The Yankees were uncharacteristically silent at the plate in a 2-1 loss to the Rays on Friday night in Tampa Bay. >> Box score

Things to know about Wednesday's game

1) Aaron Judge and Miguel Andujar hit two-run homers in the first inning, with Judge's ball just clearing the right-center field wall, and Andujar's ball just clearing the right field wall down the line.

It was another night Yankees LHP CC Sabathia didn't have any run support from his potent offense. However, he didn't go 7.2 innings as he did last time out. 

Sabathia put himself in a jam to start out his night, as their were bases loaded following two singles and a walk. But the veteran lefty got Daniel Robinson to hit a soft liner to Gleyber Torres at second base to alleviate the danger. 

The second and third innings were much more quiet as Sabathia looked to settle down. However, in the fourth, the Rays collected a couple base knocks to get the first run on the board. 

The Yankees (49-22) look to continue their winning ways against the Mariners (46-28) on Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium at 1:05 p.m.

Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who has yet to play this season with a hip injury and plantar fasciitis, said he believes he will play in the majors this season.

Speaking at the team's minor league complex after getting treatment on Friday, Ellsbury told reporters he's feeling better and hopes he can play in rehab games soon, according to Newsday's Erik Boland.

Manager Aaron Boone said last weekend that Ellsbury, 34, could soon "ramp up" baseball activities as he looks to make his season debut.

Even when Brett Gardner makes his return from a minor knee issue, the Yankees may keep Clint Frazier on the 25-man roster.

"I think there's an avenue for that," manager Aaron Boone said, according to NJ.com's Randy Miller. "We're kind of just day by day right now based on different guys and our needs in the pitching and how many (relievers) we want to keep, (but) he's taking advantage of opportunities."

Since being recalled from the minors earlier this week in favor of infielder Ronald Torreyes, Frazier is 4-for-11 in four games (three starts), including a 2-for-4 day in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Seattle Mariners.

Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner said while he isn't focused on free agency just yet, he hopes he can remain in New York.

Gardner, in the final year of a four-year, $52 million deal, can hit free agency in the offseason if the Yankees decline his $12.5 million team option for 2019. And the longest-tenured Yankee hopes he can remain in pinstripes beyond the 2018 season.

"I love it here," Gardner said, according to Newsday's Steven Marcus. "I've never been shy about saying that. Hopefully, I'll play for a few more years and hopefully that'll be here.''

Yankees GM Brian Cashman is seeking a deal to upgrade his rotation, targeting Toronto's J.A. Happ and a few others. His team has also been linked in reports to San Diego lefty reliever Brad Hand -- but do the Yankees really need to add a bullpen piece?

Rival evaluators have opined that Cashman should acquire one more weapon, namely a lefty specialist. Indeed, the Yanks' only two lefty relievers are closer Aroldis Chapman and Chasen Shreve, who has a 4.91 ERA and a FIP of 5.27.

Yankees people indicate that, while Cashman is always agile about pivoting and multi-tasking, starting pitching is a higher priority. On Thursday, manager Aaron Boone hinted at why a lefty reliever might not be needed as much as those on the outside believe...

On the verge of a three-game sweep of the Mariners, the Yankees were in good hands as Luis Severino took the mound at Yankee Stadium. 

The ace wasn't dominant, but he was good enough. Severino allowed three runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings with five strikeouts and a walk. It was just the second time in his last 13 starts to he did not throw a quality start. 

"Everytime they give me the ball I want to go and have a good game," Severino said, via YES Network. "Today wasn't the best."...

Luis Severino wasn't at his dominant best, but the Yankees didn't need him to be as they beat the Mariners, 4-3, to complete a three-game sweep >> Box score

Things to know about Wednesday's game

1) Aaron Judge and Miguel Andujar hit two-run homers in the first inning, with Judge's ball just clearing the right-center field wall, and Andujar's ball just clearing the right field wall down the line.

Anthony McCarron, SNY.tv | Twitter | Dwight Gooden, fresh off being released by the then-Devil Rays, was working out at the Yankees' minor-league complex in Tampa in 2000, eager to author a better coda to his career. Gooden was 35 at the time, knew his career was in its late stages, but wanted one more taste.

Billy Connors, the Yanks' "pitching guru," who had been tweaking Gooden's pitching mechanics, called Gooden into his office and gave him the "there's good news and bad news" conundrum:

"What's the good news?" Gooden recalled asking...

The Mets are currently engaged in internal discussions about whether to take offers for Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, according to SNY's Andy Martino. 

And if they were to part with deGrom and send him to the crosstown Yankees, the Mets would insist on otherworldly second baseman Gleyber Torres, a Mets source told FanRag's Jon Heyman. Of course, Torres and some of the Yankees' other top chips are reportedly off-limits. 

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter | My reporting leads me to be very confident that the Mets will not be trading deGrom or Syndergaard to the Yankees. The relationship between the two clubs is frosty at best, and the Yanks wouldn't trade Torres anyway...

The Yankees (49-22) look to continue their winning ways against the Mariners (46-28) on Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium at 1:05 p.m.

Yankees RHP Masahiro Tanaka could potentially meet Aaron Boone's expectation of returning by the All-Star break.

Tanaka, who hasn't pitched since June 8 due to injuries in both hamstrings, will likely travel with the team to Tampa Bay on Friday before tossing a bullpen session on Sunday. 

The 29-year-old Tanaka was injured during his start on June 8 against the Mets at Citi Field. 

Chris Carelli, SNY.TV Facebook | Twitter | About Me | Archive

Never be satisfied.

The last three times through the rotation for Domingo German have been quite inspiring, while the Yankees also received an eye-opening MLB debut from Jonathan Loaisiga within the last week. Despite the positive feelings and excitement around two more young players, the Yankees should not be dissuaded from pulling the trigger for a rotation improvement as the trade market comes into focus, and the sooner the better.

Yankees RHP A.J. Cole landed on the 10-day DL on Thursday (retroactive to June 20) due to a left neck strain.

RHP Luis Cessa was activated from the DL to replace Cole on the 25-man roster. 

Cole, 26, has a 6.17 ERA and 1.46 WHIP with 25 strikeouts in 25.1 innings (two starts, nine relief appearances) for the Yankees this season.

The stage was set for Giancarlo Stanton. 

With two outs and the game tied, 5-5, against the Mariners in the bottom of the ninth, the Yankee Stadium spotlight shined on Stanton as he walked to the plate. He could end the game with one swing, and in doing so, etch his first signature Yankee moment in the books. 

On an 0-2 curveball, Stanton's swing met the baseball, and a thunderous standing ovation -- something that has been long overdue for the reigning NL MVP -- followed. 

The Yankees completed their epic comeback in the Bronx as Giancarlo Stanton belted a two-run walkoff homer to win, 7-5, over the Mariners on Wednesday night. >> Box score

Things to know about Monday's game

1) Stanton came to the plate with Didi Gregorius on first, and a chance to collect not only the win with one swing, but his first signature moment as a Yankee. Well, he did just that, waiting on a curveball from Ryan Cook and launching it 453-feet over the center field wall for the victory. It was Stanton's fourth career walkoff homer and his 18th on the season.

It could have been a lot worse for Yankees RHP Jonathan Loaisiga in his second career start on Wednesday night. 

Loaisiga was impressive in his major league debut last week, where he earned the win after not allowing a run over five innings. However, he is set up for the loss as the Mariners figured him out. 

To start off the game, Dee Gordon and Jean Segura had back-to-back infield singles. Mitch Haniger would have put the Mariners on the board first after rocketing one back up the middle, but Gleyber Torres was right there to start a 4-3 double play. Nelson Cruz would then pop up to get Loaisiga out of a jam. 

The Yankees (48-22) look to continue their winning ways against the Mariners (46-27) on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium at 7:05 p.m.

Yankees notes

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Yankees rookie right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga has made just one big-league start, and he has a fan in Rays manager Kevin Cash.

"He looked like a young Mariano Rivera," Cash told Newsday about the 23-year-old, who tossed five scoreless innings last Wednesday night. "Hopefully, he doesn't develop a cutter or anything."

"It's an honor being compared to someone like that," Loaisiga told Newsday through an interpreter. "Mariano is one of the best pitchers in the history of baseball.''

The Mets are having internal discussions about whether to trade Jacob deGrom and/or Noah Syndergaard, according to SNY's Andy Martino. And if they can't have deGrom, the Yankees' Neil Walker would be just fine with them settling for Syndergaard.

"If he were to be an addition to our team, it would be well-received," Walker told Brendan Kuty of NJ.com on Tuesday. 

Walker, who played for the Mets in 2016 and 2017 -- before being traded to the Brewers -- talked about Syndergaard's ability to dominate.

Yankees OF Brett Gardner could find himself back in the lineup for Wednesday night's contest in the Bronx. 

It will all depend on the treatment Gardner received on his inflamed knee on Tuesday. He hit in the batting cage before Tuesday night's 7-2 win over the Mariners. And from what manager Aaron Boone has seen from his veteran outfielder, he is very optimistic Gardern is close to returning. 

"We will see. I think it's realistic," Boone told The Post's George A. King III. about Gardner returning to lineup. "I actually believe he might be an option [Tuesday night]."

Yankees RHP Domingo German allowed just one earned run in seven innings in his team's win over the Mariners on Tuesday night.

The only damage came in his first and last innings of the night. The Mariners scored an unearned run in the first after Didi Gregorius committed an error, then Nelson Cruz hit a solo home run in the seventh inning for Seattle's second run.

German issued no walks and struck out nine batters. He now has fanned 28 batters in his last 19 innings on the mound for New York. He threw 96 pitches, 67 of which were strikes.

Domingo German limited the damage in seven innings of work and Giancarlo Stanton, Miguel Andujar, and Gleyber Torres went deep as the Yankees beat the Mariners, 7-2, on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

Things to know about Monday's game

1) Stanton put the Yankees on the board early on with a solo home run in the first inning. The Yankees' power surge continued in the fifth inning when Andujar and Hicks both hit two-run homers. Aaron Judge hit an RBI single in the seventh and Torres capped off the Yankees' scoring effort with a solo home run in the eighth. 

The Yankees open a three-game series with the Mariners on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium at 7:05 p.m.

Yankees notes

The Yankees lost a suspended game against the Nationals before winning Monday night's game. The Yankees are in sole possession of the best record in the majors and currently sit 25 games above .500... They are 14-4 in their last 18 games... The Yankees are 26-11 at home this season, which is the best winning percentage in the majors at home.

Lost a bit in the Gleyber Torres mania in the Bronx -- at least until Tuesday night -- was the emergence of Brandon Nimmo in Queens. 

The 25-year-old Nimmo is hitting .287/.410/.603 for the Mets with 12 HR, nine doubles, five triples, and seven stolen bases in 60 games this season -- and is currently one of the most valuable players in the majors.

Nimmo has the best slugging percentage in the National League (min. 200 plate appearances) and the fifth-highest in all of baseball. His 1.013 OPS is the best in the NL and fourth-best in baseball. 

Yankees OF Clint Frazier will tell it how it is: It's frustrating being down in Triple-A. 

Frazier was called up again to the big leagues, and this time around, it isn't just to be the 26th man. He is here to stay, but how long is the question. He is with the team due to Brett Gardner nursing a sore knee, and he will likely be sent back down once that pain is alleviated.

The 23-year-old is raking in Triple-A this season with a .312/.389/.558 slash line with seven homers and 11 RBI over 38 games. He could certainly be making contributions at the major league level with those types of numbers, but with the Yankees boasting a stacked outfield, Frazier has been the odd man out. 

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

San Diego Padres reliever Brad Hand would be a perfect fit for the Yankees, lengthening a bullpen that is already dominant as well as helping to cover for a thin rotation. And if he were to become a member of the Houston Astros or Boston Red Sox, the Yanks' path to the World Series would be much more difficult.

But despite all that, signs point to the Yankees acquiring a starter like Cole Hamels or J.A. Happ instead.

The Yankees were knocked down a peg in the latest All-Star Game balloting update, with Gary Sanchez no longer leading for catchers.

Sanchez, whose slump has knocked his triple slash down to .194/.294/.440, has been overtaken by Wilson Ramos of the Rays, who is leading by roughly 60,000 votes.

The one Yankee who seems like a lock is Aaron Judge, who is third in outfield voting (with the top three vote-getters getting selected). Judge leads fourth-pace Michael Brantley by roughly a half million votes. 

Yankees OF Giancarlo Stanton said he wouldn't be changing his stance as he continues to fight his struggles at the plate. But, after a four-hit night in the team's win over the Nationals on Monday, it appears Stanton made an adjustment after all.

And it worked.

It was Stanton's third four-hit game with the Yankees this season, and he posted two RBI as well. As YES Network's Jack Curry pointed out after the game, Stanton's signature closed stance looked to be less drastic. His left foot was noticeably more open, while his body was more upright. 

Yankees relievers Jonathan Holder and Dellin Betances continued to dominate out of the bullpen in Monday's 4-2 win over the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park.

Holder pitched out of a two-on, no-out jam he inherited from Sonny Gray in the sixth inning while Betances struck out the side in his 11th consecutive scoreless outing.

Giancarlo Stanton went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and Aaron Hicks went 2-for-5 with a go-ahead two-run home run as the Yankees rebounded from losing in a suspended game earlier Monday with a 4-2 win over the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. >> Box score

Things to know about Monday's game

1) Stanton his first four-hit game since May 13, hitting an RBI single in the first inning and an RBI double in the seventh to give New York a two-run lead.

2) Hicks crushed his ninth home run of the season when he hit a 3-1 Erick Fedde sinker to deep right-center field that turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning.

Former Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi said at Old Timers' Day he turned down an opportunity to return to the franchise as a potential coach.

"I think they kind of tested to see where I was at and I just said I wasn't ready," Giambi, 47, said, according to NJ.com's Brendan Kuty.

Giambi said the conversation didn't include an offer, but rather was something so the Yankees could examine his level of interest. He didn't say which position he may have been considered for, nor did he say who contacted him.

The Yankees play a make-up game against the Washington Nationals on Monday at 6:45 p.m. after they resumed their suspended game from May 15.

Yankees notes

The Yankees, who lost the suspended game 5-3, entered Monday leading all American League teams with 113 home runs. ... The Yankees and Nationals split their two-game series in New York last week. ... The Yankees have the No. 5 ERA in the majors (3.43), while the Nationals enter Monday with a 3.38 team ERA. ... RHP Giovanny Gallegos will be the Yankees' 26th man.

The Yankees lost to the Washington Nationals 5-3 at Nationals Park on a game that began May 15 and was resumed on June 18 due to weather. >> Box score

Things to know about the game

1) The Yankees and Nationals were tied at 3 entering the bottom of the sixth inning before rain halted play in May. 

2) Chad Green, who came on in relief of Masahiro Tanaka, surrendered a go-ahead two-run home run to Juan Soto, who on May 15 was in Double-A and made his official MLB debut on May 20, in the bottom of the sixth inning that gave Washington a 5-3 lead. (Soto's official MLB debut will still be May 20, but with an asterisk to denote his appearance in the suspended game.)

Former Yankees hurler Andy Pettitte is only 46 years old, but on Sunday, he was an Old Timer. 

Taking part in his first Old Timer's Day game at Yankee Stadium, Pettitte took in the moment both on the mound and at the plate. He also got to chat with the current Yankees in the dugout and cluhouse in the days leading up to the game. He even threw batting practice to the team on Sunday. 

Putting on the pinstripes against gave Pettitte flashbacks, and maybe it is because this year's Yankees squad has put together the best start by a Yankee team since the 1998 team that won the World Series after winning 114 regular-season games. Pettitte was 26 on that team, and now at 46, he thinks this Yankee team has the potential to be great as well...

The Yankees (46-21) resume their suspended game against the Nationals (37-31) from May 15 on Monday at 5:05 p.m.

Play was suspended after the top of the sixth inning with the game tied 3-3 in Washington. The Nationals got on the board first after Anthony Rendon hit a solo homer to left field in the bottom of the first off Masahiro Tanaka. 

The Nationals would add two more in the second after an Andrew Stevenson RBI single followed by an RBI double from Pedro Severino.

The Yankees have recalled OF Clint Frazier and sent INF Ronald Torreyes down to Triple-A to make room on the roster, the team announced Monday. 

Frazier has been up and down with the Yankees so far this season, where he has hit .375/.545/.500 in 11 plate appearances with the big league club this season. With Triple-A, he has posted a .312/.389/.558 slash line with seven homers and 11 RBI over 38 games. 

Frazier's recall could be due to Brett Gardner's sore right knee. Gardner sat for the team's series finale against the Rays on Sunday, but hoped he would be back in the lineup on Monday. 

It was yet another moment where Giancarlo Stanton could have won over the Yankee faithful. But the moment ended in what Stanton has been hearing amidst his Yankee Stadium struggles: boos. 

It was the bottom of the fifth inning in the Yankees-Rays matchup on Sunday, and New York finally had something going on offense. Aaron Hicks belted a solo homer to put the home team on the board with two outs. And after back-to-back walks to Aaron Judge and Didi Gregorius, it was Stanton coming to the plate who had the chance to do more damage. 

Stanton was facing lefty Jose Alvarado, and the matchup favored the towering slugger who entered the at-bat hitting .338 against lefties on the year. But he struck out on four pitches with a shower of too-familiar boos coming from the crowd. 

SNY's Andy Martino suggested last week that the Yankees should trade for Blue Jays LHP J.A. Happ, and it appears New York agrees. 

The Yankees are among teams interested in trading for the veteran starter, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi. The Mariners are also mentioned to be in the running. 

While the Yankees like Happ, they're not going after him aggressively at this point, according to Martino. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays are not seen as reluctant to trade in division, and rivals sense they're open for business.

Though Yankees first baseman Greg Bird has just a .215 batting average and .743 OPS this season, manager Aaron Boone believes he will soon break out.

"I feel like he's pretty close to being really locked in," Boone said, according to the New York Post's Zach Braziller.

The 25-year-old Bird is 5-for-14 with a home run and two doubles over his last four games. After going 1-for-4 in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, Bird said he is working on his consistency at the plate.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he hopes outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury can resume baseball activities soon as he looks to make his season debut.

Boone said Ellsbury, who has yet to play this season with a hip injury and plantar fasciitis. was examined by Ellsbury last week and could soon get ready to "ramp up" baseball activities, according to Newsday's David Lennon.

Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner said he hopes to return to the lineup for Monday's games against the Washington Nationals after sitting Sunday's series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays with a sore knee, according to YES Network's Meredith Marakovits.

Gardner, who has played in 59 of New York's 67 games, underwent an MRI on Sunday morning that revealed some minor inflammation, but nothing more. He also did not play in Thursday's series-opener.

"It's not really something I've had an issue with in the past," he said, according to NJ.com's Brendan Kuty. "A little alarmed by it not really feeling like it should. Got an MRI this morning. Everything looked pretty good on that. ... It wasn't necessarily any one injury or any one thing. Just kind of an over-time thing, I guess."

CC Sabathia endured a rough second inning and the Yankees couldn't generate enough offense to overcome it in a 3-1 loss to the Rays on Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

Things to know about today's game

1) The Yankees struggled offensively aside from a fifth-inning solo home run by Aaron Hicks, who went deep for the eighth time of the year. Didi Gregorius hit his second triple of the season, but did not score

Yankees LHP CC Sabathia allowed three runs on 10 hits in 7 2/3 innings against the Rays on Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

All three of the runs allowed by Sabathia came in the second inning before he settled in. Carlos Gomez drove in Willy Adames with an RBI double and Matt Duffy hit a two-run single to right field later in the inning.

Sabathia struck out 10 batters and walked just one. He threw a season-high 102 pitches on Sunday after throwing 101 pitches in the Yankees' 3-0 win over the Yankees on June 12.

Former Yankees players returned to Yankee Stadium on Sunday for the 72nd annual Old Timers' Day, which featured a three-inning game.

Nick Swisher, Andy Pettitte, Jason Giambi, and Aaron Boone participated in the festivities for the first time.

Swisher hit a three-run home run and a two-run double, while Johnny Damon hit two RBI singles. Willie Randolph added a two-run single.

The Yankees (46-20) will go for a sweep of the Rays (32-38) in the series finale on Sunday afternoon at 2:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees RHP Luis Severino allowed just three hits in eight scoreless innings in the Yankees' 4-1 win over the Rays on Saturday afternoon.

Severino, who threw 102 pitches, struck out nine batters. Per Statcast, six of his nine strikeouts came on pitches that were thrown over 99 miles per hour, which has been accomplished only by one other pitcher in the last decade.

Severino allowed one-out singles in the first and second innings, but did not allow another hit until the seventh inning. He pitched a one-two-three eighth inning to finish his outing.

The Yankees beat the Rays to set themselves up with the chance for a four-game sweep on Sunday with a 4-1 win over on Saturday behind Luis Severino, Gary Sanchez and Giancarlo Stanton. >> Box score

Things to know about today's game

1) Luis Severino was simply too much for the Rays, as he spun eight scoreless innings, allowing just three hits with nine strikeouts and two walks. In his eighth and final inning, his fastball still hit 99.7 MPH.