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The Yankees extended their winning streak to five games on Friday night, as they outlasted the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays, 1-0, at Steinbrenner Field.
-- Carlos Rodón entered Friday with the fifth-highest walk percentage in the league, and fittingly walked Rays leadoff batter Yandy Díaz on five pitches before allowing a single to Junior Caminero four pitches later. But the veteran southpaw managed to escape the two-on, no-out jam in the first inning by striking out three straight with his slider and changeup. Rodón needed 28 pitches to work out of the early trouble.
-- It didn't take too long for the Yankees to draw first blood against Rays starter Drew Rasmussen. After a leadoff single from Paul Goldschmidt and a one-out walk from J.C. Escarra in the second, Trent Grisham smacked a two-out RBI single to shallow center, giving them their lone run. The backup outfielder was also robbed of extras bases in the fourth, when his slicing fly to deep left was snagged on a terrific diving catch by Christopher Morel.
-- Anthony Volpe was no match for Rasmussen in their first two matchups -- he whiffed on three straight pitches in both at-bats. But his woes at the plate didn't disrupt his defensive groove and range. In the bottom half of the fourth, the Yankees' shortstop took an infield single away from Curtis Mead with an impressive across-the-body throw deep in the hole that was nicely scooped up by Goldschmidt at first.
-- Before the game, Aaron Boone insisted that Rodón -- who's developed a knack for back-breaking mistakes -- hasn't resembled a feast-or-famine pitcher this season. The comments were validated, as the left-hander wound up completing six shutout innings with nine strikeouts on 102 pitches. Rodón also overcame profuse sweat and footing issues -- he threw a few wild pitches and received a mid-inning towel break.
-- Mark Leiter Jr. entered in relief of Rodón in the seventh, and nearly gave up a leadoff triple to Jose Caballero. But the deep fly off the center field wall induced a stellar relay between Grisham and Volpe that ended with Oswaldo Cabrera securing the tag at third. The Rays' baserunning blunder shifted momentum -- Leiter settled down after the huge play, striking out two.
-- Cabarello somehow made up for his mistake in the eighth, as he robbed Ben Rice of a two-run home run to right with a stunning leaping catch at the wall. The line drive had an 105 mph exit velocity and 74 percent chance of becoming a hit, but if not for the clear robbery, Rice easily would've had his sixth homer of the season. He was as shocked as everyone else in the ballpark.
-- The Yankees relied on Fernando Cruz and Luke Weaver to record the final six outs, and neither right-hander disappointed. Cruz logged a pair of strikeouts with his nasty splitter and fastball, while Weaver produced a 1-2-3 ninth with two punchouts for his second save. It was yet another clutch performance from the bullpen, which had to complete 7.1 innings in Thursday's win.
-- Grisham's second-inning RBI single was the only blemish on Rasmussen's record -- Tampa's right-hander lowered his ERA to 0.87 by striking out seven across a season-high 5.2 innings. While the Yankees nearly added two runs on Rice's deep lineout, they struggled overall to muster offense. The only player who found success was Goldschmidt, who produced three of their five total hits and is now tied with Aaron Judge for the team lead in knocks (28).
-- It was another forgettable night at the plate for Jazz Chisholm Jr. He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, lowering his season average to .160. The Yankees' second baseman will most likely be forced to sit on Saturday, as MLB issued him a one-game suspension and fine for actions that followed his ejection from Thursday's game. Chisholm appealed the league's ruling on Friday afternoon.
While the sweat on his uniform and arms caused some disruptions on the mound, Rodón delivered his strongest start of the season thus far. He struck out a season-high nine batters, walked four, and gave up two hits. His ERA now sits at 4.34 through five starts.
The Yankees (13-7) continue their four-game weekend series in Tampa on Saturday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 p.m.
Carlos Carrasco (2-1, 5.94 ERA) is slated to take the mound, opposite Shane Baz (2-0, 1.42 ERA).
Continue reading...
Here are the takeaways...
-- Carlos Rodón entered Friday with the fifth-highest walk percentage in the league, and fittingly walked Rays leadoff batter Yandy Díaz on five pitches before allowing a single to Junior Caminero four pitches later. But the veteran southpaw managed to escape the two-on, no-out jam in the first inning by striking out three straight with his slider and changeup. Rodón needed 28 pitches to work out of the early trouble.
-- It didn't take too long for the Yankees to draw first blood against Rays starter Drew Rasmussen. After a leadoff single from Paul Goldschmidt and a one-out walk from J.C. Escarra in the second, Trent Grisham smacked a two-out RBI single to shallow center, giving them their lone run. The backup outfielder was also robbed of extras bases in the fourth, when his slicing fly to deep left was snagged on a terrific diving catch by Christopher Morel.
-- Anthony Volpe was no match for Rasmussen in their first two matchups -- he whiffed on three straight pitches in both at-bats. But his woes at the plate didn't disrupt his defensive groove and range. In the bottom half of the fourth, the Yankees' shortstop took an infield single away from Curtis Mead with an impressive across-the-body throw deep in the hole that was nicely scooped up by Goldschmidt at first.
-- Before the game, Aaron Boone insisted that Rodón -- who's developed a knack for back-breaking mistakes -- hasn't resembled a feast-or-famine pitcher this season. The comments were validated, as the left-hander wound up completing six shutout innings with nine strikeouts on 102 pitches. Rodón also overcame profuse sweat and footing issues -- he threw a few wild pitches and received a mid-inning towel break.
-- Mark Leiter Jr. entered in relief of Rodón in the seventh, and nearly gave up a leadoff triple to Jose Caballero. But the deep fly off the center field wall induced a stellar relay between Grisham and Volpe that ended with Oswaldo Cabrera securing the tag at third. The Rays' baserunning blunder shifted momentum -- Leiter settled down after the huge play, striking out two.
-- Cabarello somehow made up for his mistake in the eighth, as he robbed Ben Rice of a two-run home run to right with a stunning leaping catch at the wall. The line drive had an 105 mph exit velocity and 74 percent chance of becoming a hit, but if not for the clear robbery, Rice easily would've had his sixth homer of the season. He was as shocked as everyone else in the ballpark.
-- The Yankees relied on Fernando Cruz and Luke Weaver to record the final six outs, and neither right-hander disappointed. Cruz logged a pair of strikeouts with his nasty splitter and fastball, while Weaver produced a 1-2-3 ninth with two punchouts for his second save. It was yet another clutch performance from the bullpen, which had to complete 7.1 innings in Thursday's win.
-- Grisham's second-inning RBI single was the only blemish on Rasmussen's record -- Tampa's right-hander lowered his ERA to 0.87 by striking out seven across a season-high 5.2 innings. While the Yankees nearly added two runs on Rice's deep lineout, they struggled overall to muster offense. The only player who found success was Goldschmidt, who produced three of their five total hits and is now tied with Aaron Judge for the team lead in knocks (28).
-- It was another forgettable night at the plate for Jazz Chisholm Jr. He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, lowering his season average to .160. The Yankees' second baseman will most likely be forced to sit on Saturday, as MLB issued him a one-game suspension and fine for actions that followed his ejection from Thursday's game. Chisholm appealed the league's ruling on Friday afternoon.
Game MVP: Carlos Rodón
While the sweat on his uniform and arms caused some disruptions on the mound, Rodón delivered his strongest start of the season thus far. He struck out a season-high nine batters, walked four, and gave up two hits. His ERA now sits at 4.34 through five starts.
Highlights
What's next
The Yankees (13-7) continue their four-game weekend series in Tampa on Saturday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 p.m.
Carlos Carrasco (2-1, 5.94 ERA) is slated to take the mound, opposite Shane Baz (2-0, 1.42 ERA).
Continue reading...
