The New York Yankees struggled to generate offense as they suffered a 5-1 defeat against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night. Here are the key takeaways from the game:
– The previous day, there was much debate about whether the Yankees should have pitched to Shohei Ohtani or intentionally walked him to face Mickey Moniak. However, Moniak proved his worth by hitting a two-run homer in the first inning, shortly after Ohtani struck out. Moniak continued to shine throughout the game, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs, including driving Ohtani home with a single after Ohtani’s earlier RBI triple. Ohtani had a decent performance, going 1-for-3 with a walk.
– Patrick Sandoval, who is the Angels’ pitcher, held the Yankees to just one run and two hits in 7.1 innings pitched and had an impressive outing. This game added to a concerning trend for the Yankees’ offense, as they have been making struggling pitchers like Sandoval appear dominant. Sandoval’s ERA dropped from 4.41 to 4.16 after this stellar performance.
– The Yankees’ starting pitcher, Domingo German, had a mixed performance. He gave up the early two-run homer to Moniak and encountered trouble by walking the bases loaded in the third inning. Although he managed to limit the damage, allowing just one run, he struggled again in the fifth inning, conceding two more runs.
Overall, the Germans struck out nine batters and pitched six innings, but also gave up five runs on four hits and three walks.
– The Yankees’ offense had a tough time against Sandoval, managing only two hits in the game. Gleyber Torres injected a glimmer of hope into the game when he smashed a solo home run to left field during the third inning, reducing the Angels’ lead to 2-1. However, the offense couldn’t capitalize further, with Anthony Volpe’s single in the eighth inning being the only other hit. The Yankees’ only other baserunners resulted from walks to Torres, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Harrison Bader, and a defensive error allowing Giancarlo Stanton to reach base.
– Oswald Peraza, who had an impressive showing in the leadoff spot the previous day with five times reaching base, struggled on Tuesday. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, failing to make an impact.
Overall, the Yankees’ offensive struggles and the Angels’ strong performance, especially from Moniak and Sandoval, contributed to the 5-1 loss.