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Ever wonder how a sportswriter can end up with 50 pairs of new underwear and two overstuffed suitcases on a short scheduled reporting trip?

I traveled to San Diego in September 2001 to interview and write about Tony Gwynn’s Hall of Fame career coming to an end weeks later.

It was early Tuesday morning, Sept., 11, when the phone rang in my hotel room at the Mission Valley Marriott near Qualcomm Stadium. I groggily reached for the phone, answered, and it was a friend from Atlanta.

“Did you hear what happened in New York?" she breathlessly said. “A plane just crashed into the World Trade Center."

OK, I figured someone accidentally crashed their private plane, thanked her for the call, and went back to sleep.

The phone rang 15 minutes later.

A second plane crashed, into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

This time, I stayed awake, glued to the TV set like the rest of America.

Commissioner Bud Selig postponed all 15 games that day, extended the postponements until Friday, and then again for three more days until Sept. 17. It was the longest regular-season stoppage, outside of a players’ strike, since World War I shortened the final month of the 1918 season.

Sitting in my hotel room that morning, unable to take my eyes off the TV, I was contemplating what to do next when the phone rang.

It was Gwynn.

He knew I had traveled into town to do a cover story on him for “Baseball Weekly” and we were set to talk at the ballpark.

He asked how I was doing, if I needed anything, and whether I still wanted to do the story.

I assured him I still did, so he invited me to come by his house in suburban Poway, and we’d have lunch.

I pulled up in my rental car the next day, and Gwynn greeted me at the door with blue shorts, a gray shirt, and an orange cap. He plopped down on the recliner in his living room. And we talked.

And talked. And talked. And talked.

We talked for hours. There was no better interview in baseball than Gwynn. There may never have been a better person, either. He was an absolute joy to cover. If you wanted to talk about baseball, Gwynn was there to talk as long as you desired.

You could be a pimple-faced kid from a local high school, or a grizzled veteran from “60 Minutes,’’ and Gwynn would treat each reporter with identical respect. It didn’t matter how big your newspaper’s circulation was, or whether you were local or national, Gwynn would provide the same access.

He was everyone’s favorite.

This day, with the living room TV showing the heartbreaking devastation in New York, Gwynn had all the time in the world.

“It’s just unbelievable what happened,” Gwynn was saying. “You see it over and over, and still can’t believe it. Life as we knew it before, is over. Life is going to change. And now that it’s going to change, you want to be in a little more control in your life."

On this edition of the Pirates Prospect Update series, we take a look at catcher Axiel Plaz, who has been enjoying a nice season with the Greensboro Grasshoppers.

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Plaz as an international free-agent in the winter of 2022, and since then the Dominican catcher has risen the ranks to being one of the best prospects in Pittsburgh’s system. In his first season of professional baseball he was named to the All-Star team for the Dominican Summer League after hitting .382 with a 1.206 OPS.

What has plagued Plaz has been inconsistent play due to injuries. 2024 saw the 21-year-old catcher limited to just 84 games after suffering numerous injuries. Then in 2025 Plaz was out of action with a broken finger and only appeared 66 games as a result.

The proof is in the pudding when Plaz is healthy however, as he continues to emerge as a strong player at the plate. During his time in Bradenton he ranked near the top in categories like exit velocity, barrel and hard hit percentages. His power continues to develop, but he is capable of hitting to all fields and has changed his approach at the plate which has resulted in far less swing and miss strikeouts.

Now in 2026, Plaz has played the most games to this point in his professional career, currently at 94 with Greensboro. At the plate this year Plaza has knocked in 18 home runs along with 74 RBIs. This season he’s slashing .305/.389/.513 with a .902 OPS. He was also just awardSouth Atlantic League Player of the Week honors.

Plaz has an overall prospect rating of 50, with his defense needing some work if he wants to be a big league catcher one day. His arm is plenty strong, and he’s proven that he’s capable of making hard throws from behind the plate. His defense is subpar though as his receiving has lacked consistency. That being said the Pirates are seemingly still looking for their catcher of the future so there’s ample opportunity for Plaz to move up the ranks and continue to improve in the minor leagues.

Axiel Plaz is the seventh ranked prospect in the Pirates’ system.

ESPN | Associated Press: The Yankees recalled Anthony Volpe Thursday in a corresponding move as Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit the IL. The promotion was anticipated after Chisholm left Tuesday’s game with what was later diagnosed as a sprained right thumb. After he was displaced from his starting job at shortstop, Volpe went on a heater at Triple-A and was recently named the International League’s Player of the Week after going 11-for-21 with three homers from September 1-6 while bouncing between shortstop, second, and third. He projects to split time with José Caballero at the keystone in the absence of Chisholm, who has said he expects to return on September 22. Volpe’s return couldn’t have gone better, the newly minted second baseman going 3-for-4 with a grand slam on his first day back.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: ($) Will Warren’s start on Wednesday, in which he allowed one run across six innings of work, may strengthen his case for a playoff role. The right-hander, who has a 2.22 ERA over his last five outings, ranks behind some of his more experienced rotation mates but could end up a valuable bullpen piece in October. “He can serve a lot of roles potentially,” said his manager, Aaron Boone. “He’s been incredibly durable, but he’s got weapons, and I do like the tick up in his stuff, which seems to be there the last three, four times out.” As Boone alluded to, Wednesday’s start was Warren’s third straight in which his velocity increased.

NJ.com | Bob Klapisch: David Bednar got a ringing endorsement from an authoritative source on Tuesday. No less than Mariano Rivera praised the Yankees closer while watching him pitch, saying “David reminds me of myself. The thing I love about David is that he goes after hitters, which is what I always tried to do. He doesn’t mess around. And he has the ability to put things behind him – good or bad – and move forward.” When informed of the Hall of Famer’s compliment, Bednar was reportedly moved. “Wow, that’s really great to hear,” he said. “Coming from someone like Mariano, that’s amazing.”

Hudson Valley Renegades | Joe Vasile: Luis Serna just wrapped up an exemplary season for the High-A Hudson Valley Renegades. The 22-year-old, ranked as the Yankees’ 18th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline, led the South Atlantic League in several pitching categories, including ERA (4.32), strikeouts (140), opponent’s average (.224), and WHIP (1.19). (An important caveat — only four pitchers in the league threw enough innings to qualify for the rate stats.) The 140 punchouts also set a Renegades record, surpassing the 138 Drew Thorpe recorded in 2023. “He had a career season for himself without a question,” said Renegades pitching coach Ryan Mossman. “He was throwing more strikes with his fastball and improved his slider quite a bit. [Some changes to his arsenal] made him able to better gameplan for lineups and go out there and execute and dominate the way he did this year.”

The worst team in baseball made Max Fried work for almost every out. 

The Yankees star pitcher was effective — allowing one run and one hit with seven strikeouts in a 10-3 win over the Rockies on Thursday — but inefficient in his third start back from the injured list, lasting just 3 ⅓ innings after throwing just 48 of his 80 pitches for strikes. 

“They saw a lot of pitches, they were having some good at-bats and not chasing,” Fried said. “I felt like I was getting ahead, then throwing some non-competitive pitches. … It was just a weird outing where I was executing in certain counts, but I also had a lot of bad misses that caused a lot of deep counts. Going 80 pitches and not getting through four [innings] is not ideal. I didn’t want to put the bullpen in that position, but they did a great job picking me up.” 

Since returning from a bone bruise in his left elbow for the second time this season, Fried has given up one run in each of his three outings (12 ⅔ total innings). Thursday’s lone run allowed came on a 431-foot home run by Colorado’s Kyle Karros that hit the second deck in left field. 

Fried, who threw 63 pitches in his first start back and 72 in his previous outing, had moments when he looked like this season’s early Cy Young candidate, striking out four consecutive batters. He also displayed the rust of a starter who has thrown less than 38 innings since mid-July, walking the leadoff hitter in his final two innings. 

Fried (4-4, 2.73 ERA) has gone 11 straight starts without picking up a win — most recently earning one April 27 — after going 19-5 last season, though he has allowed fewer than two runs in five consecutive outings. 

“I’m feeling good, liking the progress so far, hitting my marks,” Fried said. “I felt like I could’ve definitely stayed in that game and kept going … I’m just gonna keep building.” 

Soon, the Yankees will need much more from the owner of the largest contract ever given to a left-handed pitcher. 

Fried has no doubt he will deliver. 

“We’re looking forward to having me being completely built up for the end of the season and the playoffs,” Fried said. “They’ve had a plan. As much as I would love to fast-forward the plan and just say, ‘Let’s throw it all out the window,’ they’ve got a lot of really smart people here who work really hard to try to make sure I’m gonna be healthy for when it matters most.”

Jazz Chisholm Jr. expects to be back on the field before the playoffs begin. 

Chisholm — who sprained his right thumb after diving into second base Tuesday — is sporting a brace on his hand and will be shut down from baseball activities for 7-10 days, but the Yankees second baseman doesn’t believe his absence will last much longer because he is “confident in [his] healing abilities.” 

“It’s not that bad, I don’t think,” Chisholm said before Thursday’s 10-3 win over the Rockies. “I think we should be good in 10 days or so.” 

Chisholm has reason for optimism. Last season, he missed less than five weeks with an oblique injury after being given a return timeline of 4-6 weeks. 

In 2024, the recently acquired Yankee returned from a sprained left elbow in less than two weeks. 

“He does have a history of being a fast healer,” manager Aaron Boone said. “There’s truth to that. If you look at his injury history, he’s kind of beaten the timeline every time. But we’ll listen to the thumb, listen to his body and see how he recovers.” 

After hurting his thumb this week, Chisholm said he was unaware of the severity of the injury. Only after he returned to the field and bounced a throw to first base did he realize he needed to be removed. 

“When it first happened, it just went completely numb,” said Chisholm, who was replaced by Anthony Volpe on the active roster. “I didn’t have any feeling in it. That’s how come I didn’t know how bad it was until I tried to throw the baseball and couldn’t feel the ball.” 

Before being placed on the 10-day injured list, Chisholm finally appeared to be breaking out of his season-long slump. 

The two-time All-Star — who opened the season by setting the goal of becoming the second 50-50 player in history — has posted a career-worst .232 batting average and .715 OPS this season, with 19 home runs and 40 stolen bases. But over his past 29 games, the 28-year-old is hitting .295 with an .832 OPS. 

Following this weekend’s Subway Series, the Yankees travel to Minnesota and Arizona, then return for a season-ending, seven-game homestand, beginning exactly two weeks after the injury occurred. 

Chisholm anticipates being back by then, giving himself the opportunity to shed any rust before the only month that matters. 

“It’s frustrating, but right now the goal is to win a World Series,” Chisholm said. “Right now, all I’m thinking about is getting healthy and being back ready for October, honestly.”

The Yankees' series finale against the Rockies offered plenty of buzz thanks to the return of Anthony Volpe.

Recalled to take over for the injured Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second base, the 25-year-old was in the Yankees' starting lineup, and he delivered. 

Volpe went 3-for-4 in his first game with the Yankees since Aug. 1, but drove in a career-high five RBI, punctuated by a grand slam that put the game away for good. 

"Great results but good at-bats," manager Aaron Boone said after the 10-3 win. "Excited for him, he hasn’t done anything but continue to work and grind and got his way back here. And obviously had an impact on this game."

Once the organization's top prospect and groomed to be the shortstop of the future, inconsistencies on both sides of the ball led to Volpe's demotion in early August. Volpe used his time in Triple-A to learn some new positions and to tweak his swing. 

And while Volpe's defense at second was competent enough for the Yankees to start him there at the big league level, the offensive improvements shown in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre were eye-opening. 

When Volpe was demoted, he was hitting .240 with one home run and 19 RBI across 56 games with the Yanks. In 28 games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, his offensive production exploded. He started with a .205 average and by the time his time with Triple-A was up, he was batting .264 with 10 home runs.

Volpe credited the culture the most for his offensive improvements.

“[Coach Shelley Duncan] down there is amazing. He takes in everyone," Volpe explained after the game. "I wasn’t alone when I was there. It was me, [Jasson Dominguez], and [Max] Schuemann. And the guys there... [Oswaldo] Cabrera, I feel like I got so close to him, but to see his positivity and how he’s enjoying playing and having fun, if you don’t do that down there, you’ll stick out like a sore thumb."

ANTHONY VOLPE PUTS AN EXCLAMATION POINT ON HIS RETURN WITH A GRAND SLAM! pic.twitter.com/Dk67cQVALE

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 11, 2026

"You root for games like that, especially with how hard he’s been working and everything he’s been doing in Triple-A," Max Fried said of Volpe. "Coming up, new position for the first time up here and made an immediate impact…great teammate, works hard and really couldn’t be happier for him." 

Volpe called the last 24 hours an "unexpected whirlwind" and admitted that he wasn't sure that he'd even be back with the Yankees after two-plus seasons of sub-par play.

"Felt like I had an opportunity and it’s weird the way it happened. You don’t want someone to get hurt, but nothing’s guaranteed," Volpe said. "I thought I’d never be back up here, so trying to make the most of it.

"I wanted to be back up here, helping and contributing. When you’re down there, there’s no guarantees. You work really hard for yourself and for the player you feel can help the organization. Can’t control it, so I never thought I was going to be back here in this moment, but I wanted to be ready and prepared in case something happens."

What Volpe wasn't prepared for was the reaction from the Yankee Stadium crowd. From the moment he was introduced in the starting lineup, the Yankees fans -- who many booed and shunned him -- welcomed Volpe back. And when he hit the grand slam, the fans chanted his name and Volpe responded with a curtain call.

After the game, Volpe couldn't even describe the moment, saying he "blacked out" but appreciated the fans and said he'll remember it for a long time. But the young infielder understands that to re-establish himself, there's more that needs to be done.

"That’s why this is a special place, for sure," he said. "You wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world, but still a lot of work to do."

Anthony Volpe says he wouldn't trade having the Yankee Stadium crowd chant his name for the world pic.twitter.com/0oLB1uQlZh

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 11, 2026

Departing Houston with a series win had the Diamondbacks ahead of the Padres by a half of a game yet again with them hoping to add to that lead with a series against the Kansas City Royals on deck. As mentioned in the last episode, the Royals offense is one of the weaker parts of their roster but they make up for that lack of offense with solid starting pitching as Michael Wacha and Noah Cameron, who have been really sharp over their last month or so, would be a tough matchup for a Diamondbacks offense that has failed to do much against starting pitching over their last few series.

Labor Day Rollercoaster

The Diamondbacks offense must have been jealous of the national holiday and decided they wanted their own time off the clock as they would be blanked for the first 9 innings of the game with Noah Cameron, who was the American League Pitcher of the Month for August, continuing where he left off the prior month. Most of the time being blanked for 9 innings would result in a loss, but thanks to the D’Backs and their bullpen going toe to toe with Noah Cameron and the Royals bullpen we would get to see some extra innings excitement yet again.

After both teams decided being held scoreless was for suckers and putting up 9 combined runs, the rollercoaster of a ride that was the 10th would end with Dennis Santana walking the high wire and recording his first save as a Snake and stranding the royals tying run in scoring position. Normally a 5-0 lead would be more than enough for the Diamondbacks bullpen to get the job done, but unfortunately Gerardo Carrillo’s continuous struggles since being recalled from Triple A Reno had both Brandon and I wondering if this was Carrillo struggling mechanically or if opposing teams have finally had enough film to study and figure out how to attack.

I Fell Down Into A Burnes-ing Ring Of Fire

The main headline for Tuesday night’s game in Kansas City would be the return of Diamondbacks $210 Million dollar ace in Corbin Burnes. It was no secret that Burnes would be very limited in his first outing on a Major League mound in over 450+ days, a few lengthy at-bats from Royal hitters had Burnes only able to get through 3 innings and just under his 60 pitch limit. Most pitchers who return from Tommy John surgery take time to find their form again, and that was no difference for Corbin as he would top out at 94 MPH and struggle with his command of his arsenal (especially his curveball).

Brandon and I both agreed that we didn’t expect or want Corbin to go out there and go full throttle and pitch at 100% effort, and that while we would hope that his next outing can be a bit longer with some more efficient and clean innings, we are just happy to have him back at a time when the Diamondbacks can use as much starting pitching as they can get their hands on.

Zac Is Back (Threat)

Wednesday’s series finale would see the return of not 1 but 2 more starting pitchers from the IL as both Zac Gallen and Michael Soroka would be back on the mound in the same game. As I said previously the Diamondbacks would be looking for any starting pitching help they could get their hands on, but I’m not sure Zac Gallen would really be any more help than what the Snakes were getting from youngsters Mitch Bratt and Kohl Drake. Gallen has struggled the last few years with the long ball and a subway $5 foot long meatball sub to Carter Jensen would see that issue also return from the IL. Soroka also served up his own $5 foot long meatball sub to Bobby Witt Jr that would be the difference maker in the D’Backs 5-2 loss, but Soroka is being paid nearly 1/3rd of what Gallen is earning while having an ERA that is nearly half of Zac’s 6.22 so he has earned a little more leniency.

Brandon and I discussed if it’s really worth it to let Zac Gallen continue to go out there and struggle start after start. With only 15 games left in the regular season the Diamondbacks can’t really afford to have a borderline auto-loss every 5th day as they fight for a spot in October. We both agreed that it would be a different conversation if the offense wasn’t struggling as much as it has been as of late, but with the bats already having a hard time giving their good starters in Rodriguez and Pfaadt any kind of run support it doesn’t seem like a smart plan if the Diamondbacks actually want to win enough games to make it into October.

Hook, Line and Ranger

The Diamondbacks kick off the last homestand of 2026 with a rematch of the 2023 fall classic as they would welcome in the second place Texas Rangers for a 3 game set. While this isn’t the same Rangers roster we saw back in 2023, they are a deeper and more dangerous one than what we just saw in Kansas City as the first 6 hitters in their order all have an OPS of .700+. Thankfully for Snakes fans the 2 best starters on the team in Eduardo Rodriguez should be getting the ball in 2 of the 3 games so if there was any hope in limiting the Rangers firepower and getting a series win or even a series sweep, then those 2 will hopefully have a big part of that potential success.

We’ll start with South Bend tonight.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were hijacked by the Quad Cities River Bandits (Royals), 3-1. The River Bandits win the best-of-three Division Series 2 games to 0 and advance to the Midwest League Championship Series. South Bend season ends now.

Nazier Mulé started and took the loss, although he pitched well. Mulé allowed one run on two hits over three innings. The one run scored on a pop fly that landed just fair down the line in left in the second inning for a double. Mulé walked two, hit one batter and struck out three.

South Bend’s bad luck continued in the sixth inning when reliever Cole Reynolds gave up another RBI double on a soft pop up that landed near the line just beyond first base.

South Bend could not do much against Quad Cities starter and the Royals’ top prospect Kendry Chourio. He held South Bend without a hit through four innings and while he did give up a pair of singles in the fifth, the Quad Cities bullpen bailed him out.

The only South Bend run came in the seventh inning when center fielder Caden Sorrel, playing in his first game in High-A, singled home second baseman Reginald Preciado. Both Sorrell and Preciado were 2 for 4.

Reliever Anhuar Garcia hit a batter with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth to give the River Bandits their two run lead back. South Bend went quietly in the eighth and ninth to end the season.

It was a disappointing loss for South Bend, who had one of their best seasons in memory. But that happens in baseball.

Here’s Sorrell’s RBI single. His first hit looked a lot like this one too.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were stuck in the mud against the Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers), 9-1.

Connor Noland started and took the loss. Noland gave up three runs on four hits over four innings. One of those hits was a two-run home run. Noland struck out three and walked one.

Justin Steele came on to pitch the fifth inning in a rehab assignment. His first inning went poorly as he allowed two runs on three hits. He was better in the sixth inning as Steele hit a batter, but that runner was thrown out trying to steal. He then gave up another hit before recording a strikeout to end the inning without any more damage.

The final line on Steele was two runs on four hits over two innings. He struck out three and walked no one while hitting that one batter.

You can take this as you wish.

I agree that center fielder Justin Dean misjudged that fly ball into a triple.

Shelby Miller threw the seventh inning and did well. He allowed a leadoff bunt single, but that runner was thrown out trying to steal and he retired the other two batters, striking out one.

But Jaxon Wiggins struggled in relief, allowing four runs on four hits in just two-thirds of an inning in the eighth. He also walked two while striking out no one.

The only Iowa run came on an RBI groundout in the fourth inning by right fielder Kevin Alcántara. Alcántara went 1 for 4.

Left fielder Chas McCormick was 1 for 3 with a double and a walk.

Iowa only had four hits tonight.

Omaha was 1 for 3 trying to steal off of Owen Ayers.

Steele’s second strikeout.

Steele’s three strikeouts [VIDEO]

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies overthrew the Birmingham Barons (White Sox), 4-1.

Brody McCullough was strong tonight as he got the win after giving up five scoreless innings. McCullough allowed three hits. He walked three and struck out seven.

Jackson Brockett then gave the Smokies three more scoreless innings, giving up just one hit and walking just one. He struck out four.

DH Alex Ramírez was the hero tonight, going 3 for 4 with a walk and two RBI.

Second baseman Alex Madera went 2 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored.

Knoxville banged out ten hits tonight, but all of them were singles.

The Rockies hung around for most of Thursday night at Yankee Stadium.

Then the seventh inning happened.

Colorado had just pulled within two runs when the Yankees answered with six in the bottom half, capped by Anthony Volpe’s grand slam, and turned a quiet, almost competitive game into a 10-3 rout.

The loss completed a three-game sweep and dropped the Rockies to 55-91, while New York improved to 84–62. John Schreiber earned the win for the Yankees, while Ryan Feltner fell to 5-10.

For much of the night, though, the final score did not match the feel of the game. The Yankees grabbed an early lead, but Feltner settled in, Colorado kept finding small openings and New York never quite put the game away.

Until they did.

Feltner digs a hole, then settles in

Feltner’s first two innings looked like they might lead to another short night.

Ben Rice opened the first with a single and advanced on a wild pitch before Luis García Jr. crushed a two-out changeup for his 30th home run of the season.

There were flashes of good stuff mixed into the trouble. Feltner struck out Cody Bellinger on a well-sequenced first-inning plate appearance, leaning on his changeup to finish him on a foul tip.

The command, particularly with the fastball, was much less consistent.

That carried into the second. Ryan McMahon singled, Austin Wells walked and recently recalled Anthony Volpe flicked an inside fastball into left field to score McMahon. Rice followed with a groundout that advanced both runners, and Bellinger’s sacrifice fly stretched the lead to 4-1.

Feltner needed 46 pitches to get through the first two innings.

Then, almost abruptly, he settled in.

He worked a nine-pitch, 1-2-3 third and followed with another clean inning in the fourth. After Volpe’s RBI single in the second, Feltner retired 10 consecutive Yankees before Bellinger finally broke the streak with a double in the fifth.

Even that nearly became an out.

Bellinger lifted a towering drive to right, where Jordan Beck tracked it all the way to the wall and leapt with his glove over the fence. Beck caught the ball, but his collision with the wall knocked it loose and back onto the field. Instead of a home run, Bellinger settled for a double.

Feltner made the play matter. He struck out Jasson Domínguez and got García to pop out in foul territory, ending his night by retiring 12 of the final 13 hitters he faced.

His final line — 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K — looks fairly pedestrian, but the outing had two very different halves.

Feltner’s four-seam fastball averaged 93.9 mph, about a tick below his season average, and the Yankees hit it hard when they put it in play. He also struggled to consistently locate it.

The secondaries gave him a way through it.

Feltner used his changeup 18% of the time, exactly in line with his season usage, and generated three whiffs on nine swings. The slider was arguably his best pitch, generating three whiffs on seven swings while avoiding hard contact.

He did not suddenly become dominant after the second inning. The Yankees continued to hit some balls hard, including a 109.7 mph flyout from Spencer Jones in the third.

What changed was Feltner’s efficiency.

His pitch counts by inning went 25, 21, 9, 17 and 11. Once he stopped fighting the zone, he let the defense work and gave the Rockies five innings after an opening that looked headed somewhere much worse.

The Rockies make Fried work, but little else

Max Fried was much better, although Colorado did make him work for it.

Connor Norby battled through a nine-pitch plate appearance in the first and appeared to earn a walk before Wells challenged the pitch. ABS overturned the call, turning ball four into strike three. Hunter Goodman then chased a curveball well below the zone to end the inning.

That curveball was good all night.

Fried threw it 19% of the time, above his season rate, and generated four whiffs on five swings. He also leaned heavily on his cutter while largely shelving the four-seam fastball.

Kyle Karros did punish one of those four-seamers in the second, crushing it for his 11th home run of the season and Colorado’s first hit of the game.

The Rockies otherwise did most of their damage to Fried’s pitch count rather than the scoreboard.

Beck walked to lead off the third and reached third when Norby got aboard on McMahon’s throwing error, but Goodman grounded into a forceout to end the threat. TJ Rumfield worked a seven-pitch walk to start the fourth, and Cole Carrigg extended his at-bat before Fried buried a curveball in the dirt for the strikeout.

Aaron Boone had already visited the mound. After Carrigg struck out, he went to the bullpen.

Fried finished with 3.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB and 7 K, but needed 80 pitches to get there.

It was a peculiar sort of success for Colorado. They made an excellent pitcher labor.

They just did not score.

Colorado finally finds a spark

That problem followed the Rockies into the Yankees bullpen.

Carrigg doubled with two outs in the sixth, but another successful Yankees ABS challenge turned an apparent ball four to Karros into strike three and ended the inning.

Colorado finally broke through again in the seventh.

Adael Amador worked a seven-pitch at-bat before grounding out, then Beck lined a 98.9 mph drive to center that Jones chased down with a sliding catch.

Tovar kept the inning alive with a two-out walk.

Boone went to Brent Headrick, and McCarthy jumped the first pitch he saw, driving it off the wall in right-center. Tovar scored from first and McCarthy raced into third with his ninth triple of the season.

Suddenly, it was 4-2.

Norby followed with a six-pitch walk, bringing Goodman to the plate with two on and the tying run involved.

Goodman managed only a weak fly to left.

It was another opening.

And another missed opportunity.

The seventh finally breaks it open

Zach Agnos had already escaped trouble in the sixth.

Jones singled, Wells walked and Volpe reached on a hard one-hopper that Tovar did well simply to knock down. The bases were loaded, but Carrigg tracked Rice’s deep fly to the warning track to end the inning.

Agnos came back out for the seventh, and the traffic finally caught up with him.

Bellinger doubled to open the inning. Domínguez walked. The two then executed a double steal, putting both runners in scoring position with nobody out.

García grounded to Rumfield at first and both runners held, giving Agnos a chance to escape.

Jones erased it with his third hit of the night, lining a single up the middle to score both runners. Carrigg came up firing from center, but his throw sailed over Goodman and reached the backstop as Jones advanced to second.

The Yankees led 6-2.

Agnos got Lombard to pop out, then walked McMahon.

Warren Schaeffer had seen enough.

Jimmy Herget entered and immediately walked Wells to load the bases.

Then Volpe ended the suspense.

The Yankees’ No. 9 hitter got a 1-1 sinker and drove it to right field for a grand slam, turning a game that had spent most of the night hovering within reach into a 10-2 blowout. Volpe finished with five RBI.

Agnos’ pitch data showed just how dangerous his two innings had been. Seven of the eight balls put in play against him were hard-hit, with an average exit velocity of 98.1 mph. He survived the sixth, but couldn’t escape the seventh.

The offense leaves too much behind

Colorado did scratch across one more run in the eighth.

Zac Veen pinch-hit for Carrigg and worked a seven-pitch walk after falling behind 0-2 against Luis Gil, laying off several upper-90s fastballs in the process. Amador followed with a single that was deflected in right, allowing Veen to score and Amador to advance on the error.

The ninth inning offered one final, almost painfully tidy summary of Colorado’s night.

Tovar singled. McCarthy singled. Vimael Machín, pinch-hitting for Norby, singled in his Rockies debut.

Then Goodman flew out too shallow to score Tovar.

Rumfield did the same.

And Veen struck out.

Game over.

Final thoughts

The Rockies finished 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base.

Over the three-game sweep, Colorado struck out 36 times, went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranded 19.

They had chances. They just did almost nothing with them.

There were still a few small positives. Veen showed good discipline against premium velocity, Machín picked up a hit in his Rockies debut, and Amador continued to look more comfortable in his latest opportunity. The sample remains small, but his at-bats increasingly look like those of a hitter who belongs.

Up next

The Rockies open a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers tomorrow night at Comerica Park, with first pitch scheduled for 4:40 p.m. MDT.

Mason Adams (0–0, 3.95 ERA, 17 K) will make his third career start for Colorado. Detroit will counter with veteran left-hander Framber Valdez (9–10, 4.17 ERA, 119 K).

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