The New York Yankees overcame a tough Philadelphia Phillies team in the second game of the doubleheader Wednesday evening. They walked away with a 3-1 victory in a revised seven-inning game, due to the new doubleheader rules instituted by the league through COVID-19 protocols.
After being defensively torched for 11 runs earlier on in the day, with J.A. Happ allowing four and Nick Nelson allowing six, the Yankees bounced back with a strong performance.
While the usual home run centric approach was at the forefront of their minds, their victory is thanks to Mike Tauchman, who double to right-centerfield and drove in Giancarlo Stanton to take a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning.
Let’s take a look at the good and bad news following the game for the New York Yankees:
GOOD NEWS:
"I thought the first one was too short, and this one was just right." – Aaron Boone, on the seven-inning doubleheader
— Bryan Hoch ?? (@BryanHoch) August 6, 2020
The good news is the Yankees’ pitching held up strong. Jonathan Loaisiga lasted 2.1 innings, allowing three hits and one earned run. Following his departure, Luis Avilan recorded two strikeouts over one inning and Chad Green dominated with two strikeouts over 2.1 innings. While the offense wasn’t electric, they got the job done at the end of the day. Luke Voit had two hits over three at-bats, including a solo home run. Gio Urshela also recorded another two hits to bring his batting average to .333.
However, Tauchman was the hero of the night. His defensive efficiency and stellar performance at the plate have been noticeable. His .357 average and .438 on-base percentage rank him at the top of the list among Yankee players. It is difficult to justify not starting him every day from here on out.
BAD NEWS:
There was a little bad news for the Yankees in their second game against the Phillies. The most disheartening aspect of the night was Gleyber Torres at the plate.
Over three at-bats he logged three strikeouts. He currently has a .147 batting average and has been dealing with a cold streak recently. Of course, we know what Gleyber is capable of when at the top of his game, but he isn’t taking enough pitches and is swinging at balls outside of the zone. He desperately needs to get a few hits and string them together to regain his confidence. Gary Sanchez continued his struggles, striking out twice over two at-bats. He currently hosts a .074 average.