Saturday, April 4, 2015

Recap: Yankees 4, Nationals 3

Nathan Eovaldi surrendered three earned runs in five innings and Chris Young hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the eighth Saturday as the Yankees rallied past the Nationals, 4-3, in a tight one at Nationals Park.

Eovaldi Bounces Back From Rough First Inning: Eovaldi gave up three runs on three hits and a walk in the bottom of the first, but was otherwise solid in his last outing of the preseason. He allowed just two baserunners in innings 2-5 -- striking out six while consistently throwing in the high-90s.

Young Turns the Tides: With a runner on second and one out in the eighth, Young lined a Drew Storen offering over the left field wall to put the Yankees up 4-3 -- the Yanks' first and only lead of the afternoon. It was Young's third homer in exhibition play -- each of which has interestingly come against the Nationals.

Drew Ruins the Shutout: After Brian McCann doubled and Chase Headley grounded him to third in the Yankees' half of the fifth, Stephen Drew got the Yankees on the board with a two-run shot off Doug Fister -- a long fly ball to right that quickly reached the back of the bullpen. Like with Young, the blast was Drew's third of the spring -- tied for the most on the Yankees.

Betances Closes it Out: Dellin Betances struck out the side in a scoreless ninth inning, escaping a two-on, one-out jam with K's of Matt den Dekker and Danny Espinosa. He fell behind to three of the five hitters he faced in the frame, but was able to still earn the save thanks to an effective two-strike curveball. 

Other Bullpen Stats: Chris Martin retired the Nationals in order in the sixth, and Justin Wilson and David Carpenter combined to put up a zero in the seventh. In the eighth, Andrew Miller struck out one before stranding a runner at first -- lowering his Grapefruit League ERA to just 2.25.

Next Up: Masahiro Tanaka will take the mound for the Yankees when they host the Blue Jays Monday at Yankee Stadium -- Tanaka's first Opening Day start in two seasons with the team. First pitch is slated for 1:05 p.m. ET on YES and ESPN, with WFAN and WADO also set to call the action. 

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)