Yankees: Good news and bad news in win over Pirates, German strikes again

New York Yankees, Domingo German
Mar 5, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Domingo German (55) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees are coasting in spring training, overcoming the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 on Wednesday evening. With the majority of the starters featuring, the offense was sparked by a three-run homer by Giancarlo Stanton in the third inning. Shortly after, Gleyber Torres posted one of his own, traveling 429 feet into left field.

With April 1 just around the corner, the Yankees are making amazing progress in their quest to prepare for the 2021 season. With COVID-19 still present, the team has done a phenomenal job remaining careful.

Good news and bad news for the New York Yankees:

The good news, the Yankees put up six runs against Pittsburgh, fueled by several homers from Stanton and Torres. However, it was their depth pieces that walked it off in the bottom of the eighth inning, just edging the victory over the Pirates.

In terms of pitching, Domingo German had another outstanding performance, striking out three batters and allowing just one hit over 3.0 innings. Based on his absolute nasty stuff, German is making a very strong argument to take over the fifth spot in the starting rotation.

German is coming off an 81 game suspension but showed extreme promise in 2019 when he recorded a 4.03 ERA, and 18 went over 143 innings. If not for a suspension, German would likely be locked into a starting gig in the middle of the rotation. However, based on his recent outings, the Yankee should feel extremely confident with their unit moving forward.

There wasn’t much bad news from the victory, aside from Justin Wilson being plastered in his lone inning of work. He gave up four hits, and four earned runs, recording just one out. If not for that anomaly, the Yankees would’ve blanked Pittsburgh and displayed utter dominance.

Reserve catcher Robinson Chirinos was also plunked in the hand with a pitch, forcing him to leave the contest. He’s expected to be OK. Starting first baseman, Luke Voit is also banged up, being scratched from Tuesday’s game with “knee soreness,” but Boone stated that he should be good to go.

Luckily, the health complications are nothing serious, aside from Zack Britton, who will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his elbow to remove a bone chip. He’s expected to miss at least six weeks.