New York Yankees vs. Miami Marlins: Domingo Germán vs. Trevor Rogers

The month of July has been an emotionally-taxing month for Yankees fans. A bullpen meltdown in the early morning hours of July 1st caused the Yankees to blow June 30th’s matchup with the Los Angeles Angels. They lost two of three to the Mets. The bullpen, once the team’s rock, blew big leads to the Astros and Red Sox, and in general were plagued by injury, illness, and effectiveness. A COVID-19 outbreak surged through the largely-vaccinated clubhouse right after the All-Star Break. Despite all this, the Yankees currently have a 13-9 record for the month, with the chance to improve that record to 14-9.

To try to make that happen, the Yankees will turn to Domingo Germán (4-5, 4.45 ERA, 4.40 FIP). To say that the 28-year-old right-hander is having an up-and-down season would be an understatement. Over the first two months of the season, Germán was a major reason the Yankees rotation got off to a hot start, for after giving up a run an inning over his first two starts, he gave up only 10 earned runs in 43 innings over his next seven, posting a 2.09 ERA and limiting batters to just a .597 OPS.

From June 1st to July 20th, however, Germán was atrocious to the point of pitching out of the bullpen in the days around the All-Star Break, when the Yankees were able to get away with using only four starting pitchers. And then last time out, he held the Red Sox hitless for seven innings, striking out 10 and walking only one; unfortunately, he earned a no-decision for his troubles, because somebody [glares at Jonathan Loaisiga] couldn’t record a single out in the eighth inning.

Rookie sensation Trevor Rogers (7-6, 2.37 ERA, 2.55 FIP) comes off the 10-day IL today to make the start against the Yankees. just one of many dominant young starters on the Miami Marlins staff, the lefty was nearly unhittable early in the season, giving up only five runs in the month of May. He’s been more hittable of late, with a lot of emphasis on the word more, because he’s still pretty unhittable — since June 1st, he’s posted “just” a 3.09 ERA in 43.2 innings, limiting opposing hitters to just a .568 OPS. His last start came on July 20th, having missed one start due to back spasms.

In something of a rare occurrence, the Yankees will be trotting out the exact same lineup as last night, with the obvious exception of Germán batting ninth instead of yesterday’s starter, Jameson Taillon. To put that in perspective, the Yankees have only repeated their lineup five times all season. The unfortunate side effect of that, however, is that it means DJ LeMahieu and Gio Urshela are still day-to-day, which explains why Kyle Higashioka was practicing among the infielders today.

In more serious news, a few minutes before the game, it was revealed that Marlins manager Don Mattingly has tested positive for COVID-19. According to reports, he is vaccinated but has minor symptoms. We wish him a speedy recovery, and hope he returns to the dugout soon. Remember everybody, vax up, mask up, and stay safe out there!

How to watch

Location: loanDepot Park — Miami, FL

First pitch: 6:10 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES, Bally Sports Florida

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280

Online stream: MLB.tv

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