The New York Yankees are heading into a doubleheader on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies. Last week, the series against Philly was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns. Philadelphia had previously played the Miami Marlins on Opening Day weekend, and after Miami was diagnosed with multiple positive test, the Phillies were forced to quarantine and ensure they were not a risk to other teams.
With that, the Yankees had to postpone their games and traveled to Baltimore instead. Luckily, they came away with a sweep against the Orioles and followed that up with another sweep of the Boston Red Sox. The Yanks won the first game against the Phillies in the Bronx on Monday evening, but due to inclement weather, the game on Tuesday was canceled.
Here are three storylines to follow for the New York Yankees heading into Wednesday’s doubleheader:
1.) Can Gary Sanchez get going at the plate?
While the Yankees have dominated at the plate, catcher Gary Sanchez has struggled to get going. He currently has two hits over 25 at-bats, earning a measly .080 batting average with a .120 slugging percentage.
After earning an All-Star selection in 2019, Sanchez changed up his defensive mechanics significantly. Former Twins catching instructor Tanner Swanson has helped Gary develop a one-knee stance, which has subsequently helped his framing behind the plate.
While Sanchez has complemented new ace Gerrit Cole nicely, he tends to go through lengthy cold-streaks at the plate. However, when he is on, he’s one of the biggest home-run threats in the game. Nonetheless, the Bombers have managed to play well despite his deficiencies. They will have to wait out his cold streak or switch to alternative catcher, Kyle Higashioka.