Will Warren vs Taijuan Walker In Game 1 In The Bronx

Will Warren is going to lead the Yankees against Taijuan Walker and the Phillies tonight at Yankee Stadium. Fresh off a demoralizing series loss to the American League East-leading Blue Jays on Wednesday, it almost does not matter how well the inconsistent Will Warren pitches. Philadelphia begins the series 0.5 GB of the Mets for the National League East lead after taking two of three from the Red Sox at home. Do you think the Yankees will recover?

Game 1 Pitching Preview: Will Warren vs Taijuan Walker

Will Warren has been inconsistent this year, but the Yankees are counting on him to pitch well against the Phillies. Will Warren’s statistics are being hurt by one or two bad starts. If you take those away, he has been very good this season. Walker has pitched well for the Phillies this year, so this is a good test for the young Will Warren. One thing is for certain. If the Yankees make four errors again, they will not win this game.

Will Warren is 6-5 with a 4.91 earned run average. His earned run average is high because of bad starts against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays. Otherwise, he has been very good in his rookie campaign. He continues to lead rookies with 117 strikeouts in 99 innings pitched.

Walker is 3-5 with a 3.75 earned run average this season for the Philadelphia Phillies. He signed as a free agent with the Phillies on December 16, 2022. He is 32 years old, and this is his 13th major league season. He is an experienced veteran who could give the Yankees trouble. Walker has never been a strikeout pitcher, averaging under one per inning both this year and for his career. At least that bodes well for the free-swinging Yankees.

Big Hitters

This series is populated by stars on both sides who lead their respective teams. For the Phillies, it will be interesting to see how Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, both left-handed hitters, benefit from the short right field porch at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees, on the other hand, are led by their stars Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. There are numerous other stars on both teams, though the stars are not necessarily playing like stars.

Are the Lights Too Bright?

The Yankees have many former players who are doing well around the league. Couple that with the fact they have been making awful and embarrassing mistakes for about six weeks, and you get a pattern of play that supports a common theory. Some people believe that the pressure and scrutiny of playing in New York can get to players.

There is no doubt that baseball play is scrutinized in New York more than in any other city. The fact that the Yankees’ play has been so poor recently and they have so many former players around the league supports the theory. It is fair to wonder if the same malady affects New York Mets players. It does not seem so.

Final Thoughts

The Yankees will face good pitchers in this series, and counter with the bottom of their staff. They may lose tonight and may get swept at home. It is reasonable for Yankees fans to wonder how much longer they need to endure this. It will be interesting to see how the Yankees play tonight. Who will end this series further back in their respective divisions? This is a battle of second-place teams. Both feel playoff pressure.