For three innings, New York Yankees starter Carlos Rodon looked like a world-beater on the mound. He was confident and his pitch mix was working to perfection. Everything unraveled in the fourth, though, when he allowed the four runs that the Kansas City Royals needed to win Game 2 of the AL Division Series and was chased out of the game.
The Yankees’ offense struggled to produce in Game 2 of the ALDS
The Yankees’ offense couldn’t really produce much after making Cole Ragans work in the first few innings. A Giancarlo Stanton RBI single in the third and a solo homer by Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the ninth were all they could muster.
If you want to point fingers at someone or at any unit in particular, the bullpen is definitely not the way to go. The unit kept the Yankees in the game and pitched 5.1 scoreless frames.
Unfortunately, the Yankees’ offense was unable to have the big inning against Ragans or put up a significant threat vs. their bullpen. It just wasn’t their day. They had several well-hit balls throughout the night, but the Royals did a good job defensively and had some luck. It happens. The consistency, however, was not there.
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The Yankees’ bullpen was consistent and effective
But back to the bullpen. Seven Yankees pitchers combined to get 16 of the 27 outs in the game, and they did so while conceding no runs, four hits, and two walks (via SNY). They fanned eight batters. If we add up Rodon’s seven punchouts, the Royals (a team that is, generally speaking, hard to strike out) struck out a whopping 15 times.
That big inning in the fourth was all they needed, though. Despite the loss, however, it’s fair to recognize the job that Ian Hamilton, Jake Cousins, Tim Hill, Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle, Tim Mayza, and Luke Weaver did.
If there are any positive takeaways for the Yankees after the loss, it’s definitely that their bullpen has been an asset in the first two games. That’s an important foundation to rely on and bodes well for the future of the team in this closely contested series.
