Source: FanGraphs
So much for the recent run of blowouts. The Yankees played their first one-run game in nearly two weeks — the last was the 3-2 win over the Red Sox on Sunday Night Baseball — on Saturday afternoon, beating the Angels by the score of 4-3. They took the lead in the fifth and hung on for dear life. Let’s recap the win.
- Nine-Hole Hitter: It’s always annoying whenever the Yankees get beat by the bottom of the other team’s lineup, but on Saturday it was their number nine hitter who did the most damage. Backup catcher/serial killer John Ryan Murphy drove in three runs on the day (tell me that’s not a serial killer name), including two with a two-out, two-strike single to right in the second inning. Great little piece of hitting. Lefty Hector Santiago balked in the team’s first run during the at-bat. In the fifth, Murphy clubbed his first career homer, a solo shot that turned out to be the game-winning run. Awesome day for the kid.
- Tightrope: Not the best outing for Vidal Nuno, who allowed a solo homer to Mike Trout in the first inning (oh well, it happens) and three runs in 4.2 innings overall. Despite retiring eight in a row at one point, he surrendered five hits and two walks. A Brian Roberts throwing error on a potential double play — I don’t think they would have turned it even with a clean throw — hurt him. Nuno was removed because of his pitch count, but I’m not sure letting him face Albert Pujols a third time would have been a smart move anyway. He’ll get another start, but with David Phelps starting in place of Michael Pineda on Wednesday, Nuno has to look over his shoulder. The rotation spot isn’t his just yet.
- Good Relief: Four relievers combined to throw 4.2 shutout innings after Nuno, including two innings by Dellin Betances. He allowed a single and a walk but struck out three, earning his first MLB win. Shawn Kelley really struggled to throw strikes early — his first six pitches were balls, resulting in a walk to Trout and a 2-0 count to Pujols — but he regrouped and retired four of the final five men he faced. Matt Thornton got Raul Ibanez to line out with the tying and go ahead runs on base, then David Robertson pitched around a Trout single (and steal) in the ninth. They didn’t exactly dominate, but the bullpen preserved that one-run lead and that’s all that matters.
- Leftovers: Brett Gardner was hit by a pitch on the top of his left foot. He remained in the game and x-rays were negative according to Erik Boland, but there is some swelling. With the off-day on Monday, I wouldn’t be surprised if Gardner sits on Sunday to get two straight days off … Mark Teixeira was unable to catch a foul pop-up in the ninth because a fan in the first row got in his way, extending a Pujols at-bat. It didn’t affect the outcome of the game, but geez man, get out of the way! … everyone in the starting lineup reached base at least once other than Carlos Beltran (0-for-4) and Kelly Johnson (0-for-3) … the Yankees struck out six times as a team and now have only 15 strikeouts in their last 127 plate appearances, or 11.8%. The MLB average is 20.8% in 2014.
MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs some other stats, and ESPN the updated standings. The Yankees and Angels wrap up this three-game series on Sunday night, in another ESPN game. Yuck. Masahiro Tanaka will give it a go against hard-throwing righty Garrett Richards. RAB Tickets can get you in the door if you want to catch the game.
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