The Yankees lost a heartbreaker against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday evening by a score of 4-3. Heading into extra innings, the Yankees gave up one run in the 10th and another in the 11th, failing to make a come-back and complete the sweep over Baltimore. Ultimately, the Yankees beat themselves in this game, as Gleyber Torres struggled defensively at shortstop, and their pitching collapsed when it mattered most.
However, walking away with two wins out of a three-game series was a positive, and while the Yankees sit at .500 on the season, they now had to Tampa Bay to take on the Rays.
Good news and bad news for the Yankees:
Let’s start with some positive news for the Yankees regarding the loss to Baltimore. Starting pitcher Jameson Taillon last 4.2 innings, giving up three hits and two runs but struck out seven batters.
Overall, I think he had a solid performance, considering he hasn’t pitched a meaningful game in over a year. He gave up two home runs, displaying a few poorly located pitches as the catalyst of his runs allowed. Nonetheless, it was a positive step for Jameson, who is still working his way back from Tommy John surgery last year.
From a statistical standpoint, the Yankees should’ve won this game with ease, as they posted 13 hits compared to Baltimore’s four and 10 strikeouts compared to 17. Leaving runners in scoring position is going to end up biting the Yankees in the butt, as it did in this defeat.
A few individual performances that stood out came from Gary Sanchez, who got on base three times over three at-bats, and Gio Urshela, who posted two hits after struggling to open his season. There are a few lingering injuries that are affecting players, including Urshela, and Aaron Judge, who is expected to miss Friday’s contest, according to Aaron Boone.
Boone said that it was too early to tell if a Judge would be available against Tampa Bay but that he’s dealing with a myriad of injuries, ranging from soreness in his side to an undisclosed illness. Judge would’ve been the catalyst the Yankees needed to overcome Baltimore in this context, but clearly, he’s dealing with something rather significant Boone wasn’t even willing to pinch-hit him when I needed him most. Without him, they don’t have the same pizzazz, and it’s showing.
As for the team’s relief pitching, they got the job done up until Chad Green allowed two runs over 1.1 innings. After Jameson’s day ended, the bullpen had racked up seven strikeouts and no hits allowed. Baltimore stole this one from the Yankees, and there’s no other way to look at it.