The New York Yankees faced off against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first game of a four-game series on Monday evening. With star pitcher Gerrit Cole taking the mound, the Yankees were looking to extend their winning streak to eight games in a row. Luckily, their offense started off strong, as lead-off hitter DJ LeMahieu smashed an opposite-field home run in the first inning.
The Yankees’ victory is only another testament to their dominance, despite the Phillies having a few days off due to COVID-19 concerns. After playing the Miami Marlins last weekend, the Phillies had been quarantining and testing their players to ensure they experienced multiple negative results.
Final result: 6-3 Yankees
Nonetheless, let’s take a look at the good and bad news for the New York Yankees following the victory:
GOOD NEWS:
The good news is that Gerrit Cole continues to impress. He lasted six innings, allowing five hits and just one earned run. While he only struck out four batters, he utilized all of his pitches to get out of trouble and work around the Phillies’ more dangerous batters.
Aside from his impressive performance, giving him his third win of the season, Giovanni Urshela had another amazing outing. Striking out just once, Gio hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning. He is hitting .300 with a .667 slugging percentage. He currently has two 3-run homers and one grand slam on the season. I would be remiss not to mention his defensive qualities and how well he’s looked on the hot corner.
GIOOO BOMB!! Yankees lead 6-1, easy as that. Defensive and offensive WEAPON #NYY pic.twitter.com/v1p14Ui29l
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) August 4, 2020
Urshela didn't get the out but this is just stupid how impressive his reactions are… Absolutely, SNAGS this hopper and throws from his back #NYY pic.twitter.com/nmppaZ1UqG
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) August 4, 2020
Aaron Judge had another stellar night, earning two hits and scoring one run. He is currently hitting .314 with a .886 slugging percentage. He had hit home runs in the previous five games but didn’t manage to take the Phillies to the bleachers, but his impressive stature at the plate remains.
BAD NEWS:
There wasn’t much bad news from the Yankees’ victory over the Phillies, but if we had to pick something, it would be Gary Sanchez at the plate. Over three at-bats, Sanchez struck out twice, as he currently hosts a .080 batting average. It is clear that he has not seen the ball well and has struggled to get anything going offensively.
Hopefully, he can be a bit more patient in the future and take more pitches. He has been striking out on 3–4 pitches and needs to see more of the ball. Once he has a rhythm and is performing at the plate, the Yankees’ lineup will be borderline impossible to contain.