The Yankees completed a series sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, marking their fifth consecutive victory and propelling them closer to the top of the American League East standings. In preparation for the game, the team promoted bullpen pitcher Ron Marinaccio to the major league roster to help alleviate some of the fatigue among the pitchers.
Yankees’ Recent Bullpen Acquisitions and Decisions
The Yankees’ recent strategy includes the acquisition of pitchers Mark Leiter Jr. and Enyel De Los Santos. In Wednesday’s game, Leiter Jr. was heavily utilized, throwing 27 pitches and managing to escape a bases-loaded jam while allowing one earned run. Although Marinaccio was ready to pitch if needed, the team opted to rely on more established relievers like Luke Weaver, Tommy Kahnle, and Clay Holmes.
Marinaccio’s Performance and Challenges
Marinaccio holds a 2.84 ERA this season across 19 innings, with an 85.9% left-on-base rate and a 39.1% ground ball rate. However, his performance indicators, such as strikeouts and walks per nine innings, suggest that he may be facing regression. His expected ERA (xERA) of 4.09 indicates potential struggles in maintaining efficiency at the major league level.
Issues with the Change-Up
The pitcher from Tom’s River has experienced declining effectiveness with his change-up, which is traditionally his strongest pitch. This season, opponents are hitting .348 against his change-up with a slugging percentage of .696, and the pitch’s speed has averaged only 82.1 mph.
Contrastingly, in previous seasons, Marinaccio’s change-up was much more effective, yielding batting averages of .227 last season and .141 in 2022. To reestablish himself as a reliable relief pitcher, he will need to regain efficiency with this pitch. Meanwhile, his fastball continues to perform well, holding opponents to a .100 batting average this year.
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Looking Ahead
With a day off on Thursday, the Yankees will have a chance to rest before facing the Toronto Blue Jays in a three-game series starting at 7:05 PM on Friday. This series will be crucial as the team continues to push for a strong position in the playoff race.