Andres Chavez
Thanks to a solid start by Will Warren and a fantastic bullpen performance, the New York Yankees beat the San Francisco Giants 3-1 on Saturday, completing an impressive weekend sweep in their first series of the new season.
Warren couldn’t quite complete the required five frames to get the win, but held the Giants off the scoreboard for 4.1 innings. He left the game with one out and one runner on base in the bottom of the fifth, but the Yankees bullpen was too much to handle for the Giants’ offense.
The unit completed 4.2 scoreless frames, extending the Yankees’ pitching dominance over the first three games of the young campaign. Brent Headrick, Jake Bird, Tim Hill, and David Bednar completed the masterpiece as New York leaves San Francisco with a sweep and just a single run allowed in 27 frames.
A Modest Offensive Effort Led By The Captain
With runners on first and third base in the third inning, Ben Rice roped a two-run double to open the scoring at Oracle Park. The Giants wouldn’t take long to respond, though.
Jung Hoo Lee doubled to open the frame against Warren, and scored on a Matt Chapman single. The Yankees’ righty hung on to end the threat with two strikeouts and a groundout.
Three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge would restore the two-run lead with a solo home run at the top of the fifth, a 383-foot blast that left his bat at 102.1 mph. It was the captain’s second long ball of the season, and he seems to be heating up after an ugly first game in which he struck out four times.
In the ninth inning, Yankees closer David Bednar certainly made things interesting by allowing the first two men he faced to get on base. He rose to the occasion, though, and struck out Harrison Bader on a foul tip and then induced a game-ending double play by Patrick Bailey. He earned his second save of the season.
Good News And Bad News After The Sweep
Bird notched the win with 1.2 scoreless innings of relief, in which he fanned two Giants. He continues to impress after an ugly first year in the Bronx, and is solidifying his spot on the Yankees bullpen.
Trent Grisham went 1-for-3 with a walk, a run scored, and a stolen base, Cody Bellinger tripled and scored a run, and Giancarlo Stanton logged two hits and is batting .500 after the first series.
On a negative note, the bottom of the Yankees’ lineup was punchless on Saturday. Between Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jose Caballero, Ryan McMahon, and Austin Wells, they combined to go 0-for-15 with seven strikeouts. If they plan on winning consistently, they are going to need to last three or four hitters to show more.
Still, it’s hard to complain about anything after the opening weekend, in which the Yankees scored 13 runs and allowed just one. Every one of their starters has put together a strong start, and there’s no reason to think it won’t continue.
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