The New York Yankees are gearing up to face off against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night at 7:05 PM. The Bombers will feature lefty Jordan Montgomery on the mound, hosting a 3.30 ERA this season with a 1.06 WHIP. On the other side, the angels will trot out Noah Syndergaard, former flamethrower for the New York Mets.
This season, Syndergaard hosts a 3.08 ERA with 27 strikeouts and a 1.08 WHIP. Coming off a few significant injuries, Syndergaard is bouncing back with a solid campaign, so the Yankees’ offense will need to be focused.
However, the Yanks will reunite with two former players, Andrew Velazquez and Tyler Wade, who both signed contracts with the Angels this past off-season.
“They’re playing really well,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Obviously seeing ‘Squid’ [Velazquez] playing really well — I know he’s really played really well defensively for them at shortstop, not surprisingly. I know Wader’s done a good job for them.”
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A look at the Yankees’ former players this season:
Velazquez is hitting .202 with two homers and 11 RBIs this season, but he’s been great defensively. He hosts a .977 fielding percentage with four errors, and 19 double plays turned over 343.2 innings this year. He’s been Los Angeles’s primary starter at shortstop, finally earning a bigger opportunity.
On the other hand, Wade is hitting .229 with one homer and seven RBIs over 41 games. He’s also stolen five bases but managed 17 last year with the Yankees over 103 games.
Defensively, Wade has featured at nearly every position but predominantly at second base with 157 innings of action. Both players have performed well defensively. They were never known for their offensivef qualities. That is why Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani get most of the headlines. Trout is hitting .310 with 13 homers and 28 RBIs this season, putting together yet another MVP caliber campaign.
On the other hand, Ohtani is hitting .249 with 11 homers and 32 RBIs, coming off a 46 homer season with Los Angeles. The Yankees have recently dropped two consecutive games to the Tampa Bay Rays to finish off a four-game series. The Angels are on a five-game losing streak, being swept by the Toronto Blue Jays and giving up 11 runs in their most recent loss.
Los Angeles has a similar problem to the Yankees when it comes to their batting order, featuring a powerhouse top-end but a lackluster bottom which has hurt their ability to drive runners in.
Nonetheless, it should be an exciting contest on Tuesday night, and hopefully, Montgomery can pick up his first win of the season.