While the Yankees’ outfield on Friday added another big name to the injured list when Aaron Judge fell with a straight calf trunk and joined Giancarlo Stanton, the bullpen could perhaps get a big boost.
Closer Aroldis Chapman confronted live hitters Friday night on the alternative education site. Although manager Aaron Boone has not yet received a report on how the lefty gas win went, there is a possibility that Chapman could join the Yankees this weekend. Chapman has been on the COVID-19 IL since the season began. He tested negative for the coronavirus during the ingestion program, but afterward tested positive.
Speaking about the bullpen after beating the Red Sox 10-3 on Friday, Gerrit Cole said he was optimistic the unit would become stronger.
‘It looks like we’ll get Chappy back relatively soon,’ ‘Cole said.
Adding Chapman would strengthen an area that despite Chapman has and loses Tommy Kahnle to Tommy John surgery. Chad Green dominated and Zack Britton led the majors in saving with seven entering Friday night’s action.
In his previous throwing session, Chapman said he felt better than he expected, which was an encouraging sign. That, too, pushed the speed gun to 99-mph.
Hal Steinbrenner watched the game out of the owners’ box with sister, Jennifer, club president Randy Levine and COO Lonn Trost.
The road in speed of James Paxton has people looking for a reason. There is talk that during the shutdown he may not have thrown with sufficient intensity and that resulted in a matter of arm strength.
However, Paxton said he does not think this is the reason.
‘I do not think it’s an arm force thing. When I came back from back surgery I was protecting my back and I made some bad habits that I was unable to create strength, ” said Paxton, who will make his fourth start of the season Saturday night against the The Red Sox, hoping to build a solid outing last Sunday against the Rays when he started with six shutout innings before finishing in the seventh inning. Paxton struck out 11 in 6 ¹ / ₃ innings.
To increase the speed to 93 mph, Paxton has been working on better riding of his legs.
‘Trying to get a little better in my hips,’ Paxton said. “We hope that will show a little more speed.” ‘
Paxton’s first two starts consisted of four innings, 12 hits and six deserved runs and a 0-1 ledger.
Before baseball was flooded with information for every aspect of the game, the best way to find out about a player was to go to a member of that fraternity.
Much has changed in the game due to analytics, training methods and the mental approach, but players remain the best judge of other players.
When asked about fellow Outfielder Clint Frazier on Friday afternoon, Mike Tauchman painted a positive image that included an evaluation long before Frazier went 3-for-4 with a home game in Wednesday night’s win over the Braves at Yankee Stadium. He also had a double of two runs in Friday night’s victory.
“[Wednesday] was a really good game [for him], but I thought in spring training 1 and spring training 2 he looked really good. I thought he was extremely consistent with his move. Last year was the first time I played with him and at the beginning of the year he was called with his knowledge of the regional zone, recognizing strikes against non-strikers, ” said Tauchman of Frazier. ‘That got him into a lot of really advantageous counts and he could do some damage. That’s the man we’re seeing right now, a man who can control the stress zone and is apparently a presence in the caster’s coffin. ”
.
