NEW YORK – DJ LeMahieu missed badly at a breaking pitch, the awkwardness of his swing drawing attention as a rare flub by the AL’s leading hitter.
And then he winced.
Suddenly, the Yankees feared they were facing another injury to a key lineup figure.
Diagnosed with a sprained left thumb, LeMahieu was subbed out of Saturday night’s 11-5 victory against the last-place Boston Red Sox at empty Yankee Stadium.
According to Yankees manager Aaron Boone, LeMahieu was "pretty sore'' as he left for CT and MRI scans at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Boone added that it was possible LeMahieu would land on the 10-day injured list.
Already, the old “Next Man Up’’ theme of 2019 has been recycled for the 2020 Yankees, who have placed Aaron Judge (strained calf) and Giancarlo Stanton (strained hamstring) on the injured list since last Sunday.
Watching their .400-hitting leadoff man descend the clubhouse steps in mid-game had to sting the first-place Yankees (14-6), on a night when so much went right against their rivals offensively.
Clint Frazier homered, doubled and drove in five runs as the Yankees battered old friend Nathan Eovaldi, charged with eight runs over 5.1 innings.
Gary Sanchez homered for the third straight game, while Gio Urshela belted the first of three homers Saturday off Eovaldi, in the first inning.
And the Yanks are now 5-0 against Boston this season (all at the Stadium) with two games left in this series.
Overall, the Yankees have taken eight straight from the Red Sox, winning 13 of their last 14 versus Boston since the start of 2019.
Coming off a vastly improved start last Sunday at Tampa Bay, Yankees lefty James Paxton saw mixed results over his five innings Saturday.
Paxton reached 95 mph with his fastball, but hovered mostly at 92-93 mph, yielding three runs on six hits – including a Xander Bogaerts home run – while striking out just two batters.
One bad swing
Hitless in his first two trips Saturday, LeMahieu was batting in the fourth inning when the injury occurred.
After flailing badly on a 1-and-0 breaking pitch outside, LeMahieu wince in pain – drawing the attention of the Yankees’ medical staff.
Following that delay, LeMahieu completed his at-bat, grounding into an inning-ending force play with runners at the corners.
A concerned Boone consulted with LeMahieu on the field prior to the top of the fifth, but LeMahieu remained in at second base for the inning.
In the top of the six, LeMahieu was replaced defensively by Tyler Wade, who would later contribute an RBI double.
Speaking with LeMahieu, Boone relayed that the condition felt similar to a sprained left thumb LeMahieu suffered in 2018 with Colorado.
That year, LeMahieu went on the IL for over two weeks.
X-rays taken of the All-Star second baseman's thumb Saturday at the Stadium were negative.
The lefty-hitting Wade could wind up in a platoon with Thairo Estrada if LeMahieu were to land on the 10-day injured list.
As adept as the Yankees have been in replacing injured stars, with Frazier and Mike Tauchman now getting more playing time and producing, losing the league’s leading hitter would be a blow.
Stanton could be sidelined for up to four weeks. Judge is hopeful of returning not long after his eligibility date, Aug. 22; he’s expected to resume baseball activity Monday according to Boone.
Paxton's side step
Paxton’s mediocre five innings felt more like a sideway step than a step back.
Still tinkering with his delivery between starts, Paxton said he felt “like things are going in the right direction’’ leading up to his fourth start of the season.
Paxton had followed two subpar starts with a sharper effort in last Sunday’s no-decision at Tampa Bay (6.1 IP, 3 ER), striking out 11 Rays and seeing his fastball rise to 94 mph.
That’s still 2-3 mph off from Paxton’s normal velocity, which the lefty attributed to mechanical flaws he developed following early February back surgery to remove a cyst near a nerve.
By “subconsciously’’ protecting his back, “I just created some bad habits that weren’t putting me in a good position to create power,’’ said Paxton. With improved mechanics, “there’s still some velocity to be had.’’
Paxton said he’s also changed his fastball grip since last season, with his fingers better positioned on the seams to create a higher spin rate.
Pete Caldera is the Yankees beat writer for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all Yankees analysis, news, trades and more, please subscribe today and download our app.
Email: caldera@northjersey.com Twitter: @pcaldera
"lose" - Google News
August 16, 2020 at 09:18AM
https://ift.tt/2PWB5hg
Instant analysis: Yankees lose DJ LeMahieu during another win against the Red Sox - NorthJersey.com
"lose" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3fa3ADu https://ift.tt/2VWImBB
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Instant analysis: Yankees lose DJ LeMahieu during another win against the Red Sox - NorthJersey.com"
Post a Comment