The New York Yankees embark on a nine-game road trip Friday after a successful 5-1 homestand, bringing their home record to 18-9. The Yankees (30-19) will face the Colorado Rockies (8-41), the Los Angeles Angels (23-25) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (31-19).
While they’re 12-10 on the road, New York has won 11 of its last 14 and found its groove entering summer. Here are three keys to the Yankees’ continued success as they travel West for the second time this month.
Take advantage of Coors Field
Coors Field has a reputation for being the most hitter-friendly ballpark in the league, according to Baseball Savant. The Yankees are among the league leaders in most offensive categories, including 82 home runs, tops in the American League.
Multiple Yankees have been hitting the ball well as of late. Center fielder Cody Bellinger has batted .361 in his last 15 games. Left fielder Jasson Domínguez crushed his first career walk-off home run on Wednesday, while right fielder Aaron Judge has maintained a sub-.400 batting average (.396).
On the other hand, New York has also had multiple hitters struggling recently. Outfielder Trent Grisham started the year hot but has only hit .136 over his last seven games, while shortstop Anthony Volpe has batted .231.
If there’s any ballpark that can supply a jolt, it’s Coors Field. Utilizing that mile-high elevation may help some slumping Yanks.
Don’t play down to weak opponents
The Rockies have the worst record in baseball. While the Angels have a better record, they still rank in the bottom third of the league.
When playing the bottom-ranked team over the past few years, the Yankees have lost at least one game of the series where the offense seemingly vanished.
In August 2024, New York lost to the historically bad Chicago White Sox 12-2. In June 2023, they lost to the 21-60 Oakland Athletics 2-1. Then, in August 2022, the Yankees dropped two games against the A’s by scores of 3-2 and 4-1.
When facing inferior opponents, the Yankees must prevent what plagued them in previous seasons. If they can do that, New York should begin their World Series rematch against the Dodgers on the right foot.
Starting pitching remains dominant
The last time a Yankees starter was handed a loss was Will Warren on May 4 vs. the Tampa Bay Rays. In those 15 games, New York starters have thrown 87.2 innings, allowed 22 runs and struck out 100 batters.
Max Fried leads the league in ERA (1.29), while Carlos Rodon has worked his ERA down to 2.88. Warren has 26 strikeouts in his last three outings and has only allowed three runs. Initially used as an opener, Reliever Ryan Yarbrough has provided much-needed length for New York, tossing 14 innings of four-run ball over his past three starts.
Yankees starters have been dominant, shutting down some of the league’s top offenses in the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners. New York hopes this can continue on their West Coast trip.
