The New York Yankees dominated the Boston Red Sox on Sunday afternoon courtesy of a fantastic pitching performance from Gerrit Cole. Cole lasted 7.0 innings, giving up two runs and striking out 12 batters, doing the bullpen a huge favor.
The Yankees’ bullpen has been going through a bit of adversity lately, especially in the injury department. Several weeks ago, they lost Ron Marinaccio to the injured list with right shoulder inflammation, but he’s preparing to make a return after being assigned to Triple-A Scranton on Sunday.
Marinaccio gave up a solo homer but otherwise looked decent in his return to action after suffering from “dead arm.” However, the bullpen did lose another option in Miguel Castro on Saturday, being placed on the injured list with a shoulder injury.
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Per the Yankees:
- RHP Miguel Castro on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to 7/13) with a right shoulder strain.
- RHP Ron Marinaccio commences a rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Marinaccio was fantastic with the Yankees before being placed on the IL. On the season, he hosts a 2.33 ERA over 19.1 innings, posting 10.71 strikeouts per nine, a 77.3% left on base rate, and 40.5% ground ball rate.
Marinaccio utilizes a 4-seam fastball, change-up, and slider. He throws his fastball at 42%, averaging out at 94.2 mph. Opposing batters are hitting just .136 against his fastball, .037 against his change-up, and .188 on his slider.
If Marinaccio can continue to play at this level, he could be an extremely valuable piece to the bullpen down the stretch. However, manager Aaron Boone has to utilize him a bit more strategically to mitigate fatigue. Given the sample size of innings he’s handled in the past, his injury could be an anomaly.
As for Castro, the Yankees will have to proceed with caution over the next few weeks. This season, he has a 4.00 ERA over 27 innings, posting 10 strikeouts per nine and a 46.6% ground ball rate.
Castro has had his fair of ups and downs this season but features blazing speed on his fastball and a sweeping slider. At times, he can be a bit erratic and fail to locate his pitches properly. Nonetheless, Castro is a solid middle-inning relief pitcher who the Yankees will miss. Luckily, the team will have a few days to rehabilitate and rest during the All-Star break before taking on Houston on July 21.