Off days are always better after a win, so the Bombers are undoubtedly feeling good on this Thursday morning off of yesterday’s 5-1 win. The Yanks sit at 15-10 after a 4-2 road trip to Tampa and Cleveland, 1.5 games ahead of the Red Sox in the East. They’re 7-3 in their last ten and with April drawing to a close, this start is frankly all we could as for considering the injuries they have dealt with. The even better news is 9 of the next 12 are in the Bronx, where they’re 8-4 on the season. So before the home weekend series with the Jays begins, let’s look back at the week that was in “Yankeeland.”

The Good

Rodon Responds: Last week in this series I got on Carlos Rodon for a string of ugly performances, having lost his last three outings. Well, maybe he reads these articles cause the big lefty showed me, with a pair of top notch performances in Tampa and Cleveland. In two starts on the trip, number 55 pitched 13 scoreless innings, with 17 K’s, and just 6 walks. These are the type of performances the Yankees are paying for and expect from Rodon. Now keep it going and thanks for reading big guy!

Good as Gold: Age is just a number folks, Paul Goldschmidt is living baseball proof of it. The 37 year old was signed to be a consummate professional at the dish, and he’s done exactly that so far! The Yankee first baseman is hitting .383, with one homer and nine RBI’s, mostly from the…leadoff spot?! That’s right, Goldy’s found a new role and is thriving in it. Is he going to hit like this all year? No. But he turns in quality at bat after quality at bat, and the Yanks are fortunate to have his presence in the lineup and clubhouse everyday.

The Bad

Dud Torpedoes: There were many Yankees with increased expectations this season, and while some have met them, others are falling well short so far. Look no further than the team’s double play combo, who are off to a miserable start at the plate. While I acknowledge that Jazz and Volpe have hit their share of homers and driven in runs, their at bat quality is beyond bad right now and their stats back that up. Volpe is hitting a paltry .198, though that is ground breaking compared to Chisholm’s .165 mark. Their production is alright and defense is solid, but they can’t both live below the Mendoza line, and nor can they just give away at bats. As it turns out, torpedo bats don’t make much of a difference if you don’t make contact.

Home run Robbery: No, literally, Aaron Judge was robbed of a homer. Not by a player, but by the umpiring crew in Tampa on Sunday. I’ll let the video above do most of the talking here, but all I’ll say is that it is absolutely unacceptable for this to happen to any team in any game. If we can’t get this call right with replay involved, then why have the umps or replay at all. Just a blatantly stupid sequence of events from the finale against the Rays.

Highlight of the Week

The Martian Fires A Laser: Our highlight of the week comes from Jasson Dominguez, who came up with a huge hit last week against the Royals to turn the game on its head. “The Martian” came up with the bases loaded down 2-1, batting from the right side and ripped a three-run double in the left field corner. The bases were cleared, the Yankees had a 4-2 lead, and Dominguez lost his contacts on the follow through of his swing. So far the 22 year old is off to an encouraging start with a .234 average, two homers, 11 RBI’s and solid play in outfield. He should grab some glasses from the Wild Things locker on the way out of the Cleveland…just don’t drink Jobu’s rum though.

On twitter you can find Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon!