For the second night in a row, the New York Yankees had a great chance to steal a game from the Houston Astros but beat themselves.
If you’re reading this, I want you to pull out your dictionary right now. Flip to the “S” section of that encyclopedia of knowledge and look for the word “sloppy.”
Next, to the definition of the word “Sloppy,” you’ll find a picture of the New York Yankees‘ 6-3 loss to the Houston Astros.
The Bad
The Yankees absolutely beat themselves tonight. The Yankees defense was out of control all night, highlighted by two atrocious plays in left-field by Clint Frazier.
YES showing the two Frazier plays back to back is excruciating. Two outs! For those that don’t get YES, here ya go. Feel my same pain. pic.twitter.com/cLXEHN5pFP
— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) April 10, 2019
To pile on an already rough day, Frazier did not reach base in four at-bats with two strikeouts.
Further, Brett Gardner bunted into a double play after uncharacteristically not running to first base, assuming his bunt was a foul ball.
Chad Green was dealt the loss after giving up three earned runs on two hits and two walks in less than an inning of work. He struggled with command of the strike zone and gave up a costly double to George Springer which blew the game wide open for the Astros.
Considered one of the best arms in the bullpen, Green has struggled from the start of the season. He’s appeared in five games with five total innings pitched and has given up five earned runs.
Austin Romine’s struggles defensively continued. He was given two passed balls in the box score, one of which took away a strikeout from Tommy Kahnle in cleanup duty.
The Good
Jonathan Loaisiga managed to keep the Yankees in the game through three innings. Loaisiga gave up two earned runs on four hits before turning it over to Stephen Tarpley.
Tarpley, Luis Cessa and Jonathan Holder combined to keep the Astros off the board again until the seventh inning.
Gary Sanchez was in the lineup as the Designated Hitter and continued to build on his early season success. He went 2-4 with two RBI.
Gary Sanchez comes up HUGE the pitch after ducking under a flat inside curve. #PinstripePride pic.twitter.com/ysmiQxFLrM
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) April 10, 2019
Additionally, Luke Voit seems to have found his power stroke again after going deep in the first inning off the Astro’s Gerrit Cole. Voit now has a hit in five straight games and is showing signs of returning to 2018 form.
Luke Voit wasting NO TIME! ?
Watch LIVE: https://t.co/CtwzmpHQMg pic.twitter.com/fy9F3oju4s
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) April 10, 2019
Looking forward
The Yankees will try to salvage the series with James Paxton facing off against Collin McHugh on the mound. Look for Paxton to be aggressive early following a rough first inning in his last outing. The defense will need to step up behind him and cut down on the stupid mistakes that cost them a chance at winning game two of the series.
More so, the Yankees need to work on closing out games going forward. The starting rotation has kept the team in the game almost every day. The offense, bullpen and defense need to execute to start turning these close losses into solid wins.
Yankees are now 5-5 when they've had a lead at any point in the game.
MLB avg win percentage in those games is .700 https://t.co/7s05fg5Qzb
— Katie Sharp (@ktsharp) April 10, 2019
The New York Yankees also announced that Loaisiga has been optioned to Triple-A. The roster spot will most likely go to CC Sabathia, who is expected to join the team this weekend.
Yankees optioned Jonathan Loaisiga … corresponding move coming tomorrow #yankees
— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) April 10, 2019
