The theme of the Diamondbacks’ offseason was ‘evolution,’ with a new look jersey and roster. But the evolution in the desert on Thursday night didn’t come from the Diamondbacks. Instead, it came from the Yankees’ side in a 4-2 win. Nathan Eovaldi continued his transformation from a talented thrower to a polished pitcher, and it culminated in one of his finest starts of the season.
This isn’t to say that the evolution of Eovaldi is complete—far from it. The hurler still has a 4.44 ERA on the season and has two disappointing starts mixed in with two pristine ones this May. That said, Eovaldi’s six inning performance was outstanding: following a fluke double to start the evening from Jean Segura (who went on to score Arizona’s only run against him), Eovaldi retired 18 straight batters. Throwing just 85 pitches, Eovaldi struck out five and was nothing short of unhittable. In fact, just three balls left the infield in his start—a fly ball to Carlos Beltran and two popups in foul territory.
Eovaldi hasn’t been an ace just yet, but he’s pitched like one on several occasions. Inconsistency still can haunt him, but it looks like Eovaldi is learning to command his pitches and avoid hanging them at the worst times. The evolution to a top flight arm isn’t yet over and hasn’t been smooth, but it is well underway.
Although the bats weren’t quite as impressive as Eovaldi was, the offense got the job done with four runs on eleven hits. A Brett Gardner two-run home run opened up scoring in the first, and Jacoby Ellsbury knocked home another run in the sixth on an RBI single. The team still managed to leave 17 players on base, but the bats were far from quiet.
The biggest story that never became one was from the dugout, when Joe Girardi removed the cruising Eovaldi after six one-hit innings. The move was immediately second-guessed, and things only got worse when Dellin Betances walked two straight batters to start the seventh inning. Luckily for Girardi and the Yankees, Betances was able to escape the jam. Still, the decision to remove Eovaldi with just 85 pitches was questionable, to say the least.
The Play: Brett Gardner hits a two-run home run (.152 WPA)
The Yankees didn’t take long to change the complexion of the game, with Brett Gardner hitting a 418 foot two-run home run on Miller’s tenth pitch of the game. He drove in Jacoby Ellsbury, who reached on a walk. The home run was Gardner’s fifth of the season, and it looks like he and Ellsbury are starting to click as the team’s all-important table setters.
Top Performers
Yankees: Jacoby Ellsbury (3-3, 2B, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB)
Diamondbacks: Chris Owings (1-3, HR, R, RBI)
The Highlight: Dellin Betances doesn’t ruin everything
This may not be a highlight as much as it was the point in which Yankees fans could breath again, but it was one of the most pivotal moments of the game nonetheless. Betances was one ball away from walking the bases loaded with no outs, but came back on Jake Lamb to get the strikeout before forcing Wellington Castillo to fly out. Betances finished it off with a strikeout of Brandon Drury, saving Nathan Eovaldi’s gem, the game, and Joe Girardi’s sanity.
The Quote
Betances (smiling): "I know a lot of people were staying up late to watch the game so I just tried to make them sweat, get them nervous."
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) May 19, 2016
Up Next
After winning three straight series, the Yankees dropped this past one to the Diamondbacks. New York will look to rebound against the Athletics in Oakland, beginning with Ivan Nova facing off against Kendall Graveman. Nova has made two starts this season, ceding just two runs over 10.1 innings (1.74 ERA). Graveman has had a rocky start to the season with a 5.84 ERA, though he did throw 6.1 innings of one run and eight strikeout ball against the Yankees on April 20th.
Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today Sports