To win a baseball game, a team has to score runs. This is not new information, nor is it revelatory in any way. It is basic logic. Baseball, unlike soccer, cannot end in a tie unless Bud Selig is attending the All-Star Game.
The Yankees are not dumb. They know this. They are, after all, professional baseball players. They did not get shut out on Sunday due to ignorance.
They were shut out because they simply could not barrel up Jhoulys Chacin and his 5.92 ERA, nor could they score against Deolis Guerra, JC Ramirez, or Fernando Salas. The Angels have the worst pitching staff in baseball according to DRA, and by a fair margin. The scores of the past two games reflected this. On Sunday, however, the Angels dispatched of the Yankees’ hitters with relative ease. New York managed just six hits, and just one of them went for extra bases.
New York’s pitching, however, was stellar. Chad Green allowed just one run in six innings of work, scattering five hits and a walk while striking out five. Green has had his ups and downs, and this is his second good start against a woeful offense, but the rookie clearly has promise. Given Luis Cessa’s excellent game on Saturday, the Justin Wilson trade is looking awfully good right now.
The Yankees will leave town with a series win, but the lone loss in Anaheim is a bitter one. This is the kind of game that the Yankees have simply had too many of this year, yet another dismal showing against a dismal pitcher.
The Play: Another scoring opportunity wasted ( -.139 WPA)
The Yankees had runners on the corners with one out in the third. The top of the order was up. Chacin was pitching. Time for runs, right?
Nope. Brett Gardner hit into a double play, and the inning ended. Cliff Pennington and Andrelton Simmons both did fine work in the middle infield here.
Top Performers
Yankees: Chad Green (6 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 5 K)
Angels: Jhoulys Chacin (5.2 IP, 0 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K)
Notes
- Gary Sanchez showed once again why he should demand respect behind the plate when he gunned down Mike Trout on the basepaths. It wasn’t particularly close, either. Gary is, indeed, scary.
- Aaron Hicks went 2-3. He’s hitting over .300 in limited action since August 2nd.
- Didi Gregorius once again hit cleanup. That could be the start of a new trend. Or not. It’s something!
- The Tyler Clippard – Dellin Betances duo got a day off with the loss, so that’s good.
The Quote
“Pitcher’s pitch here.” – Al Leiter, just before Albert Pujols demolished a baseball. Here’s what happened:
The Highlights: Ellsbury commits highway robbery
On Saturday, it was Brett Gardner. On Sunday, it was Jacoby Ellsbury. Both of them were damn good catches.
Up Next
It’s another late-night game for the Yankees fans on the east coast. The Bombers travel up to Seattle to take on the surging Mariners, and it’ll be Michael Pineda against his old team in the opener. Cody Martin will start for Seattle.
Photo: Kevin Kuo; Videos: MLBAM