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5 things to watch as Yankees take on Red Sox in three-games series in the Bronx

Phillip Martinez
·6 min read
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Apr 16, 2023; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) pitches in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium.

Here are five things to watch as the Yankees take on the Red Sox in the Bronx this weekend...

1. Through the haze

The New York City area has been in a haze this week due to smoke from wildfires up in Canada. The Yankees played through it in Tuesday's series opener against the White Sox, a 3-2 loss, but Wednesday's game was postponed due to the deteriorating air quality in the area.

While the Yanks and White Sox made up the game via a doubleheader on Thursday -- which the Yanks split -- they did so in "unhealthy" air quality.

The air quality will continue to improve on Friday and over the weekend, but after a few days of orange, hazy skies fans should be able to enjoy the three-game series breathing healthy air... hopefully.

2. Is Yankees-Red Sox still a rivalry?

The Yankees, Red Sox rivalry is arguably the best in all of sports, but it has lost some of its luster the last couple of seasons.

After the Red Sox bounced the Yankees in the one-game Wild Card round in 2021, Boston has not been a threat for the Yankees.

Last season, the Yankees won the AL East with a 99-63 record while the Red Sox were in the cellar at 78-84, the only team in the division below .500, and 21 games back of New York. The Yankees were 13-6 against the Red Sox, including winning the last six contests against one another.

This year, the Red Sox sit at the bottom of the AL East again at 31-32 and 5.5 games behind the Yankees in the standings entering the series. While Boston is hovering around .500, the team is 3-7 in their last 10 games and continues to fall further back in the standings.

We’ll see if the recent domination by the Yankees continues. Here are the probable pitching matchups this weekend:

Boston is trotting out a bunch of 20-somethings this weekend. Whitlock and Houck have struggled in their last three starts (Whitlock 1-1, 10 ER - Houck 0-2, 9 ER), but Bello is someone to keep an eye on.

The 24-year-old has been on the short end of his last three starts -- all losses -- but has given up just six total runs in them against the Tampa Bay Rays, Cincinnati Reds and the LA Angels. 

The Yankees have the edge in starters and bullpen, but without Aaron Judge in the lineup, it’ll be interesting to see if they can score enough runs to defeat their rivals.

May 30, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge (99, left) and manager Aaron Boone (17) high five following a 10-2 victory against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park.

3. No Judge, a lot of problems?

It's impossible to replace the production of Judge, but this Yankees team has plenty of star power to try to weather this stretch without the reigning AL MVP.

So far this season the Yankees are 7-8 without Judge and 30-19 with him. This past series with the White Sox, however, showed some positives and negatives in regard to the lineup in Judge's absence.

First, some of the lesser-known Yankees have stepped up. Willie Calhoun has become a staple in the lineup and has even hit leadoff with success. Jake Bauers is getting on base regularly and the newest Yankee Billy McKinney had flashes in Thursday's doubleheader with a triple and home run.

Whether they can keep the Yankees afloat is one thing, but the stars need to pull their weight as well.

The combination of Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres, Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu have struggled of late. Rizzo is 1-for-23 (.043) with two walks and six strikeouts since he returned from his brief injury after the Seattle series.

Torres broke out of a 0-for-20 slump with his two-run shot on Thursday but has continued to struggle.

LeMahieu is just 3-for-30 since May 28 while Stanton is 2-for-14 with one home run since his return from the IL in Los Angeles. Josh Donaldson is 3-for-15 with three home runs and two walks in that same span.

If the Yankees want to continue to win, they'll need their veteran stars to pull their weight. Doing so against a sub-par Red Sox team could turn things around for them.

4. Can Schmidt keep it going?

Schmidt has been a favorite of this writer since spring training and while it hasn’t all been great, the 27-year-old has hit a groove over the last few weeks.

Over his last seven starts, Schmidt has a 3.68 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. His last start, Tuesday against the White Sox, saw the righty give up three runs -- one on a home run that was “porched” at Yankee Stadium and another on a mistake pitch that was launched for a two-run homer -- which was the most he’s given up since May 14.

With Carlos Rodon on his way back and Domingo German pitching very well, Schmidt will have to make his case to stay in the rotation more compelling. The injury to Nestor Cortes has given Schmidt more time to show Yankees brass what he can do, so stringing together more quality starts will go a long way for the young righty.

5. How will Gerrit Cole bounce back from shortened start in LA?

The Yankees ace had his last start shortened due to leg cramps in Los Angeles. Cole was dominant last Saturday, giving up just four hits, and one run over six innings against the Dodgers in the Yankees’ 6-3 win. More impressive was that he was only at 80 pitches.

That start was a great sign for the Yankees as he bounced back from back-to-back rough outings against the Padres and Orioles where he gave up five runs in each start.

In 15 career starts against Boston, Cole is 7-3 with a 4.40 ERA. That includes his last start against the Red Sox back in September of last season. In that start, Cole went six innings but gave up four runs on two home runs. The home runs are down for Cole this season -- eight as opposed to 33 last season -- but the balls are flying as the weather is warming up. He’s given up at least two home runs in four of his previous six outings.

With Judge out of the lineup and the runs coming at a premium for the Yanks, dominant starting pitching may be how they weather their captain being on the IL.