Game 52 Wrap-Up: NYY 7 STL 4

(Brendan Ryan at shortstop?  It can't be.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

There was a lot of good that could have happened last night.  Hiroki Kuroda could have turned in a throwback performance from last year or 2012 and inspired confidence that he can be a stabilizing force in the rotation, the offense could have woken up against a very erratic and hittable Shelby Miller, and the Yankees could have wrapped up a victorious series and road trip with a win.  2 and a half of those things happened, so I'd say there was plenty of good that came out of last night.

Game Notes:

- The Yanks stranded 2-out singles in each of the first 2 innings, then unloaded on Miller in the 3rd and 4th.  It started with a Brett Gardner walk, 3 straight singles, and an Ichiro RBI groundout to get 4 in the 3rd.

- It ended with a Brian Roberts double, Jacoby Ellsbury 2-run single (his 3rd hit of the game at that point), and a Brian McCann RBI single for 3 more in the 4th.  It was a barrage of base hits.

- The half part was Kuroda's.  He started off strong in the 1st and 2nd, danced around a bases loaded situation in the 3rd, and then never really got a grip on his command again.  He gave up a run each in the 4th, 5th, and 6th, and didn't make it out of that inning.

- Once again, Dellin Betances did his fireman thing.  He came on with 2 outs and runners on the corners in a 7-3 game and got the last out of the inning,  No flashy strikeout, but he got the job done and effectively ended the St. Louis comeback attempt.

- The early runs were all the Yankees would get.  They managed to not score with the bases loaded and nobody out in the 8th, but it didn't hurt them as Adam Warren and David Robertson teamed up to get the final 9 outs.


F*ck Yeahs:

- Ellsbury: 3-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 SB, 1 LOB.  Maybe this is the start of something...

- McCann: 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 LOB.  Ditto here...

- Brian Roberts: 2-4, 1 2B, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 GIDP, 3 LOB.  Nice little night for B-Rob moonlighting in the 2-spot.

Oh Nos:

- Kuroda: 5.2 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K.  I know he really wasn't that bad, but this is the type of pitcher he's been for the majority of this season.  It'd just be nice to see him throw 7 innings easily again.

Next Up:

The Yanks get an off-day today as they had back home.  They'll start a series against the Twins on Friday, Vidal Nuno and Ricky Nolasco.