On Sunday, Aaron Judge faced three plate appearances without seeing a pitch from the Toronto Blue Jays, receiving intentional walks three times for the first time in his career. As the New York Yankees prepare for their series against the Los Angeles Angels, they will be watching to see if the Angels choose a similar strategy. The Yankees’ game on Tuesday was postponed due to rain, so they will head into their second doubleheader of the season having won seven of their last eight games after a rough 10-23 stretch. Judge, who recently hit his major-league-leading 40th and 41st home runs, was walked intentionally three times on Sunday in the Yankees’ 4-3 win, secured by DJ LeMahieu’s 10th-inning single. Over his last nine games, Judge is batting .485 with six homers and has drawn 12 walks, including four intentional passes in his last two games.
Juan Soto, who homered on Sunday and is hitting .386 over his past 20 games, expressed frustration at opponents walking Judge, saying he prefers to see Judge challenged. Despite this, Soto acknowledges it’s part of the game and respects the strategy.
The Angels come into their first doubleheader of the season with 12 wins in their past 21 games, including tight victories in their last two against the New York Mets. They managed to secure a 5-4 win on Saturday thanks to Zach Neto’s three-run homer and overcame three errors for a 3-2 win on Sunday. Angels relievers Jose Marte, Mike Baumann, and Roansy Contreras combined for four scoreless innings, while Matt Thaiss and Kevin Pillar contributed with sacrifice flies. Manager Ron Washington praised his relievers’ performance.
The Angels made some roster changes with Anthony Rendon returning from a back injury, Taylor Ward going on the paternity list, and Luis Rengifo undergoing season-ending wrist surgery.
For the doubleheader, Yankees right-hander Luis Gil (11-5, 3.20 ERA), who has recently returned to form, will start the first game. Gil’s performance has improved after struggling earlier in the season. He previously pitched well against the Angels. Davis Daniel (1-2, 4.91 ERA) will start for the Angels, having shown some strong performances recently.
In the nightcap, Yankees rookie Will Warren (0-0, 6.75 ERA) will make his second career start. Warren, who made his MLB debut recently, struggled in his first outing. The Angels will counter with Carson Fulmer (0-2, 3.69 ERA), who had a solid performance in his most recent game. Fulmer’s only previous appearance against the Yankees was a brief relief stint in 2020.
