After winning their past two games, the New York Yankees are on the verge of sweeping a series for the first time this season. Standing between Aaron Boone's men and a three-game win streak, the last-placed Oakland Athletics.
Boone decided to field a strong team for Wednesday's day game at Yankees Stadium. Right-handed rookie pitcher Jhony Brito will have plenty of support with Anthony Rizzo, DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres all named in the lineup. Harrison Bader, who has been sensational since returning from injury, will also start. Four-time All-Star Aaron Judge starts as a DH.
This lineup has heated up with the team averaging eight runs per game over their past three outings. Tuesday's 10-5 win over the A's was the first time the team scored 10 or more runs since defeating Cleveland 11-2 on April 11.
New York Yankees fans on Twitter are buzzing and can't wait to see what this high flying offense can do on Wednesday.
The New York Yankees will look to Aaron Judge to revive an ailing season
Without a doubt, the biggest name on the lineup card is Aaron Judge. Fans will be relieved to see the 2022 American League MVP start his second straight game after suffering a hip injury in late April. The club have struggled to find wins without their captain but Judge seems healthy and ready to add some punch to this already stacked offense.
Last season, Judge's incredible season carried this Yankees team to 99 wins. He led the team in almost every major offensive category. Overall, he finished with a .311/.425/.686 slash line and a 1.111 OPS. He broke the AL single-season record with 62 home runs.
This year, he has a .245 batting average and a .345 OBP. He has already recorded six home runs and 16 RBIs over 27 games.
The Yankees face two difficult series following Wednesday’s game. The MLB-best Tampa Bay Rays (29-8) are next in what will be one of the most anticipated matchups of the year. An extremely talented Toronto Blue Jays team follows that series.
The New York Yankees will have to be at their best over the next 10 days if they hope to have any chance of making up ground in the AL East.