Marcus Stroman Tries to Help New York Yankees Against Philadelphia Phillies In Game 2

Marcus Stroman failed in his attempt to lead the Yankees to a victory against the Phillies. The struggles continue for the Yankees. They lost 9-4. Marcus Stroman had been good since coming off the IL, but he was bad today. He walked four batters in the fourth inning.

However, the biggest story was that Aaron Judge was not in the lineup today after having an MRI on his elbow. The Yankees needed a big start from Marcus Stroman after using many relievers last night. Do you think Marcus Stroman should remain in the Yankees’ starting pitching rotation?

Lineup Summary: Marcus Stroman Struggles

The Phillies had Trea Turner as the shortstop, batting leadoff. Kyle Schwarber was the designated hitter, batting second. Bryce Harper was the first baseman, batting third. J.T. Realmuto was the catcher and batted fourth. Brandon Marsh was the right fielder and batted fifth. Max Kepler was the leftfielder and batted sixth. Edmundo Sosa played shortstop and batted seventh. Otto Kemp came in to play for Sosa in the eighth inning. Sosa was hurt. Bryson Stott was the second baseman and batted eighth. Johan Rojas was the center fielder and batted ninth. 

For the Yankees, Trent Grisham batted first and was the center fielder. Paul Goldschmidt was the first baseman and batted second. Cody Bellinger was the right fielder and batted third. Giancarlo Stanton was the designated hitter who batted fourth. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was the second baseman who batted fifth. Ben Rice was the catcher, batting sixth. Anthony Volpe was the shortstop and batted seventh. Ryan McMahan was the third baseman and batted eighth. Jasson Dominguez was the left fielder, batting ninth. 

News and Notes

Judge was not in the starting lineup today. He had an MRI on his ailing elbow. The Yankees held their breath, but it sure seems like a torn ligament. Seeing how the Yankee offense goes as Judge goes, this injury is potentially devastating news.

McMahan debuted for the Yankees in this game, playing third base behind Marcus Stroman. He struck out in each of his first two at-bats as a Yankee, so he will fit right in. He is a noted plus defender, so he presents an upgrade there. The Yankees optioned Jorbit Vivas to AAA in a corresponding roster move. We will likely not see him or Oswald Peraza again this year. The Yankees activated Yerry De Los Santos from the injured List and added him to the bullpen. In a corresponding roster move, the Yankees optioned Scott Effross to AAA.

Game Reaction

Marcus Stroman did not pitch well for the Yankees. In this game, he did not make it through the fourth inning. They are not paying him to throw fewer than four innings. Marcus Stroman needed to pitch more innings in this game to save the Yankees’ bullpen. He continues to be a mystery.

All the Yankees’ roster moves were also newsworthy. Trade acquisition, hopefully the first of many, made his debut for the Yankees. The Yankees also got a new bullpen arm in De Los Santos. However, the biggest news is the potential serious injury to Judge. We will learn more after the game, but we are bracing for bad news. In the eighth inning, McMahan made a sterling play at third base. Juxtaposed with all the Yankees’ errors, they made another today, which stood out.

Scoring Summary

In the first inning, Realmuto singled and Turner scored. The score was 1-0, Phillies.  In the third inning, Harper hit a solo home run. It was 2-0, Phillies. In the fourth inning, Rojas walked with the bases loaded, and Stott scored. It was 3-0 Phillies. Then, Turner grounded out and Kepler scored. It was 4-0 Phillies. At this point, Marcus Stroman was removed from the game.

In the fourth inning, Dominguez singled and Chisholm Jr. scored. It was 4-1, Phillies. In the sixth inning, Turner doubled and Stott scored. That made it 5-1, Phillies. In the seventh inning, the Phillies scored four runs. First, Sosa hit a two-run home run, and Kepler scored. Then, Schwarber doubled, and Rojas and Turner scored. That made it 9-1, Phillies.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, there was a silver lining for the Yankees as Stanton hit a two-run home run to make it 9-3 Phillies. In the eighth inning, Phillies Pitcher Alan Rangel balked, and Rice scored. It was 9-4, Phillies.

Final Thoughts

Marcus Stroman was bad for the Yankees today. Even though the Yankees are about to get Luis Gil back, you can never have enough pitching. So, the Yankees should trade for a starting pitcher (they need two relievers) by the trade deadline. An interesting thing about Marcus Stroman is that he has an escalator in his contract for an additional $10 million if he pitches 150 innings. He will not get to that due to his injury. Now, after today’s performance, people will be thinking Marcus Stroman should be removed from the starting rotation.