Open Thread: March 6th Camp Notes

The Yankees lost 6-5 to the Phillies this afternoon. Masahiro Tanaka looked good in his two scoreless innings. He struck out two. A scout told Erik Boland Tanaka was 87-88 mph in the first inning and 90-91 in the second. Rob Refsnyder was tested twice at third base, first on the double play in the video above and the second time on a hot shot grounder, which he threw over to first for the out. The ball was hit right at him both times and he made the play, and that’s exactly what the Yankees need from Refsnyder at third. Make the plays you should make. Anything else is gravy.

At the plate, Refsnyder went 1-for-1 with a walk and two stolen bases. He must really not want to go back to Triple-A Scranton. Players very rarely steal bases this early in Spring Training. He wants to make an impression. Backup catcher hopeful Austin Romine came off the bench and went 2-for-2 with two booming doubles. He’s off to a nice start this spring and he’ll have to keep it up to make the Opening Day roster. Also, Lane Adams stood out with two long at-bats, both of which ended with walks. Starlin Castro singled in a run and Aaron Judge drew a walk. Here’s the box score, here are the video highlights, and here are the day’s notes from Tampa:

• As usual, Chad Jennings has the day’s workout groups. Aroldis Chapman faced hitters in live practice but there’s still no timetable for his first spring game. The Yankees aren’t in any rush with him due to the suspension. Ivan Nova, Bryan Mitchell, James Kaprielian, and Luis Cessa threw bullpen sessions. Not much else happened aside from the game.
• Luis Severino will come out of the bullpen and pitch after Michael Pineda tomorrow. It’s not unusual for starters to pitch in relief early in camp, especially the young guys. Mitchell will start Thursday’s split squad game on the road. Nathan Eovaldi is making his spring debut in the home game that day. [Jennings]
• Joe Girardi said the Yankees will use their last bench spot on someone who can play third base. He mentioned Refsnyder, Donovan Solano, Ronald Torreyes, and Jonathan Diaz as candidates. Also, Girardi indicated the backup catcher’s job is between Sanchez and Romine. Carlos Corporan wasn’t mentioned. [Bryan Hoch, Jennings]
• As I said, Pineda and Severino are both scheduled to pitch in tomorrow’s home game against the Astros. We won’t be able to watch that game anywhere. Not on television, not online. Lame-o.

Here is your open thread for the evening. This afternoon’s game will be replayed on MLB Network at 8pm ET, if you’re interested. The three local hockey teams are playing and there’s also a little college basketball too. Talk about those games or anything else right here.