<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Yankees-news-Frankie-Montas-drops-truth-bomb-after-rough-first-outing-in-New-York.jpg"></figure><h1>Yankees star Frankie Montas drops truth bomb after rough first outing in New York</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-07T18:38:22-07:00">August 7th, 6:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-07T18:38:22-07:00">August 7th, 6:38pm</time><address><a>Tristin McKinstry</a>I have experience covering sports going back to 2014. Major The Last of Us fan. #1 Jar Jar Binks propagandist. I am currently pursuing a degree in communications.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Yankees saw prize trade deadline acquisition Frankie Montas make his first start for the team on Sunday. However, things didn’t go exactly to plan.</p><p>Montas pitched just three innings in a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-nolan-arenado-gets-real-about-st-louis-thrashing-of-the-yankees/" rel="noopener">12-9 loss</a> to the St. Louis Cardinals, earning a no-decision. He allowed six runs on five hits, walking three and striking out two.</p><p>Sunday marked the first start since July 26 for the 29-year-old hurler. Prior to the start, Montas was on bereavement leave due to a death in his family.</p><p>While one would understand if Montas blamed the layoff on his shaky outing, he chose not to. “It’s been a tough three weeks but at the end of the day, I have to still do my job,” Montas <a href="https://twitter.com/eboland11/status/1556429838885560320" rel="noopener">said</a> Sunday.</p><p>The loss marks the fifth consecutive loss for the Yankees, who sit in first place in the AL East with a 70-39 record. They are 6-10 since the All-Star Break and 9-16 since early July.</p><p>“We’ve talked a lot this year about winning games in so many different ways,” manager Aaron Boone <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/08/07/frankie-montas-yankees-bullpen-implode-in-loss-to-cardinals/" rel="noopener">said</a> before the game. “We’ve lost some of those games we were winning all the time earlier.”</p><p>Montas was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-news-frankie-montas-dealt-to-new-york-in-blockbuster-trade-with-athletics/" rel="noopener">acquired</a> by the Yankees on August 1. New York acquired relief pitcher Lou Trivino in the deal as well. Trivino pitched a third of an inning on Sunday, walking one and striking out one.</p><p>While the start to his Yankees career wasn’t ideal, it isn’t the end of the world. Montas knows this, and is looking forward to getting better.</p><p>“I wanted to go out there and show them what I can do,’’ Montas said. “That was not the case today. But this is not my last one. This is the first one.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Yankees star Frankie Montas drops truth bomb after rough first outing in New York

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Nolan-Arenado-Cardinals-Yankees.jpg"></figure><h1>Nolan Arenado gets real about Cardinals’ thrashing of the Yankees</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-07T18:07:11-07:00">August 7th, 6:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-07T18:08:16-07:00">August 7th, 6:08pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Nolan Arenado and the St. Louis Cardinals are feeling it. The Cards extended their scorching undefeated streak to seven games following a 12-9 takedown of the New York Yankees at home Sunday. That victory also capped a three-game sweep of the American League-leading Yankees.</p><p>Nolan Arenado distilled his emotions about the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-matt-carpenter-receives-epic-standing-ovation-in-return-to-st-louis/">sweep</a> of the Bronx Bombers in a quote that must also sound so sweet to hear for Cardinals fans, who also witnessed their team pull off a feat that’s rarely seen in the majors.</p><p>Via <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/recap/_/gameId/401355845">ESPN</a>:</p><p>“Anytime you can cap off a sweep of a great team like the Yankees, it’s huge,” Arenado said. “We beat a team that’s playing great ball, too. Where we’re trying to go, you’ve got to win series. It’s just great to see us playing good baseball, playing hard.”</p><p>According to <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1556415108481523713">ESPN Stats &amp; Info</a>, the Cardinals have become just the first team from the National League in 15 years to win all games in a three-game series against the Yankees.</p><p>“The Cardinals are the first NL team to finish a 3-game sweep of the Yankees in 15 years. NL teams have swept the Yankees just 4 times since interleague play began in 1997.”</p><p>The third and final game of the series between the Cardinals and the Yankees had the feel of a World Series preview, especially with how both teams traded blows at the plate. New York raced to a 4-1 lead before Dylan Carlson, Paul Goldschmidt, and Nolan Arenado got down to work. Nolan Arenado was the one who put the Cardinals up 6-4 with a three-run blast in the second inning and then scored another run in the eighth inning. He finished the game 3-of-5 with a home run and four RBIs.</p><p>Nolan Arenado continues to do the heavy lifting offensively for the Cardinals, alongside Paul Goldschmidt. Since the 2022 MLB All-Star break, Arenado is hitting .341 with a .423 OBP and .795 SLG. He’s hit six homers and drove in 14 total runs in his last 12 games. Goldschmidt, on the other hand, is slashing  .356/.442/.733 in the second half of the 2022 MLB season, so far.</p><p>After going 9-1 in their last 10 games, the Cardinals are now two games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers and the rest of the National League Central division.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nolan Arenado gets real about Cardinals’ thrashing of the Yankees

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/x-reasons-yankees-fans-should-be-worried-amid-midseason-slump.jpeg"></figure><h1>3 reasons Yankees fans should be worried about their World Series aspirations</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-07T17:36:46-07:00">August 7th, 5:36pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-07T17:36:46-07:00">August 7th, 5:36pm</time><address><a>Kendall Capps</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Yankees were prohibited World Series favorites not long ago. They were on a near record pace early on this season, and were consistently crushing teams. The offense was loaded with boppers throughout the lineup. The bullpen was stout and the starting rotation was utterly dominant. Boy, how things can change.</p><p>After Sunday’s loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Yankees have fallen five games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The once huge lead in the American League is now down to just a half game over the hated Houston Astros.</p><p>This should be very concerning for the Yankees and their fans. Here are the three reasons New York fans should be worried about their midseason slump.</p><h2><b>3 Reasons Yankee Fans Should be Concerned about their World Series Aspirations</b></h2><p><b>1. Strength turns into Weakness</b></p><p>As powerful as the Yankees lineup is, it was their pitching that was the key reason for their incredible start. Starting pitchers Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Nestor Cortes, Jordan Montgomery and Luis Severino were arguably the best rotation in the majors. That <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-kidding-themselves-if-they-dont-think-they-need-starting-pitching/" rel="noopener">has changed quickly though</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Yankees pitching has fallen off a cliff in the last few weeks. The command up and down the staff has been abysmal. They’re gonna get back on track but this is brutal.</p><p>— Randy Wilkins (@pamsson) <a href="https://twitter.com/pamsson/status/1556386437347549186?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Cole has been hit hard lately and watched his ERA rise to 3.56 after being part of the Cy Young conversation earlier this year. The Yankees ace has allowed 21 home runs this season, with nearly two months left. That’s not good.</p><p>Taillon’s production has fallen off a table. The Yankees righty has allowed at least five runs in four of his last eight starts and watched his ERA rise almost two full runs since early June. Montgomery also appeared to have hit a wall, prompting the Yankees to trade him at the deadline. He then shut them out Saturday. Severino, to no one’s surprise, was placed on the 60-day injured list with a right lat strain.</p><p>So, what once was the team’s biggest strength has now become a serious concern. That led to New York trading for Frankie Montas at the deadline. In his first start for the Yankees, he allowed six runs in three innings Sunday.</p><p><b>2. Injuries, Consistency with the Bats</b></p><p>The Yankees lineup on paper looks almost as good as any in baseball. But quietly, they have not been very good. They are starting to fall victim of so many failed Yankees teams of the past, relying solely on home runs. They lead the Major Leagues with 185 home runs, 19 ahead of the Atlanta Braves. But as a team, the Yankees are hitting just .244, ranking 14th.</p><p>Aaron Judge is having an unbelievable season that’s likely to land him close to a half billion dollars. Yes, I know, I said a half billion dollars.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Aaron Judge is going to get half a billion dollars in his next baseball contract.</p><p>— Gunz (@TheGunzShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheGunzShow/status/1554253360831889409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>But I digress.</p><p>Giancarlo Stanton has been on the 10-day injured list with an Achilles injury since mid-July. He was crushing the baseball prior to going down with the injury. Stanton has 24 home runs in just 289 at-bats. That’s a great power ratio. But what’s lesser known was that his batting average had plummeted to .229 before getting hurt.</p><p>Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo has 27 home runs, but is hitting .227.</p><p>That aforementioned trade of Montgomery landed the Yankees a veteran in Harrison Bader. The new Yankees outfielder is elite defensively, winning a Gold Glove in 2021 in center field for the Cardinals. However, he has been on the <a href="https://www.nj.com/yankees/2022/08/yankees-explain-trading-jordan-montgomery-for-injured-harrison-bader.html">injured list</a> since June with plantar fasciitis. Yankees GM Brian Cashman recently admitted they don’t believe he will return until at least September.</p><p>Unless New York can figure out a way to get both healthy and hit a bit more consistently, it could be another tough postseason.</p><p><b>3. The Houston Astros</b></p><p>Maybe the biggest concern for the Yankees and their fans should be located in Houston. Yankee Stadium has always had an aura that is intimidating to just about anyone during the playoffs. That is not the case for the Astros.</p><p>Houston has eliminated New York three times since 2015, including the ALCS in 2018 and 2020. Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and company will not be threatened walking into that building. Plus, with the way things are going for New York, it’s more likely than not that the Astros will have home-field advantage for that series.</p><p>New York was on record pace at 51-18 until they faced Houston.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Yankees</p><p>Before Houston:  51-18</p><p>After Houston: 19-18</p><p>— AstrosFan86 (@AstrosFan86) <a href="https://twitter.com/AstrosFan86/status/1555760087653879808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>They are basically .500 since then, including losing five of seven to them.</p><p>New York’s schedule is far more imposing than Houston’s. The Blue Jays, Rays and Orioles all are playing very good baseball. The Red Sox are not yet still will always battle with New York and would want nothing more than to spoil their season.</p><p>Houston quietly has arguably the best rotation in baseball. Justin Verlander is a shoe-in for the Comeback Player of the Year and is a heavy frontrunner for AL Cy Young. Framber Valdez has 18 consecutive quality starts going back to April. Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia have been very good and Lance McCullers is about to return.</p><p>The Yankees have struggled to hit against good pitching this year. Houston poses a very serious problem, once again.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 reasons Yankees fans should be worried about their World Series aspirations

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Cardinals-Paul-Goldschmidt-Nolan-Arenado-Brendan-Donovan-.jpeg"></figure><h1>Cardinals fans should be fired up with this crazy stat after sweeping Yankees</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-07T16:56:47-07:00">August 7th, 4:56pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-07T16:56:47-07:00">August 7th, 4:56pm</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Marist College '22 | earned my stripes at TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There are a lot of reasons for the St. Louis Cardinals to be thrilled. They are now leading the NL Central, co-owning the longest winning streak in MLB and are coming off of a series sweep over the New York Yankees.</p><p>While not quite as special as their 17-game winning streak from last September, the Cardinals have won seven straight games (tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers) after beating the Yankees 12-9 at Busch Stadium. They got a rally going against their new pitching acquisition, Frankie Montas, and punctuated it with a three-run homer from Nolan Arenado in the second inning.</p><p>Although the Yankees fought back to tie it, the Cardinals retook the lead each time and won the high-scoring affair. Partnered with their 4-3 and 1-0 wins, it marked the first time an NL team swept the Yankees (in a series of three games) for the first time in 15 years. It was also the <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1556417891364261888?s=20&amp;t=3A5qwd63-oEQxkZo_9HWYQ">first time</a> they have done so in team history.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Cardinals are the first NL team to finish a 3-game sweep of the Yankees in 15 years.</p><p>NL teams have swept the Yankees just 4 times since interleague play began in 1997. <a href="https://t.co/EICIwPKrVF">pic.twitter.com/EICIwPKrVF</a></p><p>— ESPN Stats &amp; Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1556415108481523713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Cardinals are 60-48 on the season and in the driver’s seat to make the playoffs. An MVP-caliber season from Paul Goldschmidt and a revamped pitching staff with Jose Quintana and Jordan Montgomery (a former Yankee that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/i-was-pretty-nervous-jordan-montgomery-reacts-shutting-down-yankees-first-cardinals-start/">dominated his former team</a> on Saturday) has the redbirds on a roll.</p><p>St. Louis still has to deal with the Milwaukee Brewers, who are not too far behind them in the chase for the division title. Their deep lineup and pitching staff should be able to get them back into the postseason.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cardinals fans should be fired up with this crazy stat after sweeping Yankees

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/X-changes-Yankees-must-make-to-snap-out-of-midseason-funk.jpeg"></figure><h1>3 changes Yankees must make to snap out of midseason funk</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-07T16:53:44-07:00">August 7th, 4:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-07T16:53:44-07:00">August 7th, 4:53pm</time><address><a>Karl Rasmussen</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Yankees started the 2022 MLB season on an absolute tear, dominating throughout the opening months of the campaign. After setting a 120-win pace for themselves out the gate, the Yankees have fallen back down to earth. Since July 3, the Yankees are 11-18 and just got swept for the first time all season in a three-game series <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401355845">against the St. Louis Cardinals</a>.</p><p>Currently in the midst of a five-game losing streak, the Yankees still hold a comfortable lead in the AL East, but the team’s recent struggles haven’t gone unnoticed, and they no longer appear to be the powerhouse they were in April, May, and June. The lineup has cooled off tremendously, apart from DJ LeMahieu and AL MVP favorite Aaron Judge, and both the starting rotation and the bullpen are performing vastly worse than they were at the onset of the season.</p><p>The Yankees still figure to cruise to the playoffs and certainly have the talent to contend for a World Series. But they can’t simply let their struggles continue to build up. There are a few changes Aaron Boone and Co. can make in order to help the Yankees snap their cold streak, and the team should absolutely be exploring all options now that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-rumor-the-real-reason-why-yankees-failed-to-acquire-marlins-pablo-lopez-ahead-of-mlb-trade-deadline/">trade deadline</a> has come and passed.</p><p>With all that in mind, here are three changes the Yankees can make to put a stop to their midseason free fall.</p><h2><b>3 changes Yankees must make to snap midseason slump</b></h2><p><b>3. Bench Aaron Hicks</b></p><p>Aaron Hicks has been nothing short of a disaster in 2022. Outside of a couple of solid weeks, Hicks has arguably been the worst player on the Yankees not named Joey Gallo, who was shipped out at the trade deadline. Across 95 games this season, Hicks is slashing just .218/.340/.313 with 6 home runs, 31 RBI, and 74 strikeouts. He has grounded into 8 double plays this season and has a dismal OPS+ of 90. It feels like every time Hicks comes up in a big spot, he’s a guaranteed out.</p><p>That lack of production simply cannot be in the starting lineup come the postseason. Hicks offers virtually no power at the plate, and his only redeeming quality in the batter’s box is his ability to draw walks. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rumor-the-explanation-behind-yankees-trading-jordan-montgomery-to-cardinals/">After acquiring Harrison Bader</a> and Andrew Benintendi, a fully healthy Yankees team should not have Aaron Hicks in the starting lineup. It’s clear he’s the odd man out, and while they may need to wait until Giancarlo Stanton returns from IL, the Yankees need to face the reality of the situation and stick Hicks on the bench.</p><p><b>2. Roll with a committee at closer</b></p><p>Just about everything seems to be falling apart for the Yankees right about now, but the bullpen may be their most glaring issue. Despite adding Scott Effross and Lou Trivino, the Yankees bullpen has struggled to regain the form they displayed earlier in the season.</p><p>Clay Holmes and his trademark sinker seem lost at the moment, while Jonathan Loaisiga’s stellar 2021 season feels like fiction when comparing it to the 2022 version of himself. Aroldis Chapman has been far from convincing throughout the season, and the loss of Michael King is feeling more impactful than ever.</p><p>Right now, there’s not a single reliever who should be handling the closing duties. While Holmes is still the top guy in the bullpen, he struggled tremendously in July, logging a 7.00 ERA across 9.0 innings in the month. With the All-Star reliever not looking nearly as sharp, the Yankees need to open up closing duties and take the approach of a committee in order to close out games. Playing the matchup game could prove to be more fruitful for the Yankees than handing the ball to a struggling reliever in high-leverage situations.</p><p><b>1. Promote Oswald Peraza</b></p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-news-oswald-peraza-dealt-worrying-injury-blow-amid-promotion-rumors/">Oswald Peraza</a> has proven he’s ready for a big-league call-up, and there’s really no reason the Yankees are dragging their feet. Isiah Kiner-Falefa offers below replacement level fielding and has yet to hit a home run in 2022. The frequency with which Kiner-Falefa botches routine groundballs has frustrated Yankees fans beyond belief, only adding to the belief that Peraza is overdue for a debut in the Bronx.</p><p>Peraza has hit 15 home runs at Triple-A this season and is playing solid defense. With Josh Donaldson holding things down in the hot corner (defensively, at least), the Yankees could do wonders for their defense by bringing Peraza up to the show and putting Kiner-Falefa in a bench role.</p><p>The acquisition of Bader was a defense-first move, and the Yankees need to follow that up by addressing the glaring need in the infield. With Peraza waiting in the wings, keeping Kiner-Falefa in an everyday role is a puzzling decision, and a change at shortstop feels like its just a matter of time.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 changes Yankees must make to snap out of midseason funk

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/New-York-hit-with-worrying-injury-blow-to-top-prospect-Oswald-Peraza.jpeg"></figure><h1>Oswald Peraza dealt worrying injury blow amid Yankees promotion rumors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-07T14:06:05-07:00">August 7th, 2:06pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-07T14:06:36-07:00">August 7th, 2:06pm</time><address><a>Karl Rasmussen</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Yankees have struggled of late, and despite being active at the trade deadline, things have continued to trend downwards for the Bombers. With the team struggling on both sides of the ball, fans have been calling for some changes to the roster, including the promotion of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-yankees-prospects-who-should-be-untouchable-at-the-2022-trade-deadline/">prized young shortstop</a> Oswald Peraza. Unfortunately, that may not be in the cards just yet after Peraza was removed from Sunday’s game at Triple-A after getting hit by a pitch.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Oswald Peraza was taken for X-rays after being hit on the hand with a pitch during Sunday's game. No word on the results.</p><p>RailRiders manager Doug Davis said Peraza wasn't in much pain, but that they were being really cautious because of where it hit his hand.</p><p>— Conor Foley (@RailRidersTT) <a href="https://twitter.com/RailRidersTT/status/1556371720088555524?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p><a href="https://twitter.com/RailRidersTT/status/1556371720088555524?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1556371720088555524%7Ctwgr%5E6666226b279e8c48a10a1aac2f096e325d497b4f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php">According to Conor Foley, beat writer for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders</a>, Peraza was hit in the hand during Sunday’s game. Despite pleading his case to remain in the game, the team elected to remove him from the contest. Afterwards, Peraza was sent in for X-rays on his hand, though the results have not yet been revealed.</p><p>While Peraza appeared to be eager to continue playing, the RailRiders removed him from the game due to the location on his hand where he got hit.</p><p>Fans have been clamoring for Peraza to get an MLB call-up and start at shortstop over Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who has struggled massively on defense for the Yankees in 2022. Despite the clear desire from the fanbase for a change at shortstop, the Yankees have kept Peraza in the minor leagues. Now he’s dealing with a potential injury problem that could further push back his promotion to the Yankees.</p><p>This season at Triple-A, Peraza has slashed .259/.328/.450 with 15 home runs and 42 RBI. With Kiner-Falefa struggling in the field and offering virtually zero power at the plate, the need for Peraza in the big leagues has grown, but this injury setback could be cause for concern.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Oswald Peraza dealt worrying injury blow amid Yankees promotion rumors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/MLB-Odds-Yankees-vs-Cardinals-prediction-odds-and-pick-2.jpg"></figure><h1>MLB Odds: Yankees vs. Cardinals prediction, odds and pick – 8/7/2022</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-07T08:09:27-07:00">August 7th, 8:09am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-07T08:10:40-07:00">August 7th, 8:10am</time><address><a>Brendan Smith</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Yankees will face off with the St. Louis Cardinals for the final game of a three-game series Sunday afternoon. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our MLB odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting/">series</a>, which includes our Yankees-Cardinals prediction and pick we have laid out below.</p><p>New York has lost four games in a row, including the first two against St. Louis. Still, with a 70-38 record, the Yankees are in first place in the AL East by 10.5 games. Despite the recent struggles, New York is all but guaranteed a playoff spot when the season ends.</p><p>St. Louis is red-hot, winners of six games in a row. With a record of 59-48, St. Louis has overtaken the NL Central, leading Milwaukee by one game. St. Louis has not lost a home game since July 14, and their 34-20 home record is the third-best in the league.</p><p><b><i>Here are the Yankees-Cardinals MLB odds, </i></b><a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb"><b><i>courtesy of FanDuel.</i></b></a><b><i> </i></b></p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Yankees-Cardinals Odds</b></h2><p>New York Yankees: -1.5 (+116)</p><p>St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-140)</p><p>Over: 8 (-110)</p><p>Under: 8 (-110)</p><h2><b>Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>Starting Sunday afternoon for New York is the newly acquired Frankie Montas. Montas was the prized pickup at the trade deadline, acquired with reliever Lou Trivino for a package of prospects. Montas has pitched to a 3.18 ERA in 19 starts, striking out 25.8% of the batters he has faced. Montas is a likely second starter in a playoff series.</p><p>The New York bullpen has been otherworldly, with a 2.90 ERA that ranks second in the league. Even after losing Chad Green, Miguel Castro, and Michael King for the season, the bullpen is a stable of weapons. Despite some recent hiccups, Clay Holmes is one of the better closers in baseball, with a 2.12 ERA and 17 saves. New relievers Scott Effross and Trivino have been spectacular, with a combined five scoreless innings.</p><p>Offensively, the Yankees have struggled of late. Aaron Judge has easily been the MVP of the AL so far, hitting .299 with 43 home runs and 93 RBI. Eight current Yankees have reached double-digit home run totals, and the Yankees lead the league with 185. Also impressive, the Yankees lead the league with 429 walks. In a break from their status quo, the Yankees have stolen 70 bases, third-highest in the league. Despite scoring just six runs over their last three games, this is the deepest lineup in the American League.</p><h2><b>Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>St. Louis is one of the hottest teams in baseball, going 8-2 in the last 10 games. Adam Wainwright will be Sunday afternoon’s starting pitcher. Wainwright has a 3.11 ERA in 21 starts, and even at 40 years old still possesses one of baseball’s best curveballs. The curveball has struck out 41 batters for Wainwright this season, the most of any of his offerings.</p><p>St. Louis’ bullpen is solid, ranking 10th in the league with a 3.53 ERA. Ryan Helsley, the flame-throwing reliever, has a miniscule 0.61 ERA, striking out 66 in 44.1 innings. Helsley and Jordan Hicks, who has a 3.71 ERA as a reliever, form a dominant setup duo. Closer Giovanny Gallegos, a former Yankee, has a 3.27 ERA and 11 saves on his season.</p><p>St. Louis has a superstar lineup, with Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado forming one of the best one-two punches in the league. The two have combined for 47 home runs and 55 doubles. Tommy Edman has been a true threat with his speed, stealing 22 bases in 2022. As a team, St. Louis is hitting .251, the seventh-highest total in the league.</p><h2><b>Final Yankees-Cardinals Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>It’s hard to see a sweep here, and the Yankees are too good to continue their slump.</p><p><b>Final Yankees-Cardinals Prediction &amp; Pick: Yankees -1.5 (+116), under 8 (-110)</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB Odds: Yankees vs. Cardinals prediction, odds and pick – 8/7/2022

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/yankees-news-aaron-judge-sets-the-record-straight-on-barry-bonds-home-run-record-chase.jpg"></figure><h1>‘That’s what’s in the history books’: Aaron Judge sets record straight on Barry Bonds, home run record chase</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-07T07:09:42-07:00">August 7th, 7:09am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-07T07:09:42-07:00">August 7th, 7:09am</time><address><a>Owen Crisafulli</a>My name is Owen Crisafulli, and I’m currently a graduate student at Nichols College pursuing my Masters in Business Administration. Previously, I obtained my Bachelor's degree in Sport Management, and for awhile I ran my own sports website. Sports are my passion, and I thoroughly enjoy writing about my thoughts and opinions that are related to them. I have been a lifelong fan of the major professional teams in Boston, and enjoy discussing topics involving those teams and the major professional sports leagues</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees is on pace to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-news-aaron-judges-latest-home-run-puts-him-in-historic-company/">etch his name among the home run hitting greats</a> this season. With a little less than two months left in the MLB regular season left, Judge has already hit 43 home runs this season, and he doesn’t seem intent on slowing down anytime soon. As Judge continues to hit bombs on a nightly basis, many have begun to wonder just how many homers Judge will finish with this season.</p><p>As Judge continues his pursuit of home run immortality, he was asked for his opinion of the single-season home run record, which is currently held by Barry Bonds with 73. The problem is that many don’t know how seriously they can take that record given Bonds’ ties to steroid use. When asked whether or not he views Bonds’ record as legit, Judge gave a simple answer:</p><p>“But I see the one that Bonds set as the record. That’s what’s in the history books. That’s the one I’ve got to go off of.” – Aaron Judge, <a href="https://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/benjamin-hochman/hochman-yankees-aaron-judge-in-town-vs-cardinals-could-break-61-hrs-this-year/article_87ac487c-5cf4-5d3c-af1d-360e2c9caf93.html">St. Louis Post Dispatch</a></p><p>Whether or not Judge can break, or even reach Bonds’ record, remains to be seen. He’d have to go on an even bigger run than the one he’s gone on to start this season, and that may not be very likely to happen.</p><p>Instead, Judge has a better chance of breaking the American League’s single-season home run record set by Roger Maris at 61. Some view Maris’ 61 homers as the real record considering he didn’t have steroids taint his legacy.</p><p>But not Judge. Aaron Judge has set his sights on Barry Bonds’ record of 73, and while he may not be increasingly likely to reach his record this season, he seems intent on continuing to chase his record in future seasons.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

‘That’s what’s in the history books’: Aaron Judge sets record straight on Barry Bonds, home run record chase

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/i-was-pretty-nervous-jordan-montgomery-reacts-to-shutting-down-yankees-in-first-cardinals-start.jpg"></figure><h1>‘I was pretty nervous’: Jordan Montgomery reacts to shutting down Yankees in first Cardinals start</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-07T06:18:03-07:00">August 7th, 6:18am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-07T06:18:03-07:00">August 7th, 6:18am</time><address><a>Owen Crisafulli</a>My name is Owen Crisafulli, and I’m currently a graduate student at Nichols College pursuing my Masters in Business Administration. Previously, I obtained my Bachelor's degree in Sport Management, and for awhile I ran my own sports website. Sports are my passion, and I thoroughly enjoy writing about my thoughts and opinions that are related to them. I have been a lifelong fan of the major professional teams in Boston, and enjoy discussing topics involving those teams and the major professional sports leagues</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jordan Montgomery was involved in one of the more <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-trade-deadline-grading-yankees-cardinals-jordan-montgomery-harrison-bader-deal/">surprising trades</a> of the 2022 MLB trade deadline. Montgomery found himself going from the New York Yankees, a team that could have used another starting pitcher, to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals dealt from their excess of outfielders, giving New York Harrison Bader in return, resulting in a shocking deal for both sides.</p><p>Jordan Montgomery wasn’t expecting to be traded by New York, but that’s how life in the MLB works sometimes. The Cardinals made it a point of theirs to shore up their starting rotation at the deadline, and the early returns show they may have gotten a steal in Montgomery.</p><p>Jordan Montgomery ended up making his first start with the Cardinals against his old team in the Yankees. And he was spectacular, going five scoreless innings, giving up only two hits and a walk, while picking up a strikeout along the way. But it wasn’t as easy as it looked for Montgomery, as he was pretty nervous prior to the start, and ended up leaving the game as a precaution due to a hamstring cramp.</p><p>“It’s not exactly what you want to do for your first time being in a new organization. But I’m a competitor. I was pretty nervous, especially with how hot it was. The humidity is definitely different from New York. My body started cramping up. I gave the team five innings.” – Jordan Montgomery, <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34360914/jordan-montgomery-dazzles-debut-st-louis-cardinals-blanks-new-york-yankees-less-week-being-dealt">ESPN</a></p><p>Jordan Montgomery powered his way through a difficult first outing with the Cardinals, against one of the most dangerous offenses in the league nonetheless. It was certainly an encouraging first outing for Montgomery with his new team, and as St. Louis continues on their recent stretch of winning, they will need more outings like Montgomery’s to make some noise in the National League this season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

‘I was pretty nervous’: Jordan Montgomery reacts to shutting down Yankees in first Cardinals start

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Yankees-news-The-explanation-behind-New-York-shipping-off-Jordan-Montgomery-to-Cardinals.jpg"></figure><h1>Rumor: The explanation behind Yankees trading Jordan Montgomery to Cardinals</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-06T14:11:33-07:00">August 6th, 2:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-06T19:23:11-07:00">August 6th, 7:23pm</time><address><a>Steve Zavala</a>Steve is a freelance writer covering the world of sports for ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman pulled off quite a surprise ahead of Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline, as he elected to send starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Harrison Bader.</p><p>The move brought many to speculate that Cashman was planning to then complete a late deal for a starting pitcher, especially as the Yankees were linked with Miami Marlins hurler Pablo Lopez. However, Frankie Montas wound up being the lone addition to the starting rotation of the current AL East leaders.</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1555980882112139264?s=20&amp;t=JjlJOT7XgeBBD_fy8ObQJQ" rel="noopener">FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal</a> provided clarity on the Yankees’ call to part ways with Montgomery. He noted that the Yankees did not necessarily believe that Montgomery, who is under team control for one more year, was going to be included in their upcoming playoff rotation.</p><p>The Yankees also pulled the trigger on the deal because they “believe” that Bader is an “elite” center fielder. They aimed to bolster their outfield defense and viewed the one-time Gold Glove Award winner, who is currently sidelined due to a right foot injury, as a solution to this matter.</p><p>On Cashman’s part, as he <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/analyzing-yankees-2022-trade-deadline" rel="noopener">noted</a> following the trade deadline, he is looking forward to seeing just what Hader can bring to the team out in the field.</p><p>“Harrison Bader is one of the elite center field defenders in the game,” Cashman said. “He provides a lot of lanes for our manager when he’s healthy. Certainly, we did a deep dive into his medicals and there’s a lot of optimism and belief that sometime in September we’ll be able to unpack that present and deploy him … whether it’s coming off the bench to steal a bag or as a starting option in the outfield.</p><p>“It’s hard to get your hands on someone of that caliber, and unfortunately it cost us one of our homegrown players in Jordan Montgomery.”</p><p>Bader featured in 523 total games over his run with the Cardinals, where he posted a .246 batting average and tallied a 5.4 dWAR, per Baseball Reference.</p><p>For now, Montgomery is set to make his Cardinals debut on Saturday against the Yankees, as the AL East <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/new-york-yankees" rel="noopener">powerhouse</a> will counter with starting pitcher Domingo German in the matchup.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rumor: The explanation behind Yankees trading Jordan Montgomery to Cardinals

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/MLB-Odds-Yankees-vs-Cardinals-prediction-odds-and-pick-1.jpg"></figure><h1>MLB Odds: Yankees vs. Cardinals prediction, odds, pick – 8/6/2022</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-06T12:15:19-07:00">August 6th, 12:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-06T12:17:32-07:00">August 6th, 12:17pm</time><address><a>Matthew Zemek</a>Matt Zemek has written for various sports websites and publications since 2001. He was the editor of the NBA site Crossover Chronicles in the 2016 NBA season. He was a contributing editor to the now-defunct site FanRag Sports in 2017. He currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Yankees take on the St. Louis Cardinals. Check out our <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting/" rel="noopener">MLB odds series</a> for our Yankees Cardinals prediction and pick.</p><p>Domingo German gets the start for the Yankees, while Jordan Montgomery takes the mound for the Cardinals.</p><p>Domingo German has pitched just 12 2/3 innings this year, giving up nine runs. It’s hard to draw any big, sweeping conclusions from that, or make an especially informed prediction on how he will pitch in this game. German was brought up because of the injuries to the Yankees’ starting rotation. Luis Severino got hurt, which limited the Yankees’ options. It will be fascinating to see if German finds a groove, or if he struggles as the month of August unfolds. With Gerrit Cole running into trouble and Nestor Cortes not being as strong as he was in May and June, the Yankees are facing some fresh questions about the durability and quality of their starting rotation. German could provide an important piece to the puzzle in New York.</p><p>Jordan Montgomery begins his Cardinal career against his former team. Montgomery was a reliable, dependable, back-end member of the Yankees’ starting rotation. Back-end starters aren’t expected to dominate. They are expected to minimize damage and keep their team competitive. Montgomery definitely did that for the Yankees. The trade which sent him to St. Louis in exchange for a currently injured Harrison Bader was viewed by most baseball experts as a win for the Cardinals. That’s partly a reflection of Bader’s current health, but that view also flows from an awareness that the Cardinals needed starting pitching and the Yankees needed some Severino insurance. The deal seemed to give the Cardinals more of what they required. Now we get to find out if Montgomery can prove the experts right and help the surging Cardinals win the National League Central.</p><p><a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb" rel="noopener"><b><i>Courtesy of FanDuel</i></b></a><b><i>, here are the Yankees-Cardinals</i></b><b><i> MLB odds.</i></b></p><h2><b>MLB Odds</b><b>: Yankees-Cardinals Odds</b></h2><p>New York Yankees: -1.5 (+140)</p><p>St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-170)</p><p>Over: 8.5 (-105)</p><p>Under: 8.5 (-115)</p><h2><b>Why The Yankees Could Cover the Spread</b></h2><p>The Yankees know Jordan Montgomery’s pitching tendencies and patterns. They are going to jump all over him and score a bunch of runs in this game. The Yankees are steaming mad after they let Friday’s game — in which they led 3-1 — slip away. They will come to the ballpark focused and motivated. The Yankees have been drifting for the past month. They want the No. 1 seed in the American League, and they realize that if they are going to beat out the Houston Astros, they need to start stacking wins again.</p><h2><b>Why The Cardinals Could Cover the Spread</b></h2><p>After he was traded from the Yankees, Jordan Montgomery knows he has a lot to prove in St. Louis. More than that, he now gets to face a bunch of hitters he has studied up close for years, given that he was a teammate on the Yankee roster. Montgomery’s inside knowledge of the Yankees’ batting order will help the Cardinals. What will also help the Cardinals is that they are playing great baseball, roaring up the standings and tying the Milwaukee Brewers for the N.L. Central lead. Crucially, role players such as Paul DeJong are helping the superstars. It’s not just Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado who are raking. DeJong is getting big hits. So is Tyler O’Neill. So is Lars Nootbaar. This is a balanced team playing quality baseball right now.</p><h2><b>Final Yankees-Cardinals Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>If you can predict which way Jordan Montgomery versus the Yankees will go, be my guest. This is a coin-flip situation and therefore a stay-away game. If you insist on making a pick, lean to the Yankees.</p><p><b>Final Yankees-Cardinals Prediction &amp; Pick: Yankees -1.5</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB Odds: Yankees vs. Cardinals prediction, odds, pick – 8/6/2022

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Matt-Carpenter-receives-epic-standing-ovation-in-return-to-St.-Louis.jpg"></figure><h1>Former Cardinals star Matt Carpenter receives epic standing ovation in return to St. Louis</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-05T18:59:10-07:00">August 5th, 6:59pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-05T18:59:10-07:00">August 5th, 6:59pm</time><address><a>Tristin McKinstry</a>I have experience covering sports going back to 2014. Major The Last of Us fan. #1 Jar Jar Binks propagandist. I am currently pursuing a degree in communications.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Former St. Louis Cardinals star Matt Carpenter returned to the city for the first time since <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-matt-carpenter-pens-emotional-letter-to-st-louis-fans-as-he-prepares-to-move-on/" rel="noopener">leaving the team</a> in the offseason. And on Friday night, Cardinals fans showed their appreciation for the former MVP candidate.</p><p>Carpenter, now a member of the New York Yankees, went to the plate with one on and one out in the top of the first inning. As the three-time All-Star strode towards home plate, Cardinals fans gave him a <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1555717719239974912" rel="noopener">standing ovation</a>.</p><p>Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina walked out from behind the plate to allow the ovation to continue. Carpenter acknowledged the crowd with a tip of his batting helmet.</p><p>Prior to the game, Carpenter opened up about what he loved about his former organization. It’s similar to what’s so special about his current team.</p><p>“Just a great culture in the clubhouse, a great atmosphere on the field, a great fan base that’s passionate and an ownership and front office that’s committed to winning,” Carpenter said, via the <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/08/04/yankees-matt-carpenter-a-new-player-in-return-to-st-louis/" rel="noopener">New York Post</a>. “You combine that with the history of that organization and what it means to put on that jersey — same as a New York Yankee, it’s a special thing.”</p><p>Despite any emotion, Carpenter told reporters that he was looking forward to the series. At the end of the day, however, he was looking forward to taking care of business, as usual.</p><p>Carpenter left the Cardinals after 11 seasons in the offseason. He struggled mightily the last two seasons, but has found himself again with the Bronx Bombers. The 36-year-old has 15 home runs and 36 RBI in 43 games this year, all while hitting .322 at the plate.</p><p>The three-time All-Star made his debut in 2011. He didn’t play in any of the team’s postseason games as they won the World Series. In 2013, Carpenter finished fourth in National League MVP voting behind Molina, future Cardinal Paul Goldschmidt, and Andrew McCutchen.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Former Cardinals star Matt Carpenter receives epic standing ovation in return to St. Louis

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Yankees-rumors-The-real-reason-why-NY-failed-to-acquire-Marlins_-Pablo-Lopez-ahead-of-MLB-trade-deadline.jpg"></figure><h1>Rumor: The real reason why Yankees failed to acquire Marlins’ Pablo Lopez ahead of MLB trade deadline</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-05T12:23:44-07:00">August 5th, 12:23pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-05T17:25:21-07:00">August 5th, 5:25pm</time><address><a>Steve Zavala</a>Steve is a freelance writer covering the world of sports for ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>This year’s MLB trade deadline was quite a hectic one for New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. He completed multiple moves ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, and he also looked to orchestrate a trade for Miami Marlins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez.</p><p>As noted by the <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/08/04/yankees-looked-into-marlins-pablo-lopez-at-deadline/" rel="noopener">New York Post’s Jon Heyman</a>, the Yankees “looked” into acquiring Lopez. However, the Marlins were shooting for the stars in their asking price for Lopez, as they “asked” about Anthony Volpe, Oswald Peraza, or Gleyber Torres.</p><p>The Marlins did not have an urgent need to acquire a shortstop at the trade deadline, although Miguel Rojas has had a roller-coaster <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/miami-marlins" rel="noopener">campaign</a>. He has so far earned 90 total starts out at shortstop, and he has logged an OPS+ of 78. On the other hand, the Yankees have relied upon Torres to be their regular starter at second base, while they <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/07/14/yankees-dodgers-early-favorites-for-reds-luis-castillo/" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> did not even have an interest in shipping off either Volpe or Peraza to the Cincinnati Reds for Luis Castillo.</p><p>Cashman did not budge at all in his pursuit of Lopez, and neither did the Los Angeles Dodgers. The current NL West leaders “did not come especially close” to hauling in Lopez, who has posted a 3.41 ERA in 118.2 innings pitched this season.</p><p>Cashman turned heads on Tuesday, as he traded starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Harrison Bader. The move brought many to speculate that he would end up completing a buzzer-beating move for a hurler, but this did not come to fruition.</p><p>The Yankees are set to call upon Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, and Frankie Montas to lead their rotation heading into the stretch run of the campaign.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rumor: The real reason why Yankees failed to acquire Marlins’ Pablo Lopez ahead of MLB trade deadline

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/MLB-Odds-Yankees-vS-Cardinals-prediction-odds-and-pick.jpg"></figure><h1>MLB odds: Yankees vs. Cardinals prediction, odds and pick – 8/5/2022</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-05T12:16:06-07:00">August 5th, 12:16pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-05T12:16:36-07:00">August 5th, 12:16pm</time><address><a>Griffin Conant</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>A highly anticipated rare inter-league matchup between two of baseball’s most storied franchises will meet face-to-face as the New York Yankees travel to St. Louis to take on the Cardinals for the start of a three-game set. It is time to take an exclusive sneak peek at our MLB odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting/">series</a>, where our Yankees-Cardinals prediction and pick will be revealed.</p><p>After picking up their 70th win against the Mariners in the opening game of their last series, the Yankees have dropped back-to-back games ahead of their showdown with the Red Birds. While losing streaks haven’t occurred all too often this season with the ‘Yanks, “Nasty” Nector Cortes will be in line for the start this evening. In his 19 starts on the season, the Yankees lefty is 9-3 with a remarkably shimmering 2.53 ERA, which is the eighth-lowest in the majors.</p><p>Entering Friday, the ‘Cards are tied atop the division with a 57-48 record. In hopes to give his squad sole possession of first place will be RHP Dakota Hudson. The 27-year-old possesses an even 6-6 record to go along with a 4.10 ERA thus far in 2022.</p><p><b><i>Here are the Yankees-Cardinals MLB odds, </i></b><a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb"><b><i>courtesy of FanDuel.</i></b></a><b><i> </i></b></p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Yankees-Cardinals Odds</b></h2><p>New York Yankees: -1.5 (+106)</p><p>St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-128)</p><p>Over: 8.5 (-115)</p><p>Under: 8.5 (105)</p><h2><b>Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>Wait, so the Yankees are actually human? While it doesn’t happen often, New York has slightly sputtered since the All-Star Break by going 6-8 since. Even with the second-most victories in the majors so far, New York would love nothing more to get back on track in front of a national audience when they visit the Show Me state.</p><p>Without a doubt, it is inevitable for a team to not struggle over the course of a 162-game season. The Yankees are no question in the midst of their mini-slump as we speak. Yes, almost all teams in the MLB would love to be where the Yankees are at with a 70-36 moment, but the city of New York and the expectations surrounding the Bronx are a whole different animal. Simply put, the Yankees have been uncharacteristically bad. Whether it has been their ace in Gerrit Cole getting shelled for six runs in an inning or the bats remaining streaky, New York just hasn’t been on the same page to start the second half of the regular season.</p><p>However, the Yankees are still the Yankees. The talent within this roster is utterly sickening, as most starting position players and starting pitchers would most likely be an impact player on any other team in the league. In order for the ‘Yanks to get back on track, they will need to return to their previous form of balanced play. Remember, this is a team that ranks first in runs scored and slugging percentage, and also second in on-base percentage. Not to mention, but New York has been just as dominant from the mound with the third-best ERA, WHIP, and BAA on the season. Simply put, this team will work out the kinks sooner than later.</p><h2><b>Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><p>How hot are the Cardinals? Well, St. Louis has reeled off six wins in their last seven games and has finally caught up with the Brewers for first place in the NL Central. Now, the Cardinals are almost ten games above .500 for the first time this season. Even more impressive, the Cardinals have won five-straight home games to move their record at Busch Stadium to a balmy 32-20 mark. After dismantling the Cubs rather easily, the Cardinals will have their hands full with the Yankees visiting town.</p><p>To cover the spread and continue their recent dominance, look for the Cardinals to be aggressive in multiple facets of the game. Whether that means swiping a few bags on the base paths and or swinging on the first pitch of an at-bat, it is hard to imagine that the Cardinals don’t want to win this one a little more than the average game.</p><p>While St. Louis numbers don’t particularly match the dominant statistics that the Yankees possess, they aren’t as far off as you would think. In fact, not many other squads around the league are as balanced from the rubber and the batter’s box. Offensively, the Cardinals will have to get after Cortez early. With the sixth-most runs in the league and a .252 batting average, this dynamic lineup is more than capable of spelling out trouble for Yankees pitchers.</p><p>While St. Louis may have a disadvantage with the pitching matchup between Cortes and Hudson at first glance, the Cardinals starter is coming off a solid start in which he only allowed two runs. Hudson will be the key in covering the spread, as a lengthy outing would do wonders in prolonging the Cardinals’ winning streak.</p><h2><b>Final Yankees-Cardinals Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>With two of the more passionate fanbases in all of baseball, emotions will be running high in this one ahead of first pitch. This epic matchup should have playoff-type intensity and an increased focus should be expected from both sides. Bottom line, St. Louis is too scorching hot to not put your faith in them covering the +1.5 run spread.</p><p><b>Final Yankees-Cardinals Prediction &amp; Pick: Cardinals +1.5 (-128)</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB odds: Yankees vs. Cardinals prediction, odds and pick – 8/5/2022

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Frankie-Montas-Harrison-Bader-Jordan-Montgomery-Yankees-Cardinals-Yankees-trade-deadline.jpg"></figure><h1>Final MLB trade deadline grades for New York Yankees</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-04T23:14:12-07:00">August 4th, 11:14pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-04T23:14:12-07:00">August 4th, 11:14pm</time><address><a>Diego Vergel de Dios</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Even if the New York Yankees began the 2022 campaign on a rampaging start, there was no doubt they would be very active before the August 2nd trade deadline. The struggles in July due to various things may have forced them to perform some moves that would bolster their chance of winning a World Series crown.</p><p>The great season by a slew of players led by Aaron Judge has catapulted the Yankees to greater heights. However, the franchise still had weaknesses to fill, like their starting rotation, bullpen, and outfield. Juan Soto was the lingering name New York hoped to acquire, but the San Diego Padres offered one of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/first-look-at-juan-soto-in-padres-uniform-and-it-is-everything/">most extensive trade packages</a> in baseball history.</p><p>Even without Soto in a Yankee uniform, these are the moves New York executed before the trade deadline.</p><p><b>Andrew Benintendi</b></p><p>Even before other organizations started pulling the trigger, the Yankees added Kansas City Royals outfielder Andrew Benintendi for three prospects. The unvaccinated status of Benintendi this season has been more of the topic than his play with the Royals. Still, there were reports that he would be inoculated soon, especially with a possible postseason series against the Toronto Blue Jays.</p><p>The colossal boost of having Andrew Benintendi is his familiarity with the AL East because he spent many years with the Boston Red Sox. Furthermore, he brings a contrasting style from Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton as he is more of a contact hitter who would keep the ball in the park. In his first few games with New York, Andrew Benintendi is still adjusting, but there it is definite he will be a critical piece in September and October.</p><p><b>Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino</b></p><p>With Luis Severino on the 60-day IL, the franchise would welcome any starting pitching help. Frankie Montas was a massive acquisition who will likely be the second or third pitcher in the rotation. Finishing sixth in the AL Cy Young race in just his fourth season as a full-time starter was an impeccable achievement for Montas.</p><p>Frankie Montas has that incredible mix of pitches that forces batters to swing and miss. The A’s have been struggling this season, but Montas’ ERA is excellent at 3.18 with 109 SO. Additionally, the Yankees were able to add reliever Lou Trivino who has been struggling this year, but he will have an opportunity to rectify his struggles.</p><p><b>Scott Effross</b></p><p>The bullpen is starting to be a cause for concern for the Yankees for several reasons. Zack Britton and Chad Green are still recovering from their injuries, Michael King is not returning this year, and Aroldis Chapman is far from his unstoppable self. With the Yankees Recruiting the youngster Scott Effross, this supplements closer to Clay Holmes.</p><p>A 2.66 ERA and 28.1% strikeout rate are two fantastic assets of Effross. He will likely be slotted into the setup man role as his off-speed pitches will be instrumental in keeping the ball on the ground. The hope is for New York to have as many reliable arms on high-leverage postseason games, so Effross is an enormous step in that direction.</p><p><b>Harrison Bader</b></p><p>Swapping Jordan Montgomery for St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Harrison Bader was an incredible deal from the Yankee’s point of view. As previously mentioned, the starting rotation of New York has always been a question mark. Furthermore, having Andrew Benintendi, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Aaron Hicks as outfielders will crowd the depth even more with the acquisition of Bader.</p><p>There is no question that Harrison Bader is a talented outfielder, especially defensively. Conversely, the starting pitching is far more critical in constructing his current iteration of the Yankees. Montgomery will be a fifth starter or LRP in the postseason, but his presence will be more than essential for the whole squad.</p><p><b>OVERALL GRADE (A-)</b></p><p>The reports on the needs of the New York Yankees were all addressed in these four MLB trade deadline deals. The front office must remain optimistic and hope for fewer injuries for this immensely talented Yankees team. The grade could have been an A+ or A if not for the buzzer-beater deal between Bader-Montgomery. As co-favorites with the Houston Astros in the AL, the trajectory is positive for the 27-time World Champions.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Final MLB trade deadline grades for New York Yankees

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Shohei-Ohtani-trails-only-Aaron-Judge-with-impressive-stat-after-huge-performance-vs.-A_s.jpg"></figure><h1>Shohei Ohtani trails only Aaron Judge with impressive stat after huge performance</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-04T17:15:18-07:00">August 4th, 5:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-04T17:15:18-07:00">August 4th, 5:15pm</time><address><a>Reese Nasser</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani has continued his domination of Major League Baseball.</p><p>Shohei Ohtani has recorded his fifth multi-homerun game of the season. This is tied for the second-most in the MLB. Ohtani only trails New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge who currently has nine on the season.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Two for Ohtani today! <a href="https://t.co/xuT02cZi1O">pic.twitter.com/xuT02cZi1O</a></p><p>— MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1555326436566880257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Shohei Ohtani is also tied for the <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1555326589839282176?s=20&amp;t=1LjP_8gWZTIu6ZpIGDFKVA">second-most</a> in a season in Angels history, and he is on pace to take over for the most in team history. The record is currently held by Troy Glaus who recorded six in 2000.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Shohei Ohtani now has 5 multi-HR games this season. That is…</p><p>– Tied for 2nd-most in MLB (Aaron Judge, 9)</p><p>– Tied for 2nd-most in a season in Angels history (Troy Glaus had 6 in 2000) <a href="https://t.co/lD0mxrMM3G">pic.twitter.com/lD0mxrMM3G</a></p><p>— ESPN Stats &amp; Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1555326589839282176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Shohei Ohtani has <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/angels-news-the-mike-trout-reason-la-wouldnt-trade-shohei-ohtani/">cemented himself</a> as arguably the most prominent name in baseball. With his ability to make an impact on the game, he has quickly become a household name.</p><p>Ohtani has pitched 105 innings for the Los Angeles Angels this season. He has posted a <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/ohtansh01.shtml">record</a> of 9-7 and has an ERA of 2.83. Ohtani has also allowed just 85 hits, 33 earned runs, and 12 home runs. He has also walked just 12 batters.</p><p>In terms of hitting, Shohei Ohtani is in the middle of a “down year”. But he has still been a threat at the plate. He has had 375 at-bats this season. He currently has 95 hits, 22 home runs, 62 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. His batting average is currently .253.</p><p>Ohtani’s ability to influence the game can’t be understated. The former MVP has been his own run support on multiple occasions throughout this season. The Angels chose to not trade Ohtani before the <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/angels-gm-perry-minasian-talks-shohei-ohtani-trade-deadline">trade deadline</a>.</p><p>There is still a chance that they could move him in the future. With how the team has struggled with both Ohtani and Mike Trout on the roster, they could opt to reset. But if they hope to have a chance, they would be wise to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/angels-news-in-fourteen-months-hes-out-the-door-rival-executive-grim-shohei-ohtani-trade-warning/">hold on</a> to their superstars.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Shohei Ohtani trails only Aaron Judge with impressive stat after huge performance

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Frankie-Montas-Harrison-Bader-Jordan-Montgomery-Yankees-Cardinals-Yankees-trade-deadline.jpg"></figure><h1>Yankees: New York’s biggest MLB trade deadline surprise</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-04T11:31:00-07:00">August 4th, 11:31am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-04T11:31:46-07:00">August 4th, 11:31am</time><address><a>Quinn Allen</a>Quinn Allen is a freelance sports journalist and full-time editor for ClutchPoints. He specializes mainly in soccer, basketball, and baseball. When Quinn isn't producing content for CP, he's writing predictions across the European soccer and NBA world for bettors at Sports Betting Dime, one of the fastest-growing sports betting sites in North America.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-4-reasons-new-york-world-series-favorite-after-2022-mlb-trade-deadline/">It was another productive MLB Trade Deadline</a> for the 70-36 New York Yankees. They made numerous moves, including the acquisitions of Frankie Montas, Andrew Benintendi, and Harrison Bader, while parting ways with Jordan Montgomery and the struggling Joey Gallo.  Overall, the Yankees undoubtedly got better as they look to make a run at a World Series come October.</p><p>Here is the biggest surprise trade of them all that likely caught a lot of people off-guard.</p><h2><b>Biggest Surprise From Yankees’ Trade Deadline</b></h2><p><b>Trading Montgomery, acquiring Bader</b></p><p>Getting Montas was expected. Same with Benintendi. Both guys will instantly help the Yankees both on the mound and at the plate, but shipping off Montgomery came seemingly out of nowhere. The lefty has been poor at times this season, but overall, he’s done well for New York, going 3-3 with a 3.69 ERA in 21 starts. Montgomery only walked 23 batters in 114.1 innings of work, too, and gave Aaron Boone quite a bit of consistency.</p><p>It’s just a bit of a puzzling move because the southpaw was comfortable with the Yankees. There were zero signs of a trade like this coming, either. He rounded out the rotation nicely and usually gave the Bronx Bombers a chance to win every fifth day. For the Cardinals, it’s a nice pickup though. They get a guy who can immediately step into the staff and make an impact and his role could be even bigger because of St. Louis’s lack of rotation depth amid injuries to Jack Flaherty and Steven Matz.</p><p>The Yankees did pull off a nice swap, however. Harrison Bader is one of the best defensive center-fielders in the game and has a 93 wRC+ this season. Bader also posted 110 wRC+ in 2021. While the speedy Bader is currently out with a foot injury, he’s expected back in September. Offensively, he was hitting .256 with five bombs before heading on the IL. Bader will slot in nicely in the middle of the Yankees’ order but it’s his defense that will make an instant difference for this team. <a href="https://www.nj.com/yankees/2022/08/harrison-bader-says-yankees-didnt-trade-for-damaged-goods-and-they-cant-wait-to-see-his-centerfield-circus-act.html">Plus, he grew up not far away from the Bronx and always dreamed of playing for this storied franchise.</a></p><p>Although the Montgomery move did come as a surprise, it’s not exactly a bad trade. After all, they replaced him with Montas, an All-Star right-hander who was simply just rotting on an Oakland team that is in the midst of a rebuild. The Dominican is one of the best starters in the sport and has a 3.18 ERA this season, striking out 109 in 104.2 innings. He’s under team control through 2023 and likely profiles to be the Yankees’ No. 2 starter behind Gerrit Cole. Montas has overpowering stuff with a high 90s fastball and a couple of absolutely nasty off-speed pitches. His potential can really shine through now on a legitimate contender. New York now has two true aces at the top-end of the staff. There is really no way you can’t love that.</p><p>Overall, the Yankees absolutely improved at the trade deadline. Sure, Brian Cashman shipped off Montgomery and left the rotation with just one southpaw in Nestor Cortes, but you can’t deny what Montas brings to the table. This team is already the best in baseball and they strengthened their roster in almost every way. Plus, getting rid of Gallo was a must as well and we know for a fact the fans will approve of it.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Yankees: New York’s biggest MLB trade deadline surprise

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Frankie-Montas-Yankees-Athletics-Yankees-trade-Frankie-Montas-Yankees.jpg"></figure><h1>Frankie Montas’ classy Athletics farewell after trade to Yankees</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-04T05:30:12-07:00">August 4th, 5:30am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-04T05:30:12-07:00">August 4th, 5:30am</time><address><a>Tim Capurso</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Frankie Montas was traded from the Oakland Athletics to the New York Yankees in a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/frankie-montas-grading-the-yankees-athletics-blockbuster-ahead-of-2022-mlb-trade-deadline/">deadline blockbuster</a>. Montas, who has spent the last six seasons in Oakland, became attached to the organization. It’s understandable, then, that the trade to the Yankees would be a bittersweet moment for him- and an emotional one for the Athletics faithful. Early Thursday morning, Montas took to Twitter, bidding the Athletics farewell with this classy move.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="zxx"><a href="https://t.co/2cYSUP0Civ">pic.twitter.com/2cYSUP0Civ</a></p><p>— Frankie Montas (@FrankieMontas) <a href="https://twitter.com/FrankieMontas/status/1555089688213409793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>What a classy move by Frankie Montas. The newest member of the Yankees tweeted a video featuring highlights from his Athletics career, with a backdrop of music from Bay Area rapper P-Lo.</p><p>It was a creative way for Montas to say goodbye to the organization that helped him develop into a frontline starter. Montas, 29, bounced around from the Chicago White Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the beginning of his career before he was ultimately dealt to the Athletics in 2016.</p><p>After appearing in the bullpen in 2017, Montas made his debut as a starter for the Athletics in 2017, flashing his skills immediately. In 27 starts in 2018 and ’19, Montas pitched to a 3.13 ERA with 146 strikeouts in 161 innings.</p><p>Armed with elite-level strikeout pitches in a split-fingered fastball and a slider, Montas has blossomed into a capable starter, one who can certainly <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/frankie-montas-to-join-yankees-after-bereavement-list-stint/ar-AA10h0ZG">help</a> the Yankees as they push towards their ultimate goal of a winning the World Series.</p><p>But first, Frankie Montas wanted to take a moment to thank Oakland and the Athletics. It was a classy move from the talented starter after his trade to New York.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Frankie Montas’ classy Athletics farewell after trade to Yankees

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Cody-Bellinger-sounds-off-on-Joey-Gallo-trade-after-disastrous-Yankees-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers star Cody Bellinger sounds off on Joey Gallo trade after disastrous Yankees season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-03T22:24:27-07:00">August 3rd, 10:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-04T07:09:14-07:00">August 4th, 7:09am</time><address><a>Tristin McKinstry</a>I have experience covering sports going back to 2014. Major The Last of Us fan. #1 Jar Jar Binks propagandist. I am currently pursuing a degree in communications.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers made an interesting move on Tuesday, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-joey-gallo-gets-lifeline-with-la-trade-after-putrid-yankees-stint/" rel="noopener">acquiring</a> struggling outfielder Joey Gallo from the New York Yankees. And one of the team’s existing stars has opened up about the move.</p><p>Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger, who is friends with Gallo, spoke to the media prior to the team’s game on Wednesday. And he gave a vote of full confidence in his two-time All-Star teammate.</p><p>“[His talent] is in there, it’s not gone,” Bellinger <a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2022-08-03/dodgers-giants-game-recap-joey-gallo" rel="noopener">told reporters</a>. “He’s a gifted athlete, man. Can hit for power, great defense, really good dude as well. So I know I’m excited to have him in the clubhouse.”</p><p>Gallo was once a premier power bat in the game. He posted back-to-back 40 home run seasons in 2017 and 2018. And the new Dodgers outfielder hit a combined 38 home runs last season.</p><p>However, following a deadline move to the Bronx in 2021, things fell apart. In 140 games in pinstripes, the 28-year-old hit just .159 with 25 home runs. In 421 at-bats, he struck out 194 times. However, Bellinger and the Dodgers have full confidence in the newest member of the team.</p><p>“We feel there’s some real potential upside,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “A year ago today, his industry value was significantly higher, and that same true talent level is still in place.”</p><p>To his credit, Gallo looks forward to his new start on the west coast. “Obviously I want to get back to being a threat at the plate again and doing damage,” Gallo said. “I think I learned a lot about myself in growing through those struggles. I want to be a good hitter, though. I definitely need to hit a little bit better.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers star Cody Bellinger sounds off on Joey Gallo trade after disastrous Yankees season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Gerrit-Cole-gets-brutally-honest-after-throwing-meatball-party-vs.-Mariners.jpg"></figure><h1>Yankees’ Gerrit Cole gets brutally honest after throwing meatball party vs. Mariners</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-03T22:03:06-07:00">August 3rd, 10:03pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-03T22:03:06-07:00">August 3rd, 10:03pm</time><address><a>Kendall Capps</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Yankees are among the teams with the best chance at capturing the World Series this year. One of the reasons why has been their starting pitching. However, their rotation has been showing cracks lately, and that includes former Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole.</p><p>On Wednesday, Cole got rocked by the Seattle Mariners as the Yankees dropped another game, 7-3. Cole finished with six runs allowed, including three first-inning home runs.</p><p>After the game, Gerrit Cole talked about that first inning, as captured by <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/08/03/yankees-lose-to-mariners-as-gerrit-cole-gives-up-three-home-runs/">New York Post</a> writer Greg Joyce.</p><p>“It’s kind of hard to believe how much it just blows up so quick,” Cole said. “I’m trying to be excellent out there and obviously not. Obviously the game’s letting us know we’re not there. So we gotta keep grinding on it. It doesn’t feel good. We let a series get away from us and it’s because of a very poor first inning today. That’s on me.”</p><p>Cole and the Yankees dug a hole they could not get out of.</p><p>New York once held a massive lead for home field advantage throughout the playoffs. They were at one time on a record-setting pace. Now, the Yankees find themselves two games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in baseball. Even the Houston Astros have pulled within two games of New York.</p><p>The Yankees traded Jordan Montgomery away at the deadline amidst his recent struggles. Jameson Taillon has also not looked good of late. They placed Luis Severino <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-news-luis-severino-gets-brutal-injury-update-after-new-york-lands-frankie-montas/" rel="noopener">on the 60-day IL</a>. Cole has allowed 15 runs over his last three starts. All of that prompted the trade for Athletics starter Frankie Montas.</p><p>That was a much needed trade for the Yankees. The question remains, will it be enough?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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