The Yankees trounced the Phillies today in what was an offensive explosion, 8-2. The regulars did their thing, Randy Vazquez fired off a quality start, and Anthony Volpe was a HR away from a cycle. To say it was an exciting afternoon doesn’t do it enough justice. There are only a few games left this spring, and Opening Day is now just five days away.
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The Good News for the Yankees:
The game was pretty much under wraps in the 4th inning when the Yankees were up 8-0. Randy Vazquez took the bump today in what could be viewed as a tryout for the fifth rotation spot now that Sevy is on the IL. He tossed 4.0 innings worth of shutout baseball and struck out four guys to boot. Vazquez is likely battling with Jhony Brito and Deivi Garcia for that fifth spot, and today was a great showing.
The bullpen did the job to handle the rest of the day, as James Norwood and Tyler Danish both gave up a run in their 3.0 innings worth of work. Then, the legend, Matt Bowman, came out and did what he’s done all spring, which is give up hard contact and runs. Bryson Stott hit a triple off him and came around to score, as it’s been a spring to forget for the former Cardinal. Alex Mauricio finished off the afternoon for the Yanks by setting down the Phillies 1-2-3 in the ninth.
The offense was the story today, as aforementioned; Anthony Volpe continued his torrid spring run. He smacked a triple to start off his day, followed it up with a double, and then rounded off the afternoon with a base knock down 0-2 in the count. He continues to show that he’s ready for the bigs, and as the days go by, it seems more and more likely that he makes the roster and also will start.
Josh Donaldson continues to find success with his new stance and changed mechanics as The Bringer of Rain brought thunderstorms this afternoon. He belted another 2R shot, which made it his third HR hit in three games. He’s also worked two walks in that stretch, and the new changes appear to be working their magic. Having Donaldson playing well is a huge win for the Yankees this season, so hopefully, the changes stick.
Our guy, Andres Chaparro, belted another solo shot today, and Gleyber Torres got in on the action with a 3R shot of his own. The infield logjam continues to rear its head back and show its teeth, as with so many guys playing quite well, it’ll come down to the wire. Chappie’s bomb was his 5th of the spring, which is the most on the squad. It’s still ludicrous to me that nobody selected him in the Rule 5 Draft, but their loss is the Yanks’ gain.
The Bad News… though not much:
Stanton was, unfortunately, unable to continue his hit streak because that’s all that matters in spring. He went 0-4 today in what was the worst game he’s had in the past few weeks. Though, don’t be worried, Stanton is still putting together excellent swings and ABs even though he doesn’t have a HR to show for it. Stanton didn’t need to be on his game today, as the rest of the lineup was able to do plenty.
The biggest takeaway from today’s game was that the Yankees were able to mash around off of Aaron Nola. It wasn’t the traditional “some minor leaguer” that some fans like to use, but instead the established ace of the Phils’ rotation. Willie Calhoun continued his quality spring, adding two more base knocks to his stat sheet, and upped his average to .298. He’s OPSing .781 and is still chasing a spot on the roster.
Volpe is the star of the show, and the young prospect keeps on chugging. His OPS this spring is now sitting at 1.064, and he’s shown off all of the tools in his arsenal. He’s swiped five bags, hit 3 HR, and worked eight walks — good for a .417 OBP to his .314 AVG. The kid has shined bright and is forcing the front office to make some difficult roster decisions.
The Yanks host the Blue Jays tomorrow afternoon, and hopefully, they can keep the good times rollin’. Jhony Brito gets to take his turn in the fight for a rotation spot, it’ll be interesting to see who the organization elects to roll with to round it off. Only a few more games left in spring, and soon the regular season will be upon us.