The Yankees dropped their first game of the spring today against the Phillies in Bright House Park.
Fans got their first chance to see the team’s biggest offseason acquisition, Michael Pineda, in his start today against Joe Blanton.
Pineda, who has already lost about seven or eight pounds, did not disappoint. In his two scoreless innings, Pineda struck out two while allowing just one hit.
His changeup has been a work in progress in the early goings of Spring Training, but he reportedly used it quite effectively today.
At one point in his two innings, Pineda recorded six consecutive swinging strikes to Jim Thome and Shane Victorino.
David Robertson got the call for the third inning, and allowed one run on one hit while walking one. It was his first action of the spring.
Rule-5 pickup Cesar Cabral pitched the fourth, allowing just one hit before working a scoreless frame. Dan Burawa followed Cabral with a scoreless inning of his own.
Adam Miller then came on to pitch the sixth, and that’s when the floodgates opened. In 1 1/3 innings, Miller allowed five runs on just two hits. He issued three free passes.
Juan Cedeno came on in relief of Miller, and allowed three runs on three hits in his inning of work. He struck out one and walked one. Michael Martinez touched him up for his first home run of the spring, as well.
To finish off the game, Ryan Pope pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings. He struck out two in his impressive spring debut.
The offense totaled 10 hits during the game against the combination of Joe Blanton, Scott Elarton, Austin Hyatt, Brian Sanches and David Herndon.
Catcher Gustavo Molina went 2-for-2 in the game, and prospect Zoilo Almonte continued his perfect spring with a 1-for-1 effort. Almonte also drove in one of the team’s three runs.
Eduardo Nunez was 1-for-1 in the game, but left after being hit in the back of the right hand by an Austin Hyatt fastball. He received precautionary X-Rays, and Nunez does not believe that anything is broken.
The team is calling it a right hand contusion.
Despite the tough loss to the Phillies, the Yankees can take many positives away from this game. For starters, Zoilo Almonte is proving to the team that he can hit.
Almonte, a high ranking prospect in the Yankees system, will definitely be making a case to be placed AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to begin the season.
Another positive was the strong showing of Michael Pineda. Even with all the hooplah surrounding his weight issues and the fact that he has yet to develop a serviceable changeup, Pineda pitched a very strong two innings today.
The team will be hoping that Nunez’s hand feels better within the next coming days, as he will be an important bench piece for them this season.
The Yankees’ next game will be on Tuesday in Bradenton where they will take on the Pirates.
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