The New York Yankees took on the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday afternoon, featuring Michael Kay and John Sterling in the booth for the first time in nearly two decades. To be quite honest, that duo might’ve been the best thing about this game, aside from Domingo German all but locking in the fifth spot in the starting rotation with another stellar performance.
With a 4-2 win over Philadelphia, the Yankees are now 10-4 this spring, showcasing a much-improved pitching rotation and solid bullpen. While losing Zack Britton is problematic, they should get him back within the first few weeks following Opening Day on April 1. He requires surgery to remove a bone chip from his elbow, with a six-week recovery timetable.
Good news and bad news for the Yankees:
Let’s start with the bad news, which primarily revolves around injuries. Depth piece Miguel Andujar will likely miss a few weeks and end up at the alternate side once spring training concludes. With Gio Urshela showing off his defensive efficiency against Philadelphia, Miggy is quickly losing ground in his quest to earn a depth spot on the active roster. He’ll be a first-choice call-up in case of injury or fatigue-related reasons, but the Yankees might even consider trading him later on the season for pitching support if need be.
Specific to the contest on Tuesday, the Yankees racked up 10 strikeouts, with DJ LeMahieu picking up two. There’s nothing to worry about with DJ, as he’ll bounce back with a four-hit performance after struggling the day before. As for the Yankee pitching staff, Michael King allowed one run and two hits over 3.0 innings, a solid sample size of work that indicated a step in the right direction. Nestor Cortes has allowed two hits and one run to finish the game, but the Yankees had already secured a comfortable lead.
There was far more to be happy about in the win, with Domingo German lasting 4.0 innings, allowing three hits, zero runs, and picking up six strikeouts along the way. Over three outings this spring, German has an incredibly impressive 0.00 ERA and 13 strikeouts over 9.0 innings. It is clear that he is ready to take on a starting spot in the rotation, and he’s not letting his second chance pass him by.
Slugger Giancarlo Stanton was specifically a star in this contest, earning two hits and hitting the three hardest balls of the day. In the seventh-inning, Stanton launched a single to centerfield, driving in two runs and giving the Yankees the lead.