The Yankees took on the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday evening in the first game of a two-game series. You might not believe it, but the Yankees lead Atlanta 8-0 going into the sixth inning, but a three-run homer from Marcell Ozuna brought the Braves within five.
Despite Atlanta making inroads toward a comeback, the Yankees were able to stifle their attempt. Utilizing a bevy of relief arms, including David Hale, Adam Ottavino, Luis Cessa, and Chad Green, manager Aaron Boone was able to maneuver his way out of a tough game.
Luckily, the Yankees’ bats came to play, putting up a nine spot on the board. The final score ended up being 9-6, despite an eight-run lead earlier on in the game.
Good news and bad news following the victory for the New York Yankees:
GOOD NEWS:
The good news is primarily on the offensive side of the ball, despite starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery having a solid outing through five innings. Prior to his home run, he had struck out four batters and held Atlanta to just two hits.
Offensively, the Yankees were led by the long-ball once again. In the first inning, Luke Voit smashed a three-run homer, driving in DJ LeMahieu and Aaron Hicks. Fast forward to the fifth inning, and Aaron Judge smashed a solo homer 432 feet to bring the Yankees to seven runs. However, they also managed to utilize their contact hitting, which is a rare approach for the Bombers.
Mike Ford recorded two doubles, driving in three runs, utilizing the DH spot adequately in the absence of Giancarlo Stanton. While the offense was on fire, the pitching remains a liability.
BAD NEWS:
The bad news continues to revolve around pitching for the Yankees. They moved through four relief arms to finally close out the game. Nobody on the mound looked confident, aside from Chad Green. Luis Cessa, who was recently activated after a bout with COVID-19, gave up two runs over just nine pitches.
The Yankees simply can’t rely on Green to close out games and help in the middle innings every night. Hopefully, with Aroldis Chapman returning as the closer, they can utilize Zack Britton More creatively.
More potentially problematic news, Aaron Judge was pulled after his home run in the seventh-inning, showing off a slight grimace as he rounded second base. While it could just be rest related, since the Yankees were leading at the time by five runs, having a rest day on Monday doesn’t justify pulling Judge that early. Breaking his rhythm after a homer could be a negative thing.