The Yankees got off to a losing start with their three-game set against the Angels 5-2. Clarke Schmidt once more has a bad outing, and the damage was done from the beginning. The Yanks weren’t able to capitalize on offense, and the lineup couldn’t keep up after falling behind early. Tomorrow’s a new day, so hopefully, they can get the job done and get another dub in the book.
Pitching couldn’t pick up after Schmidt had another rough go:
Schmidt had his fourth consecutive rough start to begin this season, and I don’t know how many more opportunities he’s going to be given. He still has great stuff, and I do believe it’ll play eventually, I just don’t know how much longer it’ll take. He’s built more to be a long reliever, so I wonder how long it’ll take for the team to move him there.
He tossed 3.2 innings, struck out 5 batters, and gave up 4 runs in that time. He was getting hit around once more, and he couldn’t locate much today. Sadly, the damage was done, and despite the bullpen keeping the Yanks in the game, the lineup couldn’t claw its way back in.
Weissert finished off Schmidt’s inning before Marinaccio came in for two innings. He pitched well, though two errors made by Higgy allowed another run to cross under his watch. The Don tossed two innings, struck out a pair, and didn’t give up a hit or walk. He was fantastic today, and now his season ERA sits at 1.13.
After him, the Yanks turned to Cordero, who went 2.0 innings in his own right. He gave up a singular knock, struck out three guys, and put together another solid appearance out of the bullpen. The ‘pen did its job and then some, but that’s the nature of the game some days. Albert Abreu got the 9th inning, and once more was nails. He has now tossed 8.0 shutout innings in relief and has been one of the best relievers on the team. He struck out Taylor Ward with a runner on to give the Yanks another shot, though it was futile.
The Yankees couldn’t get enough going offensively:
The offense once more stranded numerous opportunities. There were a few instances with runners on; either the Yanks didn’t capitalize at all, or they didn’t capitalize fully. They scratched two runs across in the 4th inning but also could’ve had more come home. The lineup only manufactured 3 hits, even with them walking 7 times, it wasn’t enough.
Volpe continues to show off his ability to take pitches as he worked two more walks out of the leadoff spot. The bat will continue to come around, but his two walks now have his BB% sitting at 16.9%. He’s getting more comfortable, which is great to see. Hicks did what he does best and also worked a pair of walks, which was much needed for his confidence.
Peraza also worked a walk and reached on an infield single, and Gleyber and DJ also worked some walks. Players working walks was the most exciting thing that happened today, other than Rizzo getting another hit — a double in the first, and Higgy & IKF each getting a base knock. The game wasn’t that exciting, and it looked like it was out of reach right after Ohtani blasted a 2R homer in the first inning.
The Yankees need to find some more consistency as the games go by, but today’s game was not a great showing. The whole lineup only managing to smack a few hits is less than ideal, and now their record sits at 10-7. Tomorrow Jhony Brito gets to get some revenge for his last start as he goes up against Griffin Canning. Tonight was a frustrating night, but fortunately, there are still 145 games left in the season.
Hopefully, Brito can show what worked well for him in his first two starts and work better on his location and aggression on the bump. He still has some great stuff, and his changeup-sinker combo could bode well for him inducing soft contact. If the Yanks win tomorrow, they’ll have the chance to win the series on Thursday.