Spring Training results are not the takeaway for the New York Yankees, but there are certainly some positives to be taken from the damage they did in the box today. With the Yankees hosting the Atlanta Braves for an afternoon contest at George M. Steinbrenner Field, they would have a lineup almost entirely made up of guys who are expected to get the starting nod on Opening Day. Interestingly enough, Giancarlo Stanton would find himself in the sixth spot, indicating a potential demotion in the lineup ahead of the season.
With Clarke Schmidt getting the ball in the 1:05 start, it would be a slugfest against the Braves with the Yankees coming out on top in the 9-8 victory.
Juan Soto Continues Torrid Spring in Yankees’ Win
The Yankees would get off on the wrong foot, as Clarke Schmidt was hit around in his first inning of work, allowing four runs and having to be removed due to his pitch count. His command and movement weren’t exactly where he wanted them to be, but Joey Gerber would get the strikeout and stop the bleeding for the Yankees. The 28-year-old right-hander settled brilliantly in the two innings after, collecting some strikeouts and finishing his line with four allowed over 2.2 innings pitched, making necessary adjustments and preventing this afternoon from getting out of hand.
Giancarlo Stanton would drive a booming double to the right-center wall to set the Yankees up with runners on second and third, with Alex Verdugo kicking off the scoring with an infield single. Jose Trevino, who got his first start of Spring Training, would drive in Stanton on a sacrifice fly, but the Braves would answer back in the top of the fourth inning with Victor Gonzalez on the mound. Luke Williams hit a towering drive to make it 6-2 Braves, and the wheels seemed to be coming off for the Bronx Bombers before they punched right back in the bottom of the fifth inning.
DJ LeMahieu would drive in two runners with an RBI single up the middle, putting the Yankees within two runs of the Braves, and Juan Soto would step up with a chance to do some serious damage:
Juan Soto gave the Yankees a lead they wouldn’t relinquish, as he’d crush his fourth home run of Spring Training and continue his reign of terror in the exhibition games. While this doesn’t count towards your regular season numbers, it’s definitely been plenty of fun to watch the 25-year-old superstar demolish baseballs with ease. He’s been remarkably impressive at the plate, and if the Yankees have him and Aaron Judge firing on all cylinders this year, they could be one of the greatest duos we’ve ever seen.
The home runs wouldn’t stop there, however, as Jose Trevino would smack a solo blast, making it a two-hit, two-RBI day for the Yankee catcher. It’s unclear whether he or Austin Wells will get the starting nod on Opening Day, but if both catchers can hold their own at the plate, they could have one of the better catching tandems in the league. It was a successful day for him as he makes his return from a calf injury that’s sidelined him for all of Spring Training up to this point, and the hope is that he responds well to the workload and continues to build up well.
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It was also a great day for Giancarlo Stanton, who went 2-3 with two well-struck hits, showing off some competency at the plate after getting off to a slow start in Spring Training. He talked about the results not mattering at this point of the season, which is most definitely true, but it’s also nice to see the process at the plate translating into quality contact. Oscar Gonzalez, who is a Non-Roster Invite for the Yankees, added two hits including an RBI double that ended up being the difference, as the Atlanta Braves would add a run in the bottom of the ninth to make it 9-8.
Oswaldo Cabrera collected three hits, and in total, the Yankees had 17 hits and six walks, an excellent day for the Yankees’ offense. On the pitching side of the ball, Caleb Ferguson twirled a scoreless inning with two strikeouts, with Ron Marinaccio and Tanner Tully both completing two innings while surrendering a run apiece as well. The Yankees will host the Baltimore Orioles and go on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies in a split-squad game, both games starting at 1:05 PM EST.