Having taken a 1 game to zip lead in this series against the Colorado Rockies, the Yankees were hoping that Will Warren would help them secure a 2-0 lead as tonight’s game started at 7.09pm.

Jake McCarthy who had a decidedly mixed time of it in the first game, opened this game by lining out to Spencer Jones in centerfield. This was followed by Cole Carrigg stepping up to the plate. A long at bat resulted in a called third strike which Carrigg challenged but the call on the field was confirmed.

TJ Rumfield was gifted a soft walk, but clean-up man Hunter Goodman hit a ground ball back to Warren who threw it over to Luis Garcia Jr to end the top of the first.

36 year old, Tomoyuki Sugano was on the mound tonight for the Rockies. Prior to this game, he was 12-8 on the season. He showed great acomplished pitching as he got all three Yankees’ batters to strike out swinging – Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger & Aaron Judge. This was Judge’s 4th strikeout since his return from the Injured List (IL).

However, that feat of striking out three consecutive batters swinging was matched by Warren as he took down Mickey Moniak, Kyle Karros and Brett Sullivan in similar fashion. This was evidently going to be another tight dual of the starting pitchers.

But Colorado, the weakest team in the Major Leagues right now, know better to count their chickens before they are hatched (or the additional games going into the Win column).

The very next batter up, Luis Garcia Jr, who had been outstanding yesterday, hit the third pitch he faced over the wall in right centre field. Colorado 0 Yankees 1.

A walk to Spencer Jones followed, but then fly outs for George Lombard Jr (to right field), and Ryan McMahon (to McCarthy who tonight is in center field) meant that momentum faded. Austin Wells was also walked, but a line-out from Jose Caballero meant that the Rockies were up to bat again.

Connor Norby who was in the starting line up tonight at second base, got off to a good start hitting a double into leftfield. This was followed by a walk for Zac Veen, making two bases occupied, but then Warren began to dominate again. McCarthy is having a strange week and bunting on two strikes is not going help his case. The bunt went foul, and he returned to the dugout.

Then, having been called out on strikes in his first at bat, Carrigg decided to mix things up and strike out swinging this time. The third out came when Rumfield skyed one into third base foul territory. McMahon chased it to the fence and amazingly leaned far enough into the front rows of the crowd to take a clean catch.

The Yankees began their part of the third with both Rice and Bellinger hitting line drives which resulted in outfield outs. And then a moment the Yankees have been waiting for. Aaron Judge hit one into leftfield to make for his first hit since his return from injury and there was more to come. Garcia Jr hit a double to rightfield and advanced Judge to third.

Then Sugano walked Jones to load the bases and despite having two outs, there was just a glimmer that the Yankees could bury the Rockies under a mountain of trouble. And so, with a certain inevitability it came. George Lombard hit a liner to right field resulting in a grand slam. Colorado 0 New York 5.

McMahon ended the inning with a ground out to Rumfield and things moved into the 4th.

The 4th inning did not see Colorado make any headway in their hope of getting back into the game. First up was Goodman who hit a fly out to Bellinger. Moniak struck out swinging. Karros hit a fly ball into foul territory which was cleanly taken by Judge. The Yankees also went down in order with Wells grounding out 6-3. Another ground out came the way of Caballero who hit toward Karros to go out 5-3. Rice was third out, hitting a flyball to McCarthy in centerfield.

Colorado did, however, give themselves a slight hope in the 5th. After Sullivan was called out on strikes, it was Norby who hit a home run into the leftfield stands. Colorado 1 New York 5.

Singles were to follow for Veen and McCarthy, but with those runners on first and second, the Rockies folded up their hopes once more with Carrigg hitting 3-6-1 doubleplay to end the inning.

The Yankees went down in order in the bottom of the 5th with Bellinger grounding out, Judge flying out and Garcia striking out swinging.

Colorado followed that with three consecutive ground outs. The only difference was where they hit the ball to. Rumfield hit to McMahon (5-3), Goodman hit to Garcia Jr (3-1), and Moniak hit to Caballero (4-3).

Opportunities were passing swiftly for both teams – in the bottom of the 6th, the Yankees again went down in order. Both Jones and Lombard grounded out, the only change of pace came when McMahon struck out swinging.

John Schreiber recently came into the Yankees clubhouse when he was claimed off waivers from Kansas City Royals. He has conveniently filled the gap left by Fernando Cruz going on the IL and he is doing well. He was brought in for Warren in the 7th.

He took down the first three batters he faced. Karros hit into a 5-3 ground out. Sullivan lofted one into centerfield which Jones took cleanly and Norby was called out on strikes.

It was time for Colorado also to make a pitching change. As in yesterday’s game their starter (in this instance, Tomoyuki Sugano) had been somewhat unfortunate. But in this game, he had rather left the Rockies a mountain to climb. Juan Mejia also eliminated the 1-2-3 of the Yankees’ half of the inning. Wells popped out to Sullivan in foul territory. Caballero hit a fly ball into rightfield where Moniak had no trouble in fielding it. Rice hit the pitch he faced straight to Rumfield for a groundball out.

Now, Paul Blackburn who has done immensely well for the Yankees this season, came in for Schreiber. He, in turn, gave the Rockies little chance to make an impact. He struck out Veen swinging, and got McCarthy to ground out to Garcia Jr, giving himself chance to run over to first to complete the play. He did walk Carrigg on 5 pitches, but the problem was short-lived and brief with Rumfield lining out towards to second base only to see the ball brought down by a lceft-handed catch from Caballero. Outstanding!

In the bottom of the 8th, the Colorado team made the mountain a little less surmountable if that was possible with Mejia giving up a homer to Bellinger which disappeared into the rightfield stands. Colorado 1 New York 6.

Then Judge singled and is beginning to look like he is back to stay. The Yankees then brought Jasson Dominguez to pinch run for Judge. Despite Garcia striking out swinging, the Yankees looked like they might add to their score when Spencer Jones hit a double and moved Dominguez up to third, but it was not to be as Lombard hit a fly out to Veen and McMahon grounded out.

In the 9th, the Yankees merely needed to stop the Rockies scoring 5 or 6 runs and surely the game was done already. Dominquez moved into rightfield and Michael Fulmer came into pitch. 1 down with Lombard taking charge of a liner from Goodman. 2 down with Moniak striking out swinging. There was a moment – but only a moment – that Karros made it look possible that there might be life in the Rockies yet, when he hit a sharp line drive to centerfield for a triple. But a mere 3 pitches later, normal service was resumed when Brett Sullivan grounded out.

The Yankees have now won the series, but I predicted a sweep and that seems now very possible, as we wait for tomorrow to come round at the stadium.