ATLANTA — What a welcome back to the baseball season the New York Yankees gave their fans tonight against Atlanta.
Ian Hamilton started the game for the Yankees and he gave up two runs before he could record an out and three runs in the first inning overall. Not the start you needed when your offense was facing Spencer Strider, but we all knew it would be tough with a bullpen game.
The Yankees bullpen did an awful job to try and even keep this game close. Every reliever except for JT Brubaker gave up at least one run in this game. Not the start the Yankees wanted coming out of the all-star break.
The Yankees offense was flat in the first six innings of this game. Spencer Strider dominated the lineup as planned. The at-bats from the top and middle of the lineup got better as the game went on, but the double plays and lack of fundamentals (will touch on in a bit) costed the Yankees any chance to get back into this game.
Then, the Yankees found success against the Atlanta bullpen in the seventh inning where Rice and Wells both had hits, setting up the table with two outs for Jorbit Vivas. Aaron Boone wisley decided to pinch hit for Vivas, putting in Stanton. Stanton then ripped a two-run double and advancing to third on an E6. Grisham would walk, setting up an RBI single by Bellinger, who just keeps hitting lefties. Aaron Judge struck out to end the inning. I want to remind everyone that it takes Judge a few days to get his timing back after a few days off so the supporting cast might have to pick up the slack.
Volpe had two good at bats before his three-pitch strikeout in the seventh inning.
The Yankees fundamentals were called into question once again today.
Jorbit Vivas not sliding into third base
Vivas gets doubled up for not sliding into third on this play and the Yanks leave two runners stranded because of it
— #Talkin' Yanks (#@TalkinYanks)
12:07 AM • Jul 19, 2025
Jazz Chisholm Jr. not hustling to first base on a ground ball to second.
Jazz jogging to first base shows enough about this game
— #Talkin' Yanks (#@TalkinYanks)
1:00 AM • Jul 19, 2025
I don’t care what the score is of a game, it is a really bad luck to not be hustling to first base or not be sliding into third base. Those are just fundamental baseball plays that need to happen. One of the big reasons the Yankees stink at fundamentals is because they know that they can get away with it because their manager does not hold the players accountable for bad fundamentals.
The Yankees are now on a three-game losing streak and are three games back of the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL East.
(Top Image Credit: Yankees on X)