Yankees win split games vs Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers

New York Yankees, Luis Cessa
Mar 9, 2019; Sarasota, FL, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Cessa (85) throws a pitch during the first inning of a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports

Yankees 5 Red Sox 2:

Today the New York Yankees had split-squad games. Game 1 was between the Yankees and the Tigers; game 2 was between the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.  The Red Sox matchup was an away game for the Yankees and was played at Jet Blue Park in Fort Myers, Florida, where it was 64 degrees with bright sunny skies and a bit of wind blowing from the west at 14mph.  The Red Sox starting pitcher was Eduardo Rodriguez last season’s best Red Sox pitcher.  Jordan Montgomery started for the Yankees.

Rodriguez put down the Yanks 1, 2, 3 in the first half-inning.  Johnathan Montgomery held down the Red Sox in the bottom of the inning. In the Bombers’ half Clint Frazier got a double, Erik Kratz got a single, but Rodriguez got out of the inning via a double play.  At the bottom of the second, Pereza got a hit off Montgomery, but he closed out the inning with the strikeout.  Rodriguez put down the Yankees in the top of the third as the game remained scoreless.  Nick Tropeano replaced Monty at the bottom of the third. Tropeano got the side out in order. At the end of three and a half, the Yankees had two hits, and the Red Sox had one hit.

Gio Urshela hammered a double to the right at the top of the fourth inning. Ryan Brasier replaced Rodriguez.  Urshela went to third on a Clint Frazier ground out. Erik Kratz singled driving in Urshela for the Yankees 1-0 lead.  Estrada singled moving Kratz to second, but a ground out ended the inning, but the Yankees took the 1-0 lead. Morland walked in the bottom of the fouth for the second Boston base runner.  With Daniel Alverez pitching for the Yankees allowed two runners and then walked Lucroy, then balked driving in a run for a game tied at 1.  Dalbec singled in another run for the Boston 2-1 lead.

At the top of the fifth, Heath Hembree took over for the Red Sox.  Wade singled, Luke Voit singled, allowing Wade to reach third, Gio Urshela walked loading the bases.  Clint Frazier stepped to the plate and had a sky-high pop out, the Boston catcher dropped the ball, and two base-runners came home for the 3-2 Yankee lead.  A wild pitch allowed the Yankees another run to end the inning at 4-2 (good guys).  In the bottom, Luis Medina pitched, shutting down the Sox 1,2,3. Jeffery Springs shut out the side.  Medina came back in at the bottom of the sixth, he allowed a single, but the Red Sox couldn’t score.

At the top of the seventh, Duran doubled off Yoan Aybar, followed by a double by Max Burt.  Alverez singled, but Duran got thrown out at home. Clint Frazier had a long sac fly driving in Burt for the Yankee 5-2 lead.  At the bottom, Luis Gil came in for the Yankees and did not allow a runner.  Brian Johnson shut down the Yankees in the top of the eighth. Red Sox loaded the bases for Yankee pitcher Acevedo, but he got out of it at the bottom of the ninth with a pop-out for the final score of Yankees 5 and the Red Sox 2.

Yankees 9 Tigers 2

The Tigers game took place at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida, where it was mostly sunny with a game-time temperature of 63 degrees.  The Yankees starting pitcher was Gerrit Cole in his second start of the spring training season.  Yankee players faced LHP Matthew Boyd for the Tigers.

As Cole walked to the mound for his warmups, the Yankee faithful roared with applause, and stood and cheered again as he was announced.  Reyes got a base hit, but Cole got two fly outs and a strikeout in the half.  The Yankees were scoreless in the first.  Cole gave up another hit in the second but got a flyout and a strikeout.  At the top of the second, Clint Frazier got a double off Rodriguez, Kratz got a single, and Frazier advanced to third, but the Yankees failed to score.  At the top of the third, Cole got two quick outs, and then Boone relieved him after 30 pitches.  He also got applause as he walked off the field.

Luis Cessa took over the pitching in the top of the fourth for the Yankees and mowed down the Tigers.   The Yankees didn’t score in the bottom.  In the top of the fifth Adam Ottavino took over for Cessa, he allowed a single, but put down the rest of the side.   At the bottom of the fifth, Kyle Funkhouser pitched for the Tigers, Chris Iannetta doubled, Herrera singled moving Iannetta to third, Amburgey singled down the right-field line for the Yankees 1-0 lead. Granite singled driving in Herrera for the 2-0 Yankee lead.  With two on Gleyber Torres homered driving in three for the 5-0 lead.

At the bottom of the sixth, the Tigers Soto had quite a bit of trouble with the  Yankees.  The home team got three more runs for the Yankee 8-0 lead. Tommy Kahnle came in for the Yankees top of the seventh he allowed two on and then a single drove in the first run for the Tigers, he then walked the bases loaded, Rily Green allowed Kahnle to get out of the inning while only giving up one run.  Yankees 8-1.   Chad Green gave up a run in the top of the eighth, making the score Yankees 8, and the Tigers 2.  At the bottom of the eighth Josh Towers singled, and Diego Castillo doubled, making it 9-2 Yankees.  The Tigers failed to score in the top of the ninth for the Yankee win.

The winning pitcher in the Yankee/Red Sox game was Daniel Alverez, the loser was Hembree; the save went to Acevedo.  In the Yankee/Tiger game, the winning pitcher was Yankee Adam Ottavino, and the loser was Funkhouser.  Gleyber Torres homered for the Yankees.