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Yankees Recap: Small Ball Prevails as Yankees win 2-1 and Move into Second Place

By Matt Curran

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In the final game of the four game series with the Detroit Tigers, Masahiro Tanaka got the start for the Yankees going up against a struggling Anibal Sánchez.  The great pitcher’s duel ended in the Yankees favor as they won 2-1.

Tanaka started off a little shaky in the first inning giving up a base hit, and a walk. He was able to limit the damage to only one run in that inning, and he settled in for the rest of the game. After that first inning Tanaka looked like the ace he was last season. Tanaka made the Tigers great offensive lineup look mediocre today at best. Tanaka left the game in the bottom of the seventh with a couple of runners on base, but the Yankees bullpen, which has been our biggest strength thus far, was able to get out of the jam and keep the game knotted at 1. Tanaka’s line was 6 1/3 giving up 1 run, 3 hits, 6 strikeouts, and 2 walks.

Anibal Sánchez has been struggling coming into this game, but had his best outing so far of the season… go figure.

Sanchez went 6 1/3, and struck out 8. He gave up a run in the sixth inning due to a balk, with Jacoby Ellsbury on third, and was nearly untouchable up until that point.

In the top of the eighth inning Ellsbury led off with a double. A Gardner sacrifice bunt moved him over to third for the first out of the inning. The Tigers intentionally walked Carlos Beltran despite his three strikeouts in order to get to Brain McCann and try and force a double play through the shift. However, the Tigers plan back-fired, and  with runners on first and third, McCann hit a hard ground ball to Miguel Cabrera, and the first basemen could not make the play cleanly. Ellsbury was able to score, and give the Yankees the lead 2-1 on the biggest break of the ball-game.

The Yankees were able to win today with only three hits behind some great defense, great starting pitching, and of course, their great bullpen. The Yankees took three of four from the Tigers and extended their record to 9-7, sitting alone in second place behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.

The Yankees next series is the Subway Series with their cross town rival, New York Mets. The Yankees will be truly tested all weekend having to face Jacob deGrom, and The Dark Knight, Matt Harvey. It should be a fun and exciting series starting Friday night at 7:05.

Don’t forget about Bernie Williams officially retiring in a press-conference prior to first pitch tomorrow evening!

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