The Yankees were defeated by the Orioles in the first game of their weekend set today, 7-6. Clarke Schmidt made his second start of the year and once more looked shaky as the game went along. The bullpen wasn’t as efficient as it usually is, and Ron the Don had an uncharacteristically mediocre outing.
Offensively, it was a weird afternoon for the boys. Franchy Cordero was the star of the day, as he accounted for three of the five runs the Yankees put on the board.
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Good news and bad news for the Yankees:
Schmidt may not be starting quality after all, though it is still an insanely small sample size to go off of. Today, he tossed 3.1 innings worth, gave up four runs, walked three guys, and struck out a trio to boot. That makes back-to-back clunkers from Clarke, but I do want to believe that his stuff will play up, and he’ll get right. However, he may be destined for the bullpen, as he seems to run into trouble the deeper into games he goes.
Ian Hamilton came in to relieve Schmidt, and he was the definition of solid. He tossed 2.0 innings worth, gave up a run — Marinaccio gave up a base knock that allowed Hamilton’s runner to score — but struck out four guys and looked locked in. The Don had his first rough outing of the season, but that happens to the best of them. I’m not worried, and you shouldn’t be, either. The Don pitched an inning’s worth, struck out a pair, and gave up a run today.
Jimmy Cordero followed The Don and immediately let a runner score after a few wild pitches got to the backstop. It was an off day for both he and Marinaccio, and I like to believe that it’s a one-off for them, more than they’re ruined. Pitching wasn’t the strong suit today, but hopefully, the guys get right and figure some things out. Schmidt especially needs to take some time and iron out a few kinks.
Wandy would pitch the bottom of the 8th, and he worked around two base runners. Having Wandy in the backend of the bullpen is such a great luxury for the team. He walked one, gave up a knock, and struck out Gunnar Henderson to get out of the inning. Wandy continues to get more comfortable as the games go by, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for him the rest of the season.
Franchy and Oswaldo led the way offensively:
Franchy Cordero smacked a 3R bomb to open up the scoring for the Yankees today, and he’s been quite a solid player. I have to give credit where it’s due, and thus far, he’s proving to be a good pickup by Cashman. Oswaldo Cabrera had another excellent afternoon, as he smacked a trio of hits, including a 2R double that hopped off the wall and then an RBI knock in the 8th as well. Cabrera must be a regular that features in the lineup most days.
Giancarlo had a nice afternoon as well, as he smacked two hits and laced a double to left field. Gleyber Torres keeps his elite start to the year rolling as he got another knock and worked a walk today. Torres absolutely clobbers the O’s in his career, so he just picked up where he left off. Gleyber keeps on rolling; at this rate, he’s on pace for a career year. Very happy to see his confidence sky-high.
Judge had a rare off day for him, as he went 0-for on the afternoon, but did make up for it with a few nice plays in the outfield. On top of that, he kept his on-base streak rolling, as now it makes 40 games straight. He worked a walk off Felix Bautista in the 9th inning. Judge continues to roam both CF & RF beautifully and show off his value. With no Bader, he has been making some stellar catches in center. Rizzo and DJ kept their hitting numbers up, as they each recorded a knock, as the two are both batting over .300 to start the year.
Seven games into the year, and the Yankees now sit at 4-3. Today’s game was on the pitching, though I don’t feel that’ll be a theme as the year progresses. Marinaccio won’t struggle like that, and nine times out of ten, he’s going to be shutdown for the team. Hopefully, the Yankees can get back in the win column tomorrow as Nestor Cortes takes the mound.