Yankees Spring Training: Game 2

The Good:

Curtis Granderson made great use of his two at-bats, knocking a double in the first inning and a homer in the third. Not too bad for a guy who never believed he was a home run hitter. And, even though it’s early, it’s a good sign that his numbers last year weren’t a fluke and his shorter swing and the production that comes with it are the real deal. On the pitching front, David Phelps looked great. Through two innings he allowed only one hit. He only struck out one batter, but his stuff looked pretty nasty out there on the mound.

The Bad:

As you can tell from all of those zeroes in the boxscore, the regulars still aren’t hitting. No cause for concern yet, though, as this is only the second game and it will take most of the guys a few days to get used to seeing live pitching again. Ivan Nova got off to a rough start when he botched a pickoff attempt and then allowed a two-run homer to Hunter Pence in the first inning. But he settled down in the second inning and didn’t allow any more runs. Jayson Nix also made an error and Eduardo Nunez picked up his first error of the spring.

The Ugly:

Michael O’Connor really got roughed up in his one inning, allowing three runs on three hits, one walk, and one home run. Yipes. That’s definitely not the kind of performance you want to see in the ninth inning, but the Yankees did have a six-run lead at the time. Besides, the purpose of Spring Training is development and getting guys ready to go for the season. Perhaps O’Connor can use his outing today to work on his mechanics and pitch selection.

Boxscore