Late rally pushes Yankees ahead of Pirates 7-4

The Yankees got back to winning on Saturday, as they traveled to take on the Pirates. It took an explosive eighth inning to take the lead, but the Bombers ultimately won in a 7-4 outcome.

In lieu of full-length recaps, we will run bullet-point highlights through spring training. Important contributions and players will get covered, plus a roundup of the team’s pitching lines, as well as news and notes from the club. Hope you all enjoy this format!

Game Highlights

• The offense had a golden opportunity in the first inning, when Chris Stratton completely lost the strike zone. Stratton walked three straight batters to load the bases for Chris Gittens. Gittens struck out however, and the threat was neutralized.
• Jonathan Loaisiga got the start today and pitched two innings, allowing two runs on two hits while striking out a pair. The damage came on a home run from an old friend, John Ryan Murphy, who deposited a ball into the seats in left. It was the first blip on the radar this spring for Loaisiga, who has otherwise been pitching phenomenally.
• The Yankees couldn’t get much going until the eighth inning, when they exploded for six runs. Brandon Lockridge delivered the big blow by bashing a bases-clearing triple down the line in right field. Armando Alvarez followed up with a single to score Lockridge, and then four consecutive walks pushed home another pair of runs.
• Dan Otero was tasked with closing the game out, but he ran into some trouble in the ninth. After inducing a ground ball for the first out, Otero allowed three straight singles, giving the Pirates a run and some life. Otero settled down however, and retired the next two batters to end the game.

Sunday features a pair of games as a split-squad will travel to face the Orioles, while the main team will host the Braves. Both games are scheduled to start at 1:05 p.m. EST, but there won’t be a live broadcast for them unfortunately. We’ll have a joint recap on the games later that day.

Box Score.