Ottavino said that it was “unacceptable” to issue two walks in the eighth, as Yoshi Tsutsugo and Kevin Kiermaier worked free passes, but
the right-hander was also irked by his pitch selection in the Perez
at-bat. Ottavino said that he shouldn’t have thrown a slider, which
Perez lifted to center field for a sacrifice fly.
“I was thinking fastball up and in,” Ottavino said. “[Perez] had just
fouled a ball off his foot. There was a little bit of a debate [over]
what to throw there, but that was my initial thought. We went back with a
slider, and I just threw a lousy one. I regretted that immediately
Joe DiMaggio Jersey.”Gleyber Torres had an opportunity to snap his early-season doldrums in the
seventh, but the infielder flied out to right field, extending his
hitless streak. Torres skied to center field in the ninth for the final
out and is hitless in his last 24 at-bats. “I thought he got some better
swings off,” Boone said. “He's been putting the ball in play. He's had a
little bit of tough luck, but I thought he slowed it down a little bit
and wasn't chasing as much. He laid off some pitches.”
LeMahieu said that the Yankees are usually able to turn the page quickly
after tough losses.
“I think we do a really good job of bouncing back when things don't go
our way,” LeMahieu said. “I expect us to come out with a lot of energy
tomorrow, play good baseball and get back to being ourselves.”Mike
Tauchman has been pleased with the nature of his at-bats so far this
season, and the Yankees’ coaching staff is taking note, with manager
Aaron Boone saying that he is searching for opportunities to write the
outfielder’s name in the lineup.
Tauchman stroked another two hits, including a two-run single, in
Thursday’s 5-4 loss to the Phillies. The 29-year-old was 7-for-19 (.368)
entering play on Friday, continuing a run of above-average big league
production that dates to last July.
“I feel competitive in my at-bats,” Tauchman said. “I think we're all
chasing perfection a little bit, knowing that it's never going to come.
I've been happy with the competitiveness of my at-bats and my two-strike
approach. It's led to some results early, and I just want to keep
working to get where I want to be.”Acquired from the Rockies in March
2019, Tauchman was sent down to the Minors twice last season, but his
third promotion proved to be the charm. In 56 games since July 4,
Tauchman has batted .329 with 12 doubles
Jorge Posada Jersey, nine homers and 36 RBIs, compiling a .973 OPS.
“I think he's just finally gotten an opportunity at the big league
level,” Boone said. “He’s done a great job of coming in here and
learning how to prepare for a pitcher and game plan. That’s allowed his
talent to finally show itself at the big league level. This is a guy
that's had a lot of success through the Minor Leagues, and it clicks at
different times for people.”
Tauchman’s progress could spell a tough decision for Boone in left
field, as Brett Gardner has been swinging the bat better after a slow
start. A devoted student of the game under normal circumstances,
Tauchman said that preparation has taken on even more importance during
this shortened season.
“I think it’s about finding ways to slow things down and simplify,”
Tauchman said. “There's a lot of distractions; there's a lot of new
rules and little different things. Something is going to sneak up on you
and surprise you, but if you prepare as best you can, you can kind of
limit that.”
Friendly skies
This weekend’s visit to Tropicana Field marked the first air travel of
the season for the Yankees
Lou Gehrig Jersey, who utilized trains and buses for their first trips to Washington,
D.C., Philadelphia and Baltimore. Boone said that each passenger was
provided with pre-packaged food and players could not freely mingle
while on board, permitted to get out of their seats only to use the
lavatory.
“It was a different [larger] plane for us, so we could have more rows
and guys could have their own row,” Boone said. “Those things were
different, but it was a familiar flight crew and I think it all went
pretty well.”
With Major League Baseball releasing stricter protocols this week,
players are required to remain in the team hotel when they are not at
Tropicana Field. Tauchman said that he believes those protocols will
help players remain healthy.
“I’m a pretty boring guy as it is; I spend about 90 percent of the road
trip in my room anyway,” Tauchman said. “Doing things like cleaning the
surfaces in your room and just making sure stuff is wiped down, that
remains a priority.”Gerrit Cole said that he would have enjoyed the
Old-Timers’ Day festivities, which were originally scheduled to be held
this weekend in The Bronx. He was in the visitors’ dugout last year as a
member of the Astros.
“It would have been special to be wearing the pinstripes and watch it
from the home side, being able to get to meet some new faces, some
Yankees heroes and some great Yankees. Fortunately, I’m here for a
while, so I'll catch one sooner rather than later.”
Cole said that he was able to spend time with David Cone
Luke Voit Jersey, Reggie Jackson and Bernie Williams this spring, and is looking forward
to a chance to meet Paul O’Neill. He also mentioned chatting with Chris
Chambliss during last year’s festivities; Chambliss and Cole both
attended UCLA.
Keeping tabs
During a typical season, Boone would pore over daily box scores and
reports from each of the Yankees’ Minor League affiliates. There are no
official games being played, but he is tracking players’ progress with
similar content from the club’s alternate training site in Moosic, Pa.
“We're getting information from the coaches down there,” Boone said.
“The ballpark in Scranton is outfitted with all our technology and
video, so we're able to see every outing and every live at-bat, reports
on what guys are doing. It’s all in there, just like it would be during a
Minor League season.”
Bombers bits
Infielder/outfielder Miguel Andújar, right-hander Albert Abreu
Mariano Rivera Jersey, infielder/outfielder Thairo Estrada, right-hander Ben Heller and
catcher Erik Kratz accompanied the Yankees to Florida, serving as the
club’s taxi squad. They are permitted to work out with the team but must
be out of uniform when games begin.
Up next
The Yankees will continue their series with the Rays on Saturday,
playing a doubleheader that will begin at 2:10 p.m. ET. Cole is
scheduled to start the first game, with the second game’s starter listed
as TBD. Tampa Bay’s pitching is listed as TBD for the two games, both
of which will be seven innings. Gary Sánchez showed signs of snapping
his early-season skid, helping the Yankees extend their season-opening
franchise record by homering in a 12th consecutive game, but their late
surge stalled in a 5-4 loss to the Phillies on Thursday evening at
Citizens Bank Park.
Sánchez launched a two-run homer in the seventh inning off Nick Pivetta,
marking the catcher’s third hit in 30 at-bats. The Yankees have mashed
24 homers through their first dozen games, with 45 of the club’s 65 runs
thus far being scored via the long ball.
“I definitely think I was due, noting how things were going for me,”
Sánchez said through an interpreter. “It was my time to put a good hit
on the ball, [because] they've been getting me out.”
Longest team HR streaks to start a season
Sánchez credited long hours with hitting coaches Marcus Thames and P.J.
Pilittere for helping his approach. Manager Aaron Boone said he is
encouraged that Sánchez appears to be turning the corner after a rough
opening to his year, pointing to Sánchez’s career track record of home
run power.
