Yankees win one and draw one in split-squad doubleheader

The Yankees played two today and came away with a win and a draw. They took down the Braves in Tampa by a score of 1-0, and traveled to Sarasota and found themselves in a 5-5 tie with the Orioles. More importantly, no one seemed to get injured, though we are still waiting on more news regarding Gary Sanchez’s back issue.

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

• Top prospect Clarke Schmidt started against the Orioles and had a rough go of it, thanks in large part to poor fortune. A passed ball on a strikeout, a weak bloop that landed barely fair, and a soft infield single combined to push three runs across against Schmidt in the first inning. He bounced back with a quality 1-2-3 second, displaying his solid mid-90’s fastball and sharp slider.
• Albert Abreu followed with a pair of impressive innings, allowing one hit against two strikeouts and zero walks. Luis Medina showcased the full Luis-Medina experience, flashing a dominant fastball/curveball combo while also walking two batters en route to allowing one run in one inning. Trevor Lane and Luis Gil provided scoreless innings, while Alexander Vizcaino allowed a run in the eighth to surrender a 5-4 lead.
• Back in Tampa, Masahiro Tanaka spearheaded a terrific day for the Yankees’ pitching staff. Tanaka allowed just one hit and no walks across 3.2 shutout, striking out four. Adam Ottavino, Zack Britton, Tommy Kahnle, Chad Green, and Domingo Acevedo tossed scoreless innings in relief. All-around performances like these will be welcome early in the season with the Yankees’ lineup banged up.
• Against the Orioles, minor-league outfielder Thomas Millone had the best day on offense, going 3-3 with a single, double and a home run, driving in three in the process. Not much happened offensively against Atlanta, with Chris Iannetta providing the only scoring with an RBI single in the sixth. The two teams combined for just eight hits in the game, six for New York and two for Atlanta.

The Yankees get right back to it tomorrow as they’ll take on the Phillies on the road. J.A. Happ is scheduled to square off with Aaron Nola. The game starts at 1:05 EST and will be broadcast on MLB Network.