Joey Wentz Faces Will Warren As New York Yankees Aim To Stop 3-Game Losing Streak

Joey Wentz is a bullpen pitcher for the Atlanta Braves, and he opposed Yankee starter Will Warren. The Yankees needed a big game out of Warren, who matched up well with Wentz. However, the Yankees struggled to score against Wentz, and Warren gave up a run in the third inning on a solo home run.

The Yankees won this game 12-8, after being down 5-0. That put the Yankees in a deficit early. In his first at-bat, Aaron Judge struck out, and in his second at-bat, he hit a weak ground ball to Wentz. It is funny, but the Yankees go as Judge goes. When do you think the Yankees will win their next game?

Lineups for Yanks Against Wentz

The Braves had Jurickson Profar as the left fielder, batting leadoff. Matt Olson was the first baseman, batting second. Ronald Acuna Jr. was the right fielder, batting third. Drake Baldwin was the designated hitter, batting fourth. Sean Murphy was the catcher and batted fifth. Ozzie Albies was the second baseman and batted sixth. Nacho Alvarez Jr. played third base and batted seventh. Michael Harris II was the center fielder and batted eighth. Nick Allen was the shortstop and batted ninth. Marcell Ozuna pinch-hit for him in the ninth inning.

For the Yankees, Paul Goldschmidt batted first and was the first baseman. Cody Bellinger was the left fielder and batted second. Judge was the right fielder who batted third. Giancarlo Stanton batted fourth and was the designated hitter. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was the second baseman, batting fifth. Trent Grisham was the center fielder, batting sixth. 

Anthony Volpe was the shortstop and batted seventh. Austin Wells was the catcher, batting eighth. Oswald Peraza was the third baseman and batted ninth. Ben Rice pinch-hit for him in the sixth inning. Jorbit Vivas came in and played third base in the sixth inning.

News and Notes

The Yankees were excoriated in the press for the way they handled the game last night. Why did they decide to have a bullpen game in the first game after the All-Star break? Plus, the used bullpen pitchers in the first game of the series.

Max Fried threw a bullpen session today in Atlanta, and both he and Yankees Manager Aaron Boone were optimistic that he will pitch Wednesday in Toronto. No player in Major League Baseball is more important to their team than Fried.

Game Reaction

The Yankees fell behind again as Warren gave up a home run to Harris and Albies. They made Werntz look like Cy Young. Warren threw more than 41 pitches in the fourth inning and then failed to cover first base, and the Braves scored their fifth run. That was curtains for him. The Yankees needed more from him. He was outpitched by Wentz. To make the next step, he needs to not have 40-pitch innings. All of the bad stuff happened to him in the fourth inning with two outs.

The Yankees are making silly mistakes night after night. When a team does not score runs, it cannot make silly mistakes. Tonight’s mistake was the failure of the pitcher to cover first base on a ground ball fielded wide on the base by Goldschmidt. Pitchers practice covering first base in pitcher fielding drills in spring training. Enyel De Los Santos and Rafael Montero were much less effective than Wentz. In the sixth inning, the Yankees sent nine batters to the plate.

Scoring Summary

In the first inning, Harris hit a solo home run. The Braves led 1-0 right away again. Then, in the fourth inning, Albies hit another three-run home run for the Braves. Baldwin and Murphy scored. It was 4-0 Braves. This game was a little like last night. On paper, Warren had an advantage over Wentz, but games are not played on paper.

In the 4th inning, Allen hit a ground ball, and Alvaarez Jr. scored because Warren failed to cover first base. The Braves led 5-0. In the fifth inning, Volpe hit a two-run home run, and Grisham scored. It was 5-2 Braves.

In the fifth inning, Albies singled and both Acuna Jr. and Baldwin scored. It was 7-2 Braves. Albies had 5 RBI tonight and 9 for the series. The single scored two runs, instead of one, because Relief Pitcher Scott Effross threw a wild pitch right before, and the runners advanced. The little things will kill you.

In the sixth inning, ChisHolm Jr. singled and Bellinger scored. The Yankees were trailing 7-3 with no one out and the bases loaded. The Yankees brought the tying run to the plate, and the Braves’ pitching went downhill after they took out Wentz. Then Grisham reached base on a fielder’s choice, and Judge scored. The Yankees pulled to within 7-4. Then Volpe hit a sacrifice fly and Staton scored. It was now 7-5 Yankees. Then Wells grounded out and Chisholm Jr. scored, making it 7-6 Braves.

In the sixth inning, Olson singled and Profar scored. That made it 8-6 Braves. In the seventh inning, Bellinger hit a solo home run. The Yankees again pulled to within a run. The score was 8-7. In the eighth inning, Volpe hit a solo home run. The Yankees had tied the game at 8. In the ninth inning, Grisham hit a grand slam. Judge, Stanton, and Goldschmidt all scored, and the Yankees took a 12-8 lead. The Braves were missing Wentz. In the ninth inning, Harris grounded out, which scored a run. The Yankees led 12-9, but were an out away.

Final Thoughts

The Yankees make new silly mistakes every night. They had a pitching advantage in this game with Warren pitching against Wentz. However, the Yankees did not hit against Wentz and made him, a relief pitcher, look great.