Saturday, June 28, 2014

Game 78 Wrap-Up: NYY 6 BOS 0

How about that, huh?  A shutout outing from Vidal Nuno, 3 home runs, solid relief work, no catastrophic defensive screw-ups.  The Yankees actually looked like a competent, contending baseball team last night in the series opener against the Sawx.  Guess that off-day on Thursday did them wonders.

Game Notes:

- Nuno's night wasn't without baserunners.  He had 1 on in each of the first 4 innings.  What it was without was multiple hits.  Whenever he started to get in trouble, Nuno made pitches to get out clean.

- A pair of Yankee hits in the bottom of the 1st got them their first run.  Derek Jeter singled, Jacoby Ellsbury doubled him to third, and Mark Teixeira's sac fly plated him for the slimmest margin possible.

- That margin grew in the 4th and it was thanks to the power game this time.  With 2 outs and Brian McCann on first (single), Kelly Johnson smacked a 2-run home run to make it 3-0.  Brett Gardner was the next batter and he popped a homer of his own to extend the lead to 4-0.

- Nuno kept Boston off the scoreboard into the 6th and Joe decided not to push his luck when Nuno walked 2 straight with 2 outs.  He went to his bullpen and his fireman Dellin Betances to end the threat and hold the lead.

- Adam Warren worked a 1-2-3 8th (a rarity for him lately), Brian McCann roped a 2-run homer to right for a last bit of insurance, and Matt Thornton handled a low-stress 9th.

F*ck Yeahs:

- Nuno: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K.  He's become hated in Yankeeland very quickly by a lot of people, myself included, and it's not really fair to the guy.  He's doing the best he can and it's not his fault he doesn't have big time stuff to dial up against good hitters.  He had it going last night though, and it was nice to see him have a good start.  He definitely needed it.

- Johnson: 1-2, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K.  First homer in a looooooong time.  More this, less Solarte.

- McCann: 2-4, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 LOB.  Please don't go cold and not get a hit for the rest of the series.  Please don't go cold and not get a hit for the rest of the series...

Oh Nos:

- Carlos Beltran: 0-4, 1 K, 6 LOB.  Game could have been broken open long before McCann hit his home run.  Batting average is down to .213.

Next Up:

Prime time pitching matchup tonight in the second game of this series.  Jon Lester and Masahiro Tanaka.  I hate you if you have tickets to this.

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