The New York Yankees were swept in a doubleheader against Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, increasing their losing streak to five consecutive games.
After a poor performance from ace Gerrit Cole in the first game of the doubleheader, Masahiro Tanaka took the mound in the second game. He had a fantastic performance, lasting 5.0 innings and allowing just three hits. He didn’t allow a run, but the Yankees, unfortunately, we are unable to provide any offense of support, falling 2-1.
Good news and bad news for the New York Yankees:
GOOD NEWS:
The good news boils down to starting pitching, as Tanaka had a fantastic outing and showed why the Yankees may consider retaining him for the 2021 season. On the year, he has a 4.60 ERA over 15.2 innings pitched. He has been eased into the season after taking a ball off the head on a Giancarlo Stanton line drive.
However, Tanaka is normally a consistent arm for the Yankees that can be relied on. He earned an All-Star appearance in 2019 for a dominant first half of the season but trickled off as the campaign wore on. He’s also one of the more experienced arms in the roster in the playoffs and has good numbers in competitive games.
Aside from Tanaka, DH Miguel Andujar recorded two hits on three at-bats, scoring the only run of the game for the Bombers. This is a convincing sign for the Yankees, who might need to utilize him as a trade piece in the coming days.
BAD NEWS:
The bad news revolves heavily around the offense and decision making by manager Aaron Boone. Boone pulled Tanaka after just 66 pitches and dominant performance, inserting Chad Green, who hadn’t pitched in 10 days. Green subsequently gave up a two-run homer that lost the game for the Bombers. Boone’s poor decision making has been problematic at times, receiving harsh criticism. Nonetheless, he is playing the analytics game; it doesn’t always turn out in your favor.
Offensively, the Yankees scored two runs over to contests on Wednesday.
The most concerning part of the evening was the pulling of Aaron Judge. Boone stated after the game that Judge’s calf tightened up while he was running around second base. Considering he has been ensuring the media of his 100% health, suffering this injury setback is disappointing. There’s a good chance he lands on the injured list once again, go figure.