Braves infielder Tate Southisene’s 105.7-mph single to start off the evening was a precursor of what was in store for Kyle Carr and the Yankees. It was a pretty underwhelming performance for the New York prospects, dropping the Spring Breakout game by a final score of 8-3.
For the first two innings, Carr found a way to limit the damage and keep the Yankees in the game, allowing only a run in each of them, but the rally felt somewhat inevitable when you consider that all three recorded outs in the second inning came on hard-hit balls. What was a tightly contested affair early on finally got out of hand in the fourth inning, when—unlike in previous frames—the Braves didn’t need to connect that well on his pitches. Atlanta, instead, was able to rely on three free passes and a wild pitch to help string a rally together. The Braves found a way to score four runs in the fourth without the benefit of a single extra-base hit, routinely finding their way on with soft contact up and down the order.
Advertisement
Ultimately, though, it’s hard to come to any conclusion other than that of Carr’s diversified arsenal doing very little to stifle Brave hitters. The sweeper did OK as a weapon against right-handers, but no whiffs on seven swings on the changeup left a lot to be desired. Carr was removed in the middle of the fourth inning, but the Yankees trailed 6-2 when the dust had settled.
One of only two Yankee hitters in the starting lineup to strike out multiple times, George Lombard Jr., the Yankees’ leadoff batter, was unable to set the tone for a team that didn’t match the Braves’ offensive effort, scoring only a pair of runs through seven. Both tallies came in the first and briefly gave New York a 2-1 lead, as Core Jackson singled, moved to third on an error, Jace Avina walked, and Coby Morales singled in Jackson for the game’s first run. Avina crossed home plate when Braves catcher Colin Burgess threw a ball into center field on a Morales stolen base. They had a chance for more, but Garrett Martin hit an absolute bullet of a liner with a man on. Alas, it was in the wrong spot at the wrong time, leading to an inning-ending double play. After that, it was only downhill for the Yankees’ offense.
For his part, Morales had a nice day on both sides of the ball, driving in another run in the eighth and throwing out two runners at the plate — first on a heads-up play at first base and then on a seed from left field.
View Link
Advertisement
View Link
Atlanta starter Owen Murphy never quite really settled down and wrapped up his appearance with four walks and not even three full frames. However, the Yankees didn’t hurt Murphy after those two first-inning runs, and a little later on, the star of the game would appear. With neither starter impressing too much, it was Garrett Baumann coming out of the pen for the Braves who stole the show on the mound. The right-hander came into the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, and he tossed three perfect frames. Baumann struck out more than half of the hitters he faced, nullifying any chance the Yankees had of making this a more tightly contested matchup in the end.
Morales made it an 8-3 game with a bases-loaded single in the eighth, but Roderick Arias was thrown out at home trying to score the second one. The Yankees still had the chance to make it a close one with two runners on, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the frame. They went quietly in the ninth to end the night in a Braves win. Morales registered three of the Yankees’ five hits, with the only other knocks going to the aforementioned Jackson single in the first and the other a double by Arias in the eighth.
The more familiar faces on the Yankees will be back in business tomorrow afternoon, as they host the Phillies in Tampa. Will Warren is set to face Aaron Nola with first pitch at 1:05pm ET.
Box Score
Read the full article here