Aaron Boone made a significant lineup change on Saturday night and it paid dividends immediately. Alex Verdugo moved all the way up into the cleanup spot of the order and announced his presence in the top half with a big swing.
Verdugo clubbed a three-run homer to right field in the top of the first inning giving the Yankees a lead that they never looked back from in their 15-3 win over the Brewers. The 27-year-old’s fourth homer of the year made a compelling case for a permanent stay in his new spot in the batting order.
Aaron Judge joined the party in the 6th inning hitting a ball 417-feet to left-center for his 5th homer of the year. The Yankee captain has gotten off to arguably the worst start of his career — .674 OPS entering Saturday. However, the Yankees hope Judge’s 2-for-4 night may be a sign of things to come.
A few other silent bats woke up in the Bombers’ blowout win. Gleyber Torres smacked a bases-clearing double in the top of the third and Anthony Rizzo launched a two-run homer to right for his fourth of the season. Torres has fallen further and further in the Yanks’ lineup from the leadoff all the way down to the seventh spot on Saturday. It’s been a rough go for the second baseman as his contract season is off to a .532 OPS start entering the second month of the season.
Carlos Rodon continued his strong start to the season dominating through the Brewers lineup. The southpaw tossed six innings allowing one run on two hits while striking out eight. Rodon’s ERA dropped to 2.48
Luke Weaver relieved Rodon after his outing and tossed two shutout innings before going to the ninth inning which turned out to be a bizarre battle.
The final frame turned into a joke for both teams. The Brewers waived the white flag putting first basemen Owen Miller on the mound in the ninth inning. Giancarlo Stanton clubbed a three-run homer off the infielder to cap off a four-run ninth. The Yankees countered by sending catcher Jose Trevino out to the mound in the bottom. The backstop surrendered two earned runs but got all three outs to secure the Bombers’ resounding victory.