Zack Greinke has had an up-and-down start so far this season, but on Tuesday night he was in peak Cy Young form.
The $206 million man threw seven innings against the Yankees and allowed five hits, his fewest total in 2016. New York scored a run off the bat of Starlin Castro, who homered in the top of the second inning, before falling just short of completing comeback bid in the eighth when it added two more.
Meanwhile, the Michael Pineda Fun Time Jamboree continued, as the right-hander gave up 5 runs in 5 innings of work. Pineda actually threw a ton of his pitches for strikes Tuesday night (62 of 81) and struck out 9 batters, but the Diamondbacks’ top-5 NL offense made him pay.
The top of the Yankees’ lineup (Ellsbury, Gardner, Teixeira, McCann) went a combined 1-for-16 on the night.
THE PLAY: Jake Lamb’s 2-run home run (+.112 WPA)
For the second straight night, Lamb posted the highest WPA play of the game, this time with a 2-run home run off Pineda in the fifth inning. Lamb nearly hit it into the pool beyond the right field fence. The two runs ultimately proved the difference in Tuesday night’s game.
TOP PERFORMERS
Yankees — Castro: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI
Diamondbacks — Paul Goldschmidt: 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI
NOTES
— After Pineda departed, the Yankees’ bullpen continued its strong season. Chasen Shreve and Kirby Yates combined for 3 scoreless innings, only giving up 1 hit and striking out 4.
— Rob Refsnyder was in line to make his season debut as a pinch hitter, but Joe Girardi elected to go with Carlos Beltran instead after the Diamondbacks pulled Greinke. Refsnyder will have to wait yet another day after being called up Tuesday afternoon.
— Brett Gardner was nearly ejected for arguing a called third strike in the 8th inning. Gardner had started the at bat with a 3-0 count, and argued the 3-1 call as well, but borderline pitches from Daniel Hudson caught him looking.
— Despite the early struggles with runners in scoring position, the Yankees batted .500 in such situations tonight. Granted, it was a sample size of two at-bats, but we’re looking for silver linings here.
THE HIGHLIGHT: Mark Teixeira’s still got it
Teixeira may be old and in the last year of his contract, but he’s still a pretty remarkable defender. As the only man on the right side of the infield, he completely extended his body to make a great leaping catch and rob Wellington Castillo of an extra-base hit.
UP NEXT
The Yankees try to avoid the sweep on Wednesday in another 9:40 p.m. start. New York will send out Nate Eovaldi (3-2, 4.85 ERA) while Arizona counters with Shelby Miller (1-4, 6.94 ERA).