The New York Yankees picked up their second consecutive win against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday by a score of 5–3. Despite the Bombers failing to put together an offensive master-class, they did just enough to get over the hump against a testy Detroit team.
The starting pitching was a bit inconsistent but got the job done, and the bullpen pieced together three scoreless innings to finish the game successfully. However, there were some notable takeaways from the win.
Good news:
Once again, Luis Severino put together a solid performance in the cold against Detroit. Severino lasted 5.0 innings but gave up seven hits and two walks. Surprisingly, the veteran starter allowed just one earned run, lowering his ERA to 2.08 on the season.
Impressively, he reached 88 pitches, showcasing solid progression with his pitch count. If Severino is truly back to his old self, the Yankees should be extremely excited moving forward.
Over 13 innings pitched this season, Severino has allowed 14 hits and just three runs, including one homer, striking out 14 batters. Overall, he’s striking out more than one batter per inning on average, which is a solid metric, displaying efficiency. Another exciting stat for Severino is his velocity, touching triple digits with his fastball and averaging out at above 97 mph against Detroit.
The bullpen also played admirably, aside from Chad Green, who gave up two earned runs in just one inning of play in relief of Severino. However, Jonathan Loáisiga, Clay Holmes, and Aroldis Chapman did a great job stifling Detroit’s offense, striking out three batters and allowing one hit over the last three innings of the game.
Offensively, Anthony Rizzo put together a fantastic performance, recording two hits and two RBIs, including a solo homer in the 6th inning. Shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa has also picked up his efficiency, elevating his batting average to. 286, posting two hits and a run against the Tigers. In his past two performances, Falefa has recorded four hits, two runs, one RBI, and a walk. It is extremely exciting to see Isiah take a big step forward with his efficiency, providing much-needed support at the back end of the lineup.
Bad news:
There’s always a bit of bad news with the Yankees offensively, notably regarding strikeouts. Giancarlo Stanton struck out three times in the win. Manager Aaron Boone completely sat Joey Gallo for the second time in three games. The big slugger has even indicated himself that he doesn’t deserve to be in the starting lineup, making an appearance in the 9th inning as defensive support for Stanton.
“I’m not playing well enough to be in the starting lineup every day,” Gallo said.
Gallo currently hosts a 38.5% strikeout rate this season and has failed to record an RBI. If he continues to struggle offensively, the Bombers will have to continue supplementing him in the lineup, which is not something management anticipated going into the season.