A Series win in our Nation's Capital

Since I’m late to the party for last night’s affair, this column will be a recap for both the Saturday and Sunday.

Games like last night happen all the time. I don’t say that to dilute the awful outing that Paxton had, but to bring you back to reality, in a 162 game season a clunker happens routinely. 

Really it’s just game two of 60, this game won’t matter. I have heard the numbers that say every game of this season is like three games in a 162 game season, but with the addition of the two playoff teams for 2020, this game doesn’t matter to the Yanks. Washington was just better. They’re the world champs and with that roster they’ll play like they are more nights than not—tonight the played like it.  The showed the same resolve that they did in October and pounced on every opportunity they had.

 The Nats were 4-10 with runners in scoring position, but hit three homers in the process, I will tell you watching the game it didn’t seem like only 4-10. The shaky but sturdy Nationals bullpen stayed strong producing five innings of relief—backpacking the Nats to the win. There weren’t many bright spots for the Yankees.

 One of them however was Stanton on the other hand has started his 2020 campaign exactly the way you would draw it up when you’re making predictions in February. The Bombers bullpen did everything they could to salvage the game after Paxton got battered and bruised. There really isn’t much more to say, the team that showed on Opening Day wasn’t there tonight. The determination, sharp pitching, and overall savagery that the Yankees displayed didn’t translate into tonight’s ball game. But, to overreact and act like the sky is falling just makes you a clown (it’s one game, just one), the bombers will bounce back. Tomorrow’s a different day—a new day to attack.

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Speaking of bouncing back, that’s exactly what happened this afternoon. The first bullpen day of the season was a success (tenfold after Paxton’s inning plus last night) Loaisiga continued his hot pitching from Summer Camp and shut down the Nationals bats for three innings.

Loaisiga could be one of the Yanks biggest weapons moving forward due to his ability to throw multiple innings and do it with two plus pitches. Loaisiga will be the band aid the Yanks need without Chapman at the beginning of this campaign and the front man to this incredible bullpen.  

The 2019 ways of the Bronx Bombers of never say die appeared again as Torres and Voit homered to tie the game in the 7th before Torres delivered the game winning RBI-single in the 8th. Torres got out of the mini slump he’s started out on by being the hero today. Despite Patrick Corbin pitching extremely well, six and a third, two hits, an earned run, and eight strike outs it was all for not. But then again that’s baseball. Just as Paxton didn’t escape the first inning and was one of the catalysts for the loss last night, Corbin’s effort was enough to win many ball games, just not this one. The Bombers went 1-3 with RISP while Washington was 1-6, and with Corbin pitching damn near perfect, that’s the difference in the game. A great way to win a game and the first series win of the year. 

On to Philadelphia were J.A. Happ faces his old team as Jake Arrieta looks to bring the Phillies back to .500 four games in. For now however, let’s celebrate the first series win of the year and LET’S GO YANKEES. 

 


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