The New York Yankees faced off against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday evening, emerging victorious 4–1. The team enjoyed seven hits and struck out just seven times, with the top of the order producing a substantial amount of offense.
However, starting pitcher Jhony Brito was the star of the game, putting together yet another efficient performance, just his second as a professional.
- Yankees’ veteran infielder has rehab assignment delayed after MRI revealed lack of healing
- Yankees place hard-throwing reliever on 15-day IL with hip injury
- Yankees preparing to make superstar ‘top priority’ in free agency next off-season
Good news for the Yankees:
Focusing in on Brito, the 25-year-old pitcher has enjoyed 10 innings of MLB action, giving up just one earned run, which wasn’t entirely his fault. He tossed 92 pitches with 56 strikes, striking out two batters and allowing three hits. Brito is also generating a 56% ground ball rate, indicating opposing batters are making weak contact and failing to take advantage of an inexperienced arm.
At this point, Brito is making a strong case to secure a starting rotation spot, which could push Clarke Schmidt into the bullpen.
Offensively, the Yankees enjoyed production from DJ LeMahieu and Giancarlo Stanton. Even struggling outfielder Aaron Hicks got into the mix, tallying his first hit of the season, which resulted in an RBI. Stanton tallied two hits with a home run, increasing his batting average to .286 with a .333 OBP. Gleyber Torres continues to dominate, walking twice and posting a hit, recording a .417 BA and .576 OBP so far.
Even youngster Anthony Volpe turned things around with his first extra-base hit of the year, slapping a triple off the right-field wall. With Volpe’s struggles, this boost of confidence should go a long way toward helping him offer more production as an offensive piece.
The Yankees have won five games this year, but two of their losses have come during Clarke Schmidt’s starts, indicating they could make a change there.
Bad news for the Yankees:
There wasn’t much bad news from the game, but the Yankees did announce several tough injury decisions.
Starting third baseman Josh Donaldson was placed on the 10-day injured list, and top bullpen piece Jonathan Loáisiga was placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow information.
In the meantime, DJ LeMahieu should be in the hot corner, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa should also get some opportunities. Loáisiga will likely be shut down for a few weeks since the Yankees will need his services for the duration of the 2023 season, especially during the playoffs.