagues.

The Yankees are hoping to trade for a starting pitcher, and have been linked to most of the top names on the market as the July 31 deadline nears. Here's the latest...

July 22, 2:56 PM:

While the Blue Jays are open to dealing with the Braves despite the presence of former GM Alex Anthopoulos, the Yankees and Astros are among the teams that might have a better chance than Atlanta to land Marcus Stroman, according to Jon Heyman. 

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

Every Monday, we'll be taking a look at how the Yankees' top prospects (their MLB.com Yankees Top-30 rankings are in parenthesis) are faring.

Estevan Florial, OF, High-A Tampa (No. 1, MLB No. 46) -- ETA 2021

Florial is mired in a slump, which has him hitting .176 (6-for-34) over his last 10 games. During the stretch, Florial has struck out 12 times and has failed to draw a walk, bringing his ratio of strikeouts to walks for the season to 56:10. As a result, Florial has generated a disappointing .619 OPS.

"Go back to where you came from."

The phrase has dominated the American consciousness for more than a week, following President Trump's suggestion in a Tweet that four Congresswomen of color "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came."

Several days later, Trump presided at a campaign rally over a "send her back" chat directed at Somali-born U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn).

Just as he closed so many games during his storied career with the Yankees, legendary closer Mariano Rivera closed the Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Sunday in Cooperstown, with a touching extemporaneous speech.

Click below to see how the back pages in NYC reacted after Mo's induction...

Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner missed the team's series finale on Sunday against the Colorado Rockies due to a knee injury. 

Aaron Boone did not sound overly concerned about the issue. The manager told reporters that he's classifying Gardner as "day to day," however, he did not commit to Gardner playing on Monday against the Minnesota Twins. 

An MRI on Gardner revealed inflammation in the left knee, but no further structural damage was found, per Boone. 

For Mariano Rivera, going last is something he was used to throughout his Major League career. That's why it was fitting to see that same thing happen in Cooperstown on Sunday afternoon. 

Rivera was the last inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame during the ceremony this afternoon, and rightfully so. Not only is he the most dominant closer of all time, but the Yankee legend was also the first unanimous inductee in history. 

So, with a Bernie Williams guitar solo and all, Rivera was introduced to the crowd full of Yankees fans that he addressed after receiving the honor. 

The Yankees had their win streak snapped on Sunday, as the Rockies took down the Bombers 8-4 to avoid a sweep at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

Five takeaways from Sunday's game...

1) James Paxton had a rough outing on the road. His first batter, Charlie Blackmon, took him deep to lead off the game and it may have been an omen for the rest of the way. He allowed seven runs, four earned on five hits while striking out six and walking three over 3.1 innings. Paxton's ERA has now rose to 4.20 on the year. 

Mike Mussina is officially a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

Normally stoic, Mussina couldn't help but to smile as his former Yankees manager Joe Torre talked about his great career on a video before his speech. When accepting his plaque, that smile never left his face. 

It was only until he began his induction speech that he went back to that serious manner to explain how his journey began up until this moment in Cooperstown on Sunday. 

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.

In just a few hours, Yankees legends Mariano Rivera and Mike Mussina will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame up in Cooperstown. 

And current Yankee Aaron Judge couldn't think of a better way to recognize the careers that these pitchers had. 

Speaking at Pepsi's Coach Judge Softball Game, Judge discussed "what an honor" it is for both Mussina and Rivera -- two players he looked up to growing up.

Today, the most dominant closer in the history of the game and a Yankees legend in Mariano Rivera will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. 

And it's been a long week for Rivera leading up to this moment, something that he said sunk in over the last few months since he became the first player ever to be unanimously voted into the hall. 

Rivera spoke briefly with the media on Saturday, reflecting on his journey to this point in his life. He admitted that while he was shutting teams down left and right for years, he didn't really think he would be at this point getting inducted. In fact, he didn't even think about All-Star games during his playing days...

The Yankees jumped out to an early 9-0 lead and held on the beat the Rockies 11-5 at Yankee Stadium for fifth straight win. >> Box score

Five takeaways from Saturday's game

1) DJ LeMahieu continues to live up to his nickname, posting another Machine-like three-hit performance. LeMahieu also walked, scoring a pair of runs on the afternoon. His batting average on the season is now .334 after singles in the first, third, and seventh innings. He set the table all day long for a Yankees lineup in which every starter reached base and five players recorded multi-hit games. LeMahieu also made a number of sparkling defensive plays.

Yankees first baseman Luke Voit was pulled from Saturday's game with the Colorado Rockies after being hit by a pitch in his mouth/jaw area.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Voit was hit by a Chad Bettis fastball, as the ball may have skimmed his shoulder before making solid contact with his lip and jaw. Voit stayed in the game initially, coming around to score on a Gleyber Torres single. 

After the inning ended, Voit was replaced in the lineup by Gio Urshela, as DJ LeMahieu moved over to first base.

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 scored eight unanswered runs and defeated the Rockies, 8-2, Friday at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

Six takeaways from Friday's game

1) The Yankees trailed early after the Rockies jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but Edwin Encarnacion strode to the plate in the third with the bases loaded and quickly put the Yankees on top. Encarnacion was behind in the count 1-2 and got a good changeup from Kyle Freeland located down and away, but the right-handed hitter muscled it just over the wall in left for his 12th career grand slam. Only Albert Pujols, with 14 grand slams, has more among active players. 

John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter |

By Friday morning it seemed the whole world had seen the Aaron Boone video, and as much as I knew it would resonate with Yankee fans, I didn't realize just how much until the huge Joe Girardi fan at my gym walked over to tell me the Freakin' Savages ejection, if you will, practically melted his heart. 

"I didn't know Boone had it in him," the guy said. "You know I loved Girardi for his intensity, and I'll always think he got a raw deal. But Boone showed me something. I thought he was just kind of a nice guy who was hired to keep the players happy and carry out (Brian) Cashman's orders. 

Aaron Boone has no regrets. 

The Yankees manager was suspended for one game on Friday for his conduct with umpire Brennan Miller on Thursday, whom he made contact with while yelling, "my guys are f--king savages" and telling him he's "having a piece of s--t start to this game."

While Boone will serve his suspension during Friday's game against the Rockies, he was still at the stadium and addressed the suspension, which he said he knew was coming because he bumped the bill of his cap with Miller's cap. Boone explained that was "part" of the explanation he received from Joe Torre for why he was being suspended and fined, but it did not change how he felt about the situation. 

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' best pitching prospects have come in waves of three. Remember the trio of Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy? What about the "Killer B's," Dellin Betances, Manny Banuelos and Andrew Brackman?

Most Yankees fans know the team's most talked about prospects right now -- Jonathan Loaisiga has MLB experience. Deivi Garcia is one of the most highly-touted pitchers in all of the minor leagues. With the Yankees' recent history of cranking out three pitching prospects at a time, fans want to know -- who's the third member of the big three?

Meet Albert Abreu.

The Yankees' No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, Abreu was acquired in 2016 in a trade for Brian McCann. After battling injuries and inconsistency in 2018, Abreu has gotten back on track at Double-A Trenton this year, pitching to a solid 3.72 ERA (though his 1.58 WHIP is quite high), and ranking 18th in the Eastern League with 77 strikeouts.

Aaron Boone's 'f--king savages' tirade at home plate umpire Brennan Miller on Thursday will cost the Yankees manager a game. 

MLB announced on Friday that Boone has received a one-game suspension and undisclosed fine for his "inappropriate actions, including contact" with Miller in the second inning of Thursday's first game of a doubleheader against the Rays. 

The announcement was made by Joe Torre, the Chief Baseball Officer for Major League Baseball and former Yankees manager. 

With the San Francisco Giants riding a six-game winning streak and jumping into the wild card race in manager Bruce Bochy's final season, the team is genuinely undecided about trading ace Madison Bumgarner and reliever Will Smith this month, according to major league sources.

A person with direct knowledge of the team's plans said plainly that Bumgarner and Smith are not available at the moment. The Giants have until July 31 to decide.

Bumgarner allowed one run in nine innings against the Mets on Thursday. While no one can argue with that result, evaluators were not overly impressed by his repertoire.

Anthony McCarron, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Mariano Rivera is headed into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday for the work he did on the field, from his postseason brilliance to his record 652 saves to that devastating cut fastball that turned bats into shards of wood. 

But it's also remarkable how many of the folks who played or worked with Rivera touch on personal stories when asked to recount their favorite Mo memory. Turns out, Rivera wasn't just a Cooperstown-worthy pitcher; he was a Hall of Fame teammate, too. 

SNY talked to some of the people who knew Rivera best during his amazing 19-year career to get a glimpse of the Yankees famed closer as he prepares to be enshrined. 

At 62-33, the Yankees may not need a rallying cry, but Aaron Boone gave them one anyway. 

The Yankees manager's 'f--king savages' rant toward home plate umpire Brennan Miller on Thursday not only fired up the fan base, but his players, too. 

"We are a bunch of savages," Luke Voit said after Thursday's doubleheader sweep of the Rays. 

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) Early in the game, things almost got away from the Yankees. In a full bullpen outing, Chad Green got the ball to start the game on the mound for New York. Austin Meadows singled to start the game, then the bases were quickly loaded as Tommy Pham walked and Green plunked Nate Lowe with a pitch. The Yanks stuck with Green though, and he delivered. Green sent down the next three batters, including two punch outs, to keep the game scoreless

Yankees manager Aaron Boone had an interesting description of his lineup in the first game of a doubleheader on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays. 

In the second inning, Brett Gardner struck out and was none-too-happy. The same can be said for Boone and he went to bat for his dugout, giving home plate umpire Brennan Miller a piece of his mind from the bench. That didn't last long, as moments later Boone was in the rookie umps' face. 

While complaining about the strike zone, Boone unleashed his true thoughts on the umpire's calls and his own hitters. 

The Yankees (61-33, 7.0 games ahead of the Rays for first place in the AL East) face the Rays (56-42) in Game 2 of a doubleheader on Thursday at Yankee Stadium. 

Yankees notes

With the Game 1 win, the Yankees clinched their 14th straight non-losing home series. ... Yankees batters have hit nine home runs in the first three games of this series against Tampa Bay. ... Yankees' starters have allowed two runs or fewer in 10 of 12 starts during the month of July.

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. 

The Yankees (60-33, 6.0 games ahead of the Rays for first place in the AL East) face the Rays (56-41) in Game 1 of a doubleheader on Thursday at 3:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium. 

Yankees notes

Edwin Encarnacion has six hits in his last 14 at-bats, including three homers. ... Domingo German has allowed two runs total over his last two starts, spanning 12.0 innings.

Just about a half hour before first pitch was scheduled between the Yankees and Rays, Wednesday's game was officially postponed due to rain in the forecast.

The Yankees and Rays will hold a doubleheader on Thursday, starting at 3:00 p.m. The Yankees were scheduled to pitch Domingo German on Wednesday night, with J.A. Happ set to go on Thursday. Aaron Boone said on Wednesday night that German is scheduled to pitch the first game on Thursday, while the second game starter is still up in the air, and could be an opener.

Before the home run heroics from Aaron Judge and Didi Gregorius in the Yankees' 8-3 win over Tampa, the offense had been struggling in the post-London Series world.

But no Yankee has seen their production dip further than Gary Sanchez, who has looked a lot like his 2018 version.

Just a few weeks ago on June 23, Sanchez was the owner of a .273/.339/.634 line, numbers that earned him a trip to his second All-Star game. Since then? He has just seven hits in 59 plate appearances -- good for a .119 batting average.

Aaron Judge had his first big "Aaron Judge" moment this season during Tuesday night's 8-3 victory over the Rays. Batting as the go-ahead run, he cracked a two-run home run that gave the Yankees a lead that they did not relinquish.

Due to injuries and time off, it was only Judge's 10th home run of the season, and his first in 11 days. That doesn't mean that big number 99 hasn't been helping the Yankees in other ways, though.

Judge has, in some ways, changed his approach in 2019. His power production has dropped a little bit, but his batting average sits at an attractive .304. In the at-bat that preceded his go-ahead bomb, the Rays shifted on Judge, playing him to pull. Instead, Judge laced a base hit right to where the second baseman would have normally been.

The Yankees added some speed on Wednesday by acquiring outfielder Terrance Gore from the Royals in exchange for cash considerations.

Gore, a 28-year-old outfielder, has spent parts of six seasons in the majors, primarilly with the Royals aside from a one-year stop in Chicago with the Cubs. 

Will the Yankees be without their closer Aroldis Chapman in 2020? It's a scenario that is very plausible after hearing what The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal had to say about the flame-throwing left-hander. 

Rosenthal wrote in his most recent piece that "a player who is friendly" with Chapman said that the closer will "one million percent" opt out of his contract following the end of the 2019 season. 

Chapman answered questions about the report before tonight's game, saying it is "completely false" that he wants to opt out, according to multiple reports. However, he will have a discussion with his agent after the season to contemplate his options. For now, though, he is happy with his contract...

The Yankees have the best record in the American League and the second-best winning percentage in all of baseball (behind only the Dodgers, who are 63-34). And their place in the standings matches their current odds to win the World Series.

Per Bovada, the Dodgers are currently +280 to win the Fall Classic, while the Yanks are +333.

The rest of the odds shake out like this:

Aaron Judge had already flipped the script in the bottom of the eighth, when his two-run homer to right field made it 4-3 Yankees over the Rays. 

But Didi Gregorius completely broke down the door with a grand slam in the same frame to pull away. 

With the crowd chanting his name, Gregorius sent a moonshot to the right field bleachers, and a big smile crossed his face as he sent the Yankee Stadium crowd into a frenzy. It's a scene Gregorius has orchestrated so many times in the past, but this season following his long IL stint due to Tommy John surgery recovery, it has been a rare sight. 

The Yankees rallied late and broke the game wide open with a pair of eighth-inning home runs to defeat the Rays, 8-3, Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

Five takeaways from Tuesday's game

1) The eighth inning proved to be the deciding one for the Yanks, who trailed 3-2 with Gleyber Torres set to lead off against Colin Poche. The second baseman walked, but Brett Gardner struck out and D.J. LeMahieu lined out hard to right-center. That brought up Aaron Judge, who sent a ball just outside the right field foul pole on the sixth pitch of the at-bat. He made no mistake on the very next offering, however, powering a ball over the wall in right to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead. Poche remained in the game and allowed a single to Luke Voit and a double to Gary Sanchez before intentionally walking Edwin Encarnacion to load the bases for Didi Gregorius. On a 2-1 pitch, Gregorius ripped a grand slam deep into the right-field bleachers to give the Yankees plenty of breathing room.     

Things got a little heated between the Yankees and Rays on Tuesday night. 

CC Sabathia struck out Avisail Garcia to end the sixth inning and strand a runner on second base, but as Sabathia was walking back to the dugout him and Garcia began exchanging words with each other. 

Garcia appeared to think Sabathia, who has a reputation for being vocal and emotional on the mound, said something to him. Sabathia began chirping back at Garcia and the two began to walk toward one another, which is when the benches emptied. 

The Yankees have been decimated by injuries this year, with roughly a dozen key players going down. Check back here for the latest updates on the walking wounded. 

10-day IL: Giancarlo Stanton, Cameron Maybin

60-day IL: Jacoby Ellsbury, Luis Severino, Dellin Betances, Greg Bird, Jordan Montgomery, Miguel Andujar, Jonathan Loaisiga, Troy Tulowitzki

Deivi Garcia's Triple-A debut on Sunday caught the attention of many, including Yankees skipper Aaron Boone.

Prior to Tuesday's game against Tampa Bay, Boone was asked about Garcia's debut, when the 20-year-old right-hander allowed three earned runs over five innings, striking out six Columbus Clippers along the way.

"Good first Triple-A start," said Boone. "[He] had a presence. I actually watched probably a little over an inning of it, just to watch his stuff. Wasn't as dominant as we've seen in some of his outings, but I think a very good first showing in Triple-A. 

"One of the reports said he had really good presence. He flashed all the pitches that have made him really special so far this year, so a good first outing for him to go get a win and throw strikes and rack up some punch outs too."

The Yankees (59-33, 5.0 GA in AL East) are hosting the division foe Tampa Bay Rays (56-40, 5 GB in AL East) on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.  

Yankees notes

Edwin Encarnacion mashed two homers against the Rays on Tuesday. He's hitting just .158 since joining the Yankees on June 17, but has a pair of two-hit, three-RBI games in his three appearances since the All-Star break... Aaron Hicks has gotten hot in July, posting a slash line of .342/.432/.656... Chad Green has also also settled down this month, allowing just one run in 7.1 innings, including two scoreless innings on Monday... Aaron Judge has made his hits against the Rays count this season. Though he's just 2-for-16 against Tampa Bay, both of his hits have been home runs.

On Sunday, Yankees legend Mariano Rivera will become the first unanimous inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. 

But at John F. Kennedy airport in New York City on Tuesday, Rivera received his first plaque of the week.

Delta officially changed the name to Gate B42 to "The Mariano Rivera Gate" in honor of Rivera before his induction ceremony into the Hall of Fame.

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

The Yankees have been engaged for weeks in the starting pitching market, and would still prefer to land a Zack Wheeler, Trevor Bauer, or one of the other available arms who could help with the rotation. This remains the surest way to bolster their championship chances.

But given the state of the market, the team has been forced to consider other options. According to multiple general managers in search of pitching, the asking prices for Wheeler, Stroman and the like remain very high, and teams are far apart on value.

That's why, according to sources, the Red Sox and A's settled for less exciting acquisitions in Andrew Cashner and Homer Bailey. Those teams essentially looked at the asks for higher-end help and said, "forget it, we'll go with depth."

Dellin Betances and Luis Severino have been waiting very patiently in the dugout and clubhouse to finally pick up their gloves again. And Monday was finally that time to hit the field for some catch.

"I greeted them with 'happy throwing day,'" manager Aaron Boone told The Athletic's Lindsey Adler. 

Both pitchers, who have been on the IL since the start of the season, were seen in right field throwing a baseball for the first time since being activated over the weekend. It was just to get the blood flowing again, with 25 throws from 60 feet. 

Travis d'Arnaud nearly missed the team bus to Yankee Stadium on Monday, and the Yankees probably wish he had. 

The Tampa Bay Rays catcher has suddenly emerged as a new Yankee-killer in the past month. D'Arnaud has four home runs in his last eight at-bats against the Yankees, which include a walk-off home run and a ninth inning, three-run go-ahead shot on Monday night that doomed the Bombers in a 5-4 loss. 

D'Arnaud was responsible for driving in all five of Tampa Bay's runs, with two solo home runs off James Paxton, finishing the night 3-for-3 with a walk. He became the first catcher to hit three home runs in a game out of the leadoff spot, per Elias Sports Bureau.