Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and completing such a plan is said to start by connecting people and bridging information gaps.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions may be a lot easier when information gaps are addressed. (Photo: FutureLearn)
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Through Bridging Gaps
The importance of connecting people should be emphasized in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The various benefits and incentives provided in recent federal legislation for clean energy and jobs are also said to be helpful in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Many Americans are unaware of the opportunities in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions that are available to them, such as tax credits and rebates for energy-efficient upgrades. By bridging the information gap, individuals can take advantage of initiatives like installing electric heat pumps or transitioning to electric school buses to help with reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
According to a published article by the Chicago Sun-Times, organizations like Elephant Energy and the Sierra Club are working to educate and assist communities in accessing these resources in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The goal is not only to start reducing greenhouse gas emissions but also to ensure that government support for a cleaner economy is utilized effectively and equitably.
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions And Water Use
In a published article by CSRWire, Bayer has announced plans to help with the reducing of greenhouse gas emissions and has introduced its direct-seeded rice (DSR) system in India and the Philippines, to support smallholder farmers and reduce the environmental impact of rice cultivation.
READ ALSO: IRS Tax Withholding Estimator Would Come In Handy At This Time Of The Year
The Mets will have a decision to make with Jose Quintana, whose fourth rehab start was a short one.
The lefty, who had stretched out to 47 pitches and four innings previously, lasted just 2 ²/₃ innings with Triple-A Syracuse on Friday in what could have been his last rehab start.
Quintana threw 64 pitches in which he allowed two runs on four hits and three walks against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the Yankees’ affiliate.
He has yet to reach five innings, which may prevent him from joining the rotation the next time through.
The hope has been that Quintana can return in early July, but it is possible his club debut gets delayed so he can make a fifth rehab start.
When he does return from bone-graft surgery he required in March, he could prompt a question: Will the Mets, who have found every reason to provide extra rest for their starters, go to a six-man rotation?
Jose Quintana throws a pitch during his Mets spring training debut on Feb. 28, 2023.USA TODAY Sports
David Peterson’s solid start Tuesday — finally showing the form he has flashed in the past — has given the team a route to carrying an extra starter, if it wants to.
“If I did, I wouldn’t jinx us by saying it,” manager Buck Showalter said before the Mets lost, 5-4, to the Giants at Citi Field. “If [Quintana] gets through [Friday], gets through his work day and we decide that he’s not going to get another start, [then we will talk].”
With a rotation led by Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, a combined 78 years old, plus the 36-year-old Carlos Carrasco and Kodai Senga — who had pitched weekly in Japan — the Mets have tried to give their starters as many extra days rest as possible.
The injuries and underperformance of the group, though, has thus far prevented a six-man rotation.
Peterson was sent to Triple-A in mid-May with an 8.08 ERA.
Tylor Megill was demoted with a 5.17 ERA last week.
But Peterson, summoned again, shut down the Brewers in a win Tuesday and is expected to start Sunday in the series finale against the Giants.
If the lefty continues to perform and Quintana pitches well upon his return, the Mets would have to decide how much they value a six-man rotation.
“Hoping that we can continue adding some pieces back that make everybody better,” Showalter said of Quintana.
Jeff McNeil, who entered play 2-for-27 in his past eight games, swatted a pair of RBI doubles down the left-field line. It was his second straight game with an extra-base hit.
Last year’s batting champion has struggled and hit just .259 this year.
Showalter said he had not considered giving McNeil the same kind of several-day break that worked with Daniel Vogelbach.
“Sometimes you push guys forward instead of pull them back when they’re struggling,” Showalter said of the fiery McNeil, who often wears his frustration. “You try a little bit of everything.
“I haven’t heard that thought [of giving him a break], but we’ll see. I hope that isn’t a need.”
Tommy Pham (3-for-4 with a homer) had his third straight multi-hit game and is batting .363 in his past 26 games.
Starling Marte was out of the starting lineup amid a poor stretch in which his OPS has dropped to .634.
The outfielder pinch-ran for Luis Guillorme in the ninth inning of a one-run game and was thrown out trying to steal second.
Through translator Alan Suriel, Marte said he has the same confidence he “always had my entire career” that he still can play like the All-Star he was last season.
Second year soccer club Ballard FC took its first loss on June 23 against Oly Town FC 3-2.
The Bridges first season went about as good as they could have hoped, making it to the semifinals of the USL 2 playoffs. The USL 2 consists of over 115 teams which stretches across the nation and 17 divisions. On Friday, Interbay Stadium was sold out and the Bridges were riding an eight game winning streak so far in the 2023 campaign.
One of the Co-Founders of Ballard FC is Federal Way’s own and former Seattle Sounder and Tacoma Star Lamar Neagle. There is also a Federal Way native on the roster who is currently a defender at Cal State Dominguez Hills, Zane Baumgardt.
The 3-2 loss for Ballard is the first time this season they have allowed an opponent to score more than two over their first nine games. Throughout their first six games Ballard gave up just two goals and outscored their opponents 25-2.
However over their last three they have allowed seven and are only outsourcing their opponents by two during that stretch.
The defense struggled from the opening whistle in the game against Oly. On seemingly the third touch of the game, the Artisans sent a ball over the top to winger- Gilbert De La Luz. The former Western Washington Viking sent a ball into the penalty area and Richy Lapointe-Guevara gave the Artisans a lead in the first minute of action.
After the early goal, it seemed like Ballard settled in. There were much more opportunities for the home side and they controlled possession throughout the next 15-20 minutes. But again Oly Town created problems, this time Ballard couldn’t clear a ball in the penalty area and paid the price. De La Luz took advantage and scored the second goal, stunning the home fans. Within a half hour, Oly Town had a 2-0 lead, stunning the home crowd.
The game got physical from that point moving forward, the first booking was Ballard’s Carlos Alvarez-Ancona. This spurred a total of eight yellow cards between the two sides for the entirety of the game.
Ballard however, was on the positive side of an Artisan yellow card inside the 18 yard box granting a penalty kick for the Bridges. Former Seattle U midfielder Peter Kingston cashed in the penalty kick and put Ballard on the board in the 36th minute.
In the waning minutes of the first half a window of opportunity presented itself to Ballard. Oly Town midfielder Federico Russo received his second yellow of the match which resulted in a red card and Ballard would have a man advantage for the rest of the game.
To start off the second half the Bridges had a huge surge in energy and quality putting a lot of pressure on Oly Town. Ballard got the equalizer they had worked so hard for in the first twelve minutes. Taketo Onodera made a run down the right sideline and found the head of Jeremy Opong who was a halftime substitute for Ballard.
Ballard couldn’t quite get the go ahead goal, and with four minutes of added time looked to escape with a draw and remain unbeaten.
But Dante Perez had other ideas for how the game should end. Perez found himself with the ball inside the 18 yard box and slotted the ball into the net and Oly Town stole a win from Ballard. The defeat to Oly Town is the first time the Ballard FC franchise lost a game in the month of June.
At the end of the contest the two sides got into a shoving match that never amounted to anything more than words and pushing. But these two sides look to be developing a rivalry for the rest of this year and possibly years to come.
Ballard’s next contest at home is June 30, and as they look to clinch a playoff spot with a win. For those interested, get your tickets fast as more and more games are selling out.
Through much of the first half of the Yankees’ 2022 season, their only competition appeared to be history. Could they match the 1998 Yankees? What about the 2001 Mariners? Would Aaron Judge, with 33 home runs and counting, catch Roger Maris?
At some point — more specifically, through an 8-7 stretch entering the All-Star break — the ghosts they chased gained bodies. The Yankees are on pace for 113 wins, but the No. 1 seed in the American League is not wrapped up because a familiar enemy will not go away.
The Astros (59-32) are 4 ¹/₂ games back of the Yankees (64-28) entering a doubleheader between the teams in Houston on Thursday, which should set the stage for a sprint through the final few months of the season. In other years, the Yankees could rest their stars more dramatically, but this season and against these Astros, taking a breather might mean conceding home-field advantage in a possible ALCS matchup.
“It’s two of the best teams in the AL going after it for two right after the break,” Judge said after he exited the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Los Angeles. “It’s going to be exciting.“Every time we go to Houston, the crowd’s always into it. It’s always a packed house, always competitive. We’re looking forward to it.”
In just about every area of supposed Yankees strength, the Astros have an answer. Judge might be flirting with home-run history, but his OPS (.982) is still a length behind Houston’s Yordan Alvarez (MLB-best 1.058).
Aaron Judge reacts after hitting a walkoff homer against the Astros in June.EPA
The Yankees’ rotation has been the club’s biggest surprise this season, but the group’s 3.20 ERA is still looking up at Houston’s AL-best 3.15. For every Gerrit Cole (9-2, 3.02 ERA), there is a Justin Verlander (12-3, 1.89 ERA).
Ditto with the bullpen. Clay Holmes is enjoying a remarkable season, and the Yankees have dominated to the tune of a sterling, second-best 2.89 ERA — second-best, of course, to the Astros (2.66). Houston has been led by closer Ryan Pressly, who closed out his first half by retiring 27 straight hitters, 17 through strikeouts.
The Yankees have made large strides to record a .725 defensive efficiency, converting 72.5 percent of balls put into play into outs, but the second-place Astros (.722) lurk.
“We know that they’re tough,” said Cole, who, after pitching Sunday, was the only Yankees starter out of consideration for the doubleheader. “You try to treat it like another game, but it’s not. There’s going to be a little more adrenaline. There’s obviously great players.
“They match up well and they pitched well against us … so there’s some competitive juice in there.”
Jose Trevino tags out Aledmys Diaz. Corey Sipkin
The Yankees finished the first half with losing records against two teams: the Reds, who took a three-game series 2-1 last week, and the Astros, who have won three of five matchups. After Thursday, the clubs will not face each other again — at least not in the regular season.
The Yankees and Astros know how important home-field advantage can be. In the now-tainted 2017 ALCS, every game was won by the home team, and Game 7 crucially took place in Houston. The Astros had the extra home game in 2019, too, when the ALCS was clinched in Game 6 at Minute Maid Park.
The Yankees should not have much to worry about in their own division, which they lead by 13 games. But their edge over Houston could shrink especially because, according to Tankathon, the Yankees have the 10th-hardest schedule remaining, facing teams with a cumulative .510 winning percentage. The Astros, in the more forgiving AL West, have the seventh-easiest (.489).
The Yankees, as of Wednesday afternoon, had not announced their starters for the doubleheader, though Jordan Montgomery and Jameson Taillon were strong possibilities. Cristian Javier, meanwhile, was expected to start Game 1 with Luis Garcia going in Game 2, for Houston.
The quick doubleheader, followed by a trip to Baltimore, might not be perfectly timed for the Yankees, who hit their first roadblock of this season prior to the break. They will have to recover quickly.
“We didn’t play well the last couple weeks,” Cole said, “but we rebounded and finished on a strong level. [But] the money’s made in October.”
True, but the investing could begin Thursday.
— Additional reporting by Greg Joyce in Los Angeles
WASHINGTON — Taijuan Walker will complete the Mets’ first turn through the rotation when he gets the ball Monday in Philadelphia.
The Mets are counting on the right-hander to take the baton and continue a torrid stretch by their starting pitchers to begin the season.
Through four games, Mets starters — Tylor Megill, Max Scherzer, Chris Bassitt and Carlos Carrasco — own a 1.59 ERA. Each of the four pitchers lasted at least five innings. Carrasco allowed only one run over 5 ²/₃ innings Sunday in the Mets’ 4-2 loss to the Nationals.
Walker departed his final spring training start with knee soreness, but in recent days indicated it wasn’t an issue and he’s ready for his season debut.
But the Mets also have an insurance policy if Walker’s knee is an issue: David Peterson is available after he was placed on the roster over the weekend to take Edwin Diaz’s spot.
Diaz was placed on the bereavement list following his grandfather’s death.
Taijuan WalkerCorey Sipkin
Walker underwent surgery in January to remove damaged cartilage from his right knee. The right-hander is coming off a season in which he pitched to a 4.47 ERA in 30 appearances for the Mets.
Diaz may return to the team Monday, according to manager Buck Showalter, but wouldn’t be eligible to rejoin the roster until the following day. There is a three-day minimum removal from the roster for a player placed on the bereavement list.
Following Sunday’s loss — in which the Nationals scored three runs in the eighth inning — Showalter was asked about the challenge of not having Diaz.
“We talk about it in the spring,” Showalter said. “There’s going to be times like this, so it’s part of life. Somebody very dear to him passed away and he needed to go. He will get back when he gets back. We have got the people to do the job.”
Nelson Cruz’s homer was No. 450 in his career. Cruz has hit 385 of those homers since his 30th birthday. Only Barry Bonds (509), Babe Ruth (430) Rafael Palmeiro (414) and Hank Aaron (413) are ahead of him in that category.
Aaron Boone has a contrarian take on Joey Gallo: That he’s, in fact, just fine.
“I would suggest he’s off to, at-bat-wise, a good start,” the Yankees manager said of Gallo, who had one hit in the first three games of the season and struck out to end Sunday night’s 4-3 loss to the Red Sox in The Bronx. “Controlling the zone, getting on base, he smoked a couple balls. Tonight I thought had some really good at-bats where he just missed the ball.”
Gallo has never hit for average, but saw those struggles exacerbate upon joining the Yankees last season. After general manager Brian Cashman traded for the slugger at the deadline, Gallo slashed .160/.303/.404, making up in part for his poor average with 13 home runs in a Yankees uniform.
His numbers so far this year are worse.
Gallo has just one hit in his first 10 at-bats, with three walks. Though he did put the ball in play three times on Sunday, flying out in each of them, a batting average of .100 is not what the Yankees would prefer to see from the fifth hitter in their lineup.
Joey Gallo reacts during the Yankees’ loss to the Red Sox. Robert Sabo
At the end of the game, Gallo also capped a terrible ninth inning, striking out on four pitches from Jake Diekman, who punched out Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton before facing Gallo.
“He’s getting to pitches that he wasn’t last year,” Boone said. “Hit a ball the other way, hard to left. Smoked a ball to right. Another walk. Look at what he’s doing. And I think we’re seeing a lot of good at-bats and a guy that, for me, has a lot more [plate] coverage right now.”
Boone is known for squeezing the positive out of everything. However, this feels a bit of a stretch.
Even if Gallo is hitting the ball hard, it’s almost impossible to imagine that the Yankees are OK with his output right now.
Asked to elaborate on where he sees Gallo’s improvement, Boone pointed to his fifth-inning fly out on Sunday.
Aaron BooneGetty Images
“That pitch up that he probably wouldn’t have got to last year, he just missed to center field,” Boone said. “I thought he did a good job against the lefty [Matt Strahm] hitting the ball hard to left, the other way.
“Obviously smoked a ball to right for the out. I just feel like he’s putting good swings and good at-bats together right now.”
It’s only three games into the schedule. But surely, the Yankees want Gallo’s good at-bats to start ending in hits sooner rather than later.
The Yankees got good results from Jameson Taillon during spring training after the right-hander came back from offseason ankle tendon surgery.
He’ll get his first start of the regular season on Monday night against the high-powered Blue Jays.
“It’s fine,’’ Taillon said after the Yankees lost to Boston, 4-3, on Sunday. “I haven’t felt it since I started throwing in spring training. I’m not nervous about it.”
At the time of the procedure, it didn’t seem likely Taillon would make it back in time for the start of the season, but Taillon said this spring that was mostly due to the rarity of the injury in pitchers and the resulting uncertainty in recovery time.
“Having that surgery, the timeline in our minds was probably gonna be close, but he’d be pretty much on time,’’ manager Aaron Boone said Sunday.
Complicating matters was the MLB lockout, which prevented the Yankees from working with Taillon for much of his recovery period and Boone said an early encouraging sign was Taillon’s own social media posts, which featured videos of him throwing bullpen sessions.
Jameson Taillon Getty Images
“Then he came in in a good place and ready to go,’’ Boone said. “It’s gone really smoothly. We’re excited for him to get going.”
Additionally, Boone said Luis Severino felt good on Sunday, a day after making his first start since Game 3 of the ALCS in 2019. He is scheduled to pitch again on Thursday against the Blue Jays in The Bronx.
The Yankees bullpen allowed just one run in 5 ²/₃ innings Sunday and has given up just two earned runs in a whopping 18 ²/₃ innings in the first three games. Over the past 12 innings, the bullpen has also only given up one hit.
Jose Trevino was 1-for-3 with a run scored in his first start as a Yankee on Sunday night, behind the plate with Jordan Montgomery on the mound. Like Kyle Higashioka, who caught the first two games of the season, Trevino is known as a good pitch-framer and Boone liked the fact Trevino had worked with Montgomery following his trade from Texas that sent right-hander Albert Abreu to the Rangers.
Jose Trevino hits a single during the Yankees’ loss to the Red Sox. USA TODAY Sports
The Yankees’ other new catcher acquired this offseason, Ben Rortvedt, still had lingering discomfort from the strained oblique he arrived with when he was traded from the Twins and sidelined him all spring.
Rortvedt underwent an MRI exam to make sure the injury was gone.
“I wouldn’t say he had a setback, but he was still feeling it,’’ Boone said. “We backed him off to get it to calm down and he’s feeling good.”
Boone said Rortvedt had been shut down from swinging and that he was expected to start to do more offensively on Monday.
He’ll need to go through his own spring training in Tampa before he’s ready for the regular season and will likely end up with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when he’s healthy.
As long as everyone is healthy, the Yankees will likely have a significant player out of the lineup. On Sunday, it was DJ LeMahieu, with Gleyber Torres at second base and Josh Donaldson at third and Giancarlo Stanton the DH.
Gleyber Torres started at second base Sunday against the Red Sox. USA TODAY Sports
LeMahieu pinch-hit for Trevino in the bottom of the eighth and flied to right.
Boone said he and bench coach Carlos Mendoza are planning a few days in advance to determine the best matchups.
Asked if he would use playing time as a motivating factor, the manager said, “I don’t think I’m doing that right now. I’m trying to do right by these guys.”
Rosters can have up to 16 pitchers through the end of April, but the Yankees will “probably” cut it to 15 in order to have another bench player at some point this month, Boone said.
“We’ll see,’’ Boone said.
The Yankees honored the Saint Peter’s men’s basketball team before the game following the team’s run to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament.
WASHINGTON — Francisco Lindor started the season-opening series by asking all the right questions and finished it by making a statement.
It still wasn’t enough to keep the Mets from blowing an eighth-inning lead Sunday and losing 4-2 to the Nationals, but Lindor’s comfort-building fast start might be more important over the long run than a four-game sweep would have been.
The four-time All-Star shortstop hit his first home run and stole his first base Sunday, and emerged from the series hitting .250 with four walks, three runs scored, two RBIs and a 1.054 OPS. There was much more to the weekend than the scary scene of Lindor taking a fastball off the chin and narrowly avoiding a serious injury as benches cleared in the second game.
“Not many people would’ve played the next two days after what happened,” manager Buck Showalter said. “Sometimes people miss — not just Francisco but players in general — the type of moxie you have to have to continue to play this game when you can be in harm’s way very quickly.”
Francisco Lindor homers in the Mets’ loss to the Nationals on Sunday.AP
A year ago, Lindor was hitting under .200 with a .595 OPS on June 1 — almost 50 games into his Mets’ debut. But Lindor impressed Showalter from this Opening Day, when he went 1-for-5 with an RBI single.
“Lindor asks so many good questions in the dugout,” Showalter said that night. “He can stump the manager easily. You’ve got to be careful.”
Not Lindor’s intention. He was peppering Showalter with different scenarios that might pop up in a game: For example, where to be positioned and where to go with the ball if the Nationals had runners on the corners and superstar Juan Soto at-bat behind in the count.
“I just try to run different scenarios through to see what his answer is, and to see if his answer matches my answer,” Lindor said. “Early in the year, third inning, do we want to give up a run or not give up a run? How aggressive do we want to be? That should tell me how aggressive we are going to be later in the year. [Showalter] has been in the game longer than me, he’s smarter than me. Why not learn from him?”
The Mets’ aggressiveness backfired a couple times during the Nationals’ three-run eighth-inning rally. Lindor had to come off the second-base bag to stretch for a wide throw by Pete Alonso, so the Mets got no outs on what could’ve been an inning-ending double play to keep the score tied — or at least a second-out grounder if Alonso had just touched first base to play it safe.
Francisco Lindor AP
Lindor said he often peppered former Indians manager Terry Francona — a baseball-lifer like Showalter — with similar questions when they were together. All in the name of becoming a better student of the game.
“I don’t want to be caught off guard because I wasn’t prepared or didn’t have the answers,” he said. “If I get caught off guard, it’s OK if it’s something new. If I knew the answer, I don’t want to get caught off guard.”
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Noah Syndergaard and Justin Verlander spent most of the past two years working toward Saturday night, when their journeys back from Tommy John surgery coincidentally converged at Angel Stadium.
Although Syndergaard emerged slightly happier than Verlander, both veteran right-handers appear to be firmly on the right track.
Syndergaard pitched two-hit ball into the sixth inning in a strong Angels debut, narrowly outdueling Verlander in Los Angeles’ 2-0 victory over the Houston Astros.
Mike Trout and Jared Walsh homered in the Angels’ first victory of the season. The Halos held defending AL champion Houston to two hits, with Raisel Iglesias’ save capping 3 2/3 hitless innings from the bullpen.
Syndergaard (1-0) and Verlander (0-1) both performed impressively at the Big A, with Walsh’s solo shot on Verlander’s first pitch of the second inning eventually standing up as the difference.
Syndergaard yielded two weak singles and two walks over 5 1/3 innings. While the imposing right-hander known as Thor had just one strikeout, he induced 11 groundouts from the Astros’ powerful lineup.
Syndergaard is wearing No. 34 again for the Angels, as he did for the Mets, but it has a special meaning in Anaheim.
Noah SyndergaardUSA TODAY Sports
It’s also the number worn by Nick Adenhart, the promising Angels starter killed by a drunk driver a few hours after throwing six shutout innings at the Big A exactly 13 years ago Saturday. Syndergaard got the blessing of Adenhart’s family to wear the number, which hadn’t been worn by an Angels player since.
“The whole day I had goosebumps, because it was the 13th anniversary of Adenhart being tragically taken away from us,” Syndergaard said. “I felt like an angel was by my side tonight. That was really special to me.”
Verlander pitched five innings of one-run ball, giving up three hits and three walks while escaping several spots of trouble. He struck out seven, including AL MVP Shohei Ohtani thrice.
“It’s a long road, man,” Verlander said. “Lots of nervousness and anxiousness leading up to it. Felt like my debut. Got some things to work on, but coming out of it feeling pretty good.”
Justin VerlanderUSA TODAY Sports
Syndergaard was limited to two one-inning appearances — both late last year — for New York over the past two seasons while working his way back from surgery. He signed a one-year, $21 million deal with Los Angeles and emerged from spring training with a healthy arm and a determination to show he’s back.
“It was fun to play behind (Syndergaard),” Trout said. “He was throwing strikes and trying to get back in the dugout as quick as he can. You saw it tonight. He was out there grinding.”
Verlander had surgery in September 2020 and missed last season while recovering. Now 39, the two-time AL Cy Young winner looked capable of resuming his career at his customary elite level.
“He really knuckled down when he was in trouble,” Houston manager Dusty Baker said. “He competes as well as anybody I’ve seen.”
Verlander struck out Ohtani looking twice with inside pitches that painted the black, although both calls displeased the AL MVP. Verlander celebrated with a subtle fist-pump after he escaped a fifth-inning jam by fanning Ohtani and then retiring Trout on a flyout to strand two Angels.
“I think the stats made me look more comfortable than I am,” Verlander said. “I think we’ll have a lot of fun battles, him and I.”
Verlander said he loved watching Ohtani playing both ways on opening day: “That was one of the most impressive, cool things I’ve seen in a long time. I got chills. … It’s awesome what he’s doing. Just really impressive. I’m a big fan.”
Giancarlo Stanton’s home run was longer, just like DJ LeMahieu’s homer Friday was bigger. Rizzo’s bat might not have even contributed more than his mouth because he said a few calming words — “all the clichés” — to settle debuting reliever Ron Marinaccio, who had thrown five straight balls before the pep talk.
The two-year, $32 million contract Rizzo signed was greeted with a muted cheer. Yankees fans had seen him, so this wasn’t new and shiny. There were bigger holes on the team, namely at shortstop. Rarely does signing a three-time All-Star arrive with such a shrug.
But through all the seemingly larger issues around the team, Rizzo remains — and somewhat quietly is killing the ball.
The Yankees first baseman connected on a Nick Pivetta fastball that got too much of the plate, sending it over the right-field wall in the fourth inning of the Yankees’ 4-2 win over the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.
Anthony Rizzo belts a two-run homer in the fourth inning of the Yankees’ 4-2 win over the Red Sox.Robert Sabo
The homer off the Boston starter tied the game, breathed life into the park and represented the second swat in as many games to begin a season of wonder.
The Yankees valued Rizzo for his defense and his lefty bat that helps balance the lineup. But with a full, 81-home-game season, what kind of numbers can the 32-year-old post with the short, right-field porch?
“Take it one day at a time,” said Rizzo, whose first two hits this season have left the yard. “There’s no thought on [projecting numbers] except today and enjoying today and getting ready for [Sunday].
“We’ve got a chance to sweep the Red Sox at home. It doesn’t matter when it is in this season, it’s a big game [Sunday].”
Last year, upon arriving from the Cubs at the deadline, Rizzo was excellent before testing positive for the coronavirus, which sidetracked his season. This year has begun with plenty of promise.
Rizzo has seen two mistakes and contributed to two victories with early-inning work. The Yankees were down 3-0 in the first Friday before his two-run shot, which allowed for the later heroics.
Aaron Boone thinks Rizzo has been close to even more damage.
“Rizz is in a good spot right now,” the manager said. “[He] has just missed another pitch or two on top of the two homers where he’s had a chance.
“But good to see him I know [be] in a good place with his mechanics and his swing. I know he feels real good.”
There were no ill effects from taking a Nathan Eovaldi fastball to the right hand a day prior. And there was more focus on Stanton, whose homer sent the Yankees over the top, which perhaps was fitting. Rizzo, who had a nice spring training, just keeps hitting.
“Good to see the big boys doing some damage,” Boone said of Stanton and Rizzo.
