Yankees Road Trip Recap

Yesterday, the New York Yankees wrapped up their west coast road trip with an exciting win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. With the win, the Yankees compiled a record of 6-3 in their nine games out west. And you know what? They showed many positive signs along the way. 

The Good:

• Starting pitching - After a mediocre beginning to the road trip by A.J. Burnett and Ivan Nova (total of 8.2 innings, six runs, eight walks), Yankee starting pitching was absolutely dominating. CC Sabathia pitched like the ace he is, allowing only two earned runs through 16.2 innings against the Mariners and Angels. While his strikeouts are still lacking, he's proven that he can give the Yankees an opportunity to win every time he takes the mound. Bartolo Colon threw the first complete game shutout for New York since Sabathia did it against the Orioles on May 8, 2009. What was most impressive about this game was the fact that he didn't walk a single batter. Freddy Garcia, A.J. Burnett and Ivan Nova all had three consecutive good starts, putting together 20 innings of work and only allowing seven earned runs. Unfortunately for Nova, he was out-dueled by Jered Weaver and had to take the loss. 
• Bullpen - Overall, the bullpen was reliable during the trip. The bullpen tossed 19.1 innings allowing 14 hits, eight walks, and 16 strikeouts. While I love watching David Robertson pitch, he walked three men and allowed a hit in three innings. He'll need to limit the walks so that he doesn't have to escape situations like Houdini in the future. Hector Noesi pitched well against the Mariners when the Yankees needed him to as well, 2.1 innings with two hits and a strikeout. And hey, Luis Ayala pitched five innings and only allowed one run. Mariano had a sub-par road trip, taking the loss against the Mariners and recording two saves, but he'll be just fine. 

The Bad: 

• Boone Logan - Not too much went poorly on this road trip, but Boone Logan was definitely not good. In three appearances, he allowed a hit in each one and only came into the game for a single batter twice. He completed an inning without allowing a run, but one of his runs allowed was crucial in the extra inning Seattle game. For being a lefty specialist, he's really not good (or a pitcher in general). 
• Blowing the first two games in Seattle - The Yankees could have easily won every game during this road trip, but the first two losses were especially difficult to swallow. New York held a 3-0 lead with Burnett on the mound and a 3-1 lead with Nova before succumbing to the Mariners offense (yes, they have one). When Mariano allows two hits and a walk against the Mariners, something has got to give. 

The Ugly: