The New York Yankees have lost four consecutive games, starting off a three-game series against the St. Louis cardinals in poor form. They were defeated 4–3 on Friday evening and 1–0 on Saturday with LHP Jordan Montgomery on the mound after being traded from the Yankees to the Cardinals at the deadline.
Montgomery had a stellar performance, getting out some of that frustration after the move. Over 5.0 innings, Montgomery gave up just two hits, lowering his ERA to 3.53 on the season. This was one of the more confusing moves from Brian Cashman at the deadline, sending away a reliable starting pitcher for an injured centerfielder in Harrison Bader.
However, the Yankees executed another strange decision after Saturday’s loss, optioning Ron Marinaccio to Triple-A Scranton.
The Yankees don’t have that many players with Triple-A options, so Marinaccio ended up being the odd man out as they prepare to clear a roster spot for Frankie Montas.
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The Yankees have a stud in Ron Marinaccio:
This season, Marinaccio has been phenomenal, hosting a 2.03 ERA, 10.80 strikeouts per nine, an 82.7% left on base rate, and 40% ground ball rate. In fact, Marinaccio has started off August on fire once again, giving up just one hit over 2.2 innings, posting three strikeouts. He gave up his first run since April in July but still pitched 5.2 innings, giving up a total of just two hits and striking out six batters.
Given his stellar season, the Yankees oddly decided to send him down when he’s been extremely reliable. It is possible that management wants to keep him fresh for the stretch and post-season.
The 27-year-old relief arm utilizes a 4-seam fastball, change-up, and slider. He has one of the most dangerous change-ups on the team, and possibly in baseball. Opposing batters are hitting. 057 off his change-up, which he’s throwing at 36% and averaging out at 84 mph. A 47.8% whiff rate and 32% putaway rate make it his best pitch by a large margin.
Realistically, the Yankees will probably pull Ron back up in the coming days since he has three minor-league options left. This gives a team a bit more time to figure out who will be the odd man out moving forward.