Yankees’ two-headed monster is making history: ‘Doesn’t matter who’s on the mound’ | Klapisch

“It’s just quality at-bat after at-bat — it doesn’t matter who’s on the mound or what the situation is when (Rice) is up there,” Judge said, before adding, “He’s at the top of the league right now.”

Judge and Rice played a big role in the Yankees’ demolition of the Royals this weekend. Sunday’s 7-0 wipeout completed a three-game sweep during which the Yankees scored 24 runs. It was exactly the kind of breakout Aaron Boone’s lineup needed. The Royals did their part in rolling over.

Any thought that the Royals might’ve had about regaining their self-respect following Saturday’s 13-4 flogging vanished in the first inning. Rice, batting leadoff against left-handed pitcher Cole Ragans, worked a six-pitch walk. That set the stage for Judge, who blasted his ninth home run of the season over the center field wall.

The Royals didn’t know it at the time – or maybe they did, given their AL-worst 7-15 record – but the game was over. The Yankees spent the rest of the chilly afternoon rewarding the ticket buyers who stuck it out through a rainstorm that delayed the first pitch for nearly three hours.

What the fans saw wasn’t just the Judge-Rice tag team (Rice homered in the second inning), but a fine performance from Ryan Weathers. The left-handed pitcher threw 7 1/3 shutout innings in which he struck out eight while generating 14 swings and misses. Weathers is almost certainly headed to the bullpen next month, but give him credit: He’s not letting Will Warren push him off the stage without a fight.

The Yankees will get a day off on Monday before their first sampling of crunch time: 22 games in 23 days, starting with a three-game set in Boston. Here’s a guarantee: None of the opponents on the Yankees’ upcoming fight card will be as soft as the Royals.

That brings the conversation back to the starting point. What’s the best way to maximize the lineup’s few productive cylinders? Obviously, Rice and Judge have to hit back-to-back. But Rice is so dangerous lately – he’s homered in his last four games – he’d be better off protecting Judge instead of the other way around.

Crazy question: Could No. 99 serve atop the Yankees’ order, with Rice batting second? Judge didn’t dismiss it, responding “anywhere” when asked for a preference in the batting order.

“Anywhere in that first one through nine,” he said. “It really doesn’t matter.”

There’s sound logic for a top-of-the-order flip-flop. Except for his nine home runs, Judge hasn’t been himself this month. His .223 average is almost 70 points below his career average. It’s also 115 points lower than Rice’s.

There’s no doubt Judge’s numbers will rise. But what’s wrong with getting a little help from Rice in the No. 2 spot? After all, Judge has done his best work at the top of the lineup. His .352 career average (45-for-128) includes 13 home runs and a 1.177 OPS. And it’s not like anyone else in pinstripes is tearing it up.

As a team, the Yankees are batting .160 at the top of the lineup, ranking 28th in MLB. The idea is to create as much instant offense as possible, especially while the Yankees are dealing with several black holes. Giancarlo Stanton, Jazz Chisholm, Ryan McMahon and Austin Wells are all underproducing, which puts significant pressure on an overachiever like Rice.

But the responsibility hardly seems to bother Rice, who is an exit-velocity monster. One member of the organization said of Rice, “He’s smart but not the point of being an over-thinker.”

“He’s always going to be hitting homers,” Rice said about Judge. “So to be able to hit some along with him is cool for me.”

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