New York Yankees: Good news and bad news following loss to Phillies

New York Yankees, Jordan Montgomery
Apr 21, 2018; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery (47) pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees fell to the Philadelphia Phillies in the final game of a four-game series on Thursday evening. With the final score of 5–4, the Yankees split the series, winning two games.

With the third loss of the season, the Yankees currently sit at 9-3. That is still a stellar start to the 2020 campaign, and the Yankees head to Tampa to face off against the Rays over the weekend.

Let’s take a look at the good and bad news following a loss for the New York Yankees:

GOOD NEWS:

The good news is more individual-based, as left fielder Brett Gardner had another solid game, raising his batting average to .231. His two hits and one run on the day helped the Yankees stay in the game, but Gary Sanchez was the big winner.

Despite striking out twice, he recorded his first homer of the season and hopefully will break out of his cold streak at the plate. He currently hosts a .097 average and a .226 slugging percentage. Another solid performance was from relief pitcher David Hale. He pitched 2.1 innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three batters. He currently hosts a 1.59 ERA on the season. He also recorded an impressive pick off at first base on the Phillies’ fastest base runner.

BAD NEWS:

The bad news revolves around the starting pitching predominately. Starter Jordan Montgomery was batted around, throwing four innings and 95 pitches. He allowed six hits, five earned runs, and one homer, finishing with a 5.59 ERA.

The Yankees’ starting pitching has been problematic aside from Gerrit Cole. James Paxton has struggled, with his velocity down 4-5 MPH, and J.A. Happ has been disastrous. Losing Domingo German and Luis Severino for the season has hurt the rotation, and the Yankees desperately need some of their more high-profile arms to return to form.

DJ LeMahieu supplement Tyler Wade struck out twice over three at-bats. Luke Voit was also unable to get on base, striking out once over three at-bats.