When Gerrit Cole was asked to describe the atmosphere in the Yankees’ clubhouse late on Saturday, the articulate ace needed only two words: “Not happy.” The mood won’t be any more chatty when the players don their masks to board a socially-distanced chartered flight on Sunday.
Dean Kremer limited the Yankees’ slumbering bats to one hit over six innings, outpitching Masahiro Tanaka in his Major League debut as the Bombers dropped a 5-1 decision at Camden Yards. Baltimore is a road stop where the Yanks can usually count upon fattening their record, but instead, the O’s took three out of four games in the weekend series.
The Yanks generated their lone run off Kremer in the second inning, as Clint Frazier singled, advanced on a Miguel Andújar single and scored on a fielder’s choice. Otherwise, New York had few answers for the 24-year-old right-hander, who is rated as the Orioles’ No. 10 prospect by MLB Pipeline. Kremer walked three and struck out seven.
Banking on more offensive support, Tanaka did his best to keep the game close. Tanaka threw 44 sliders out of his 95 pitches, generating 10 swings and misses. After DJ Stewart’s two-run homer off Tanaka in the first inning, his third blast in two games, the slider-heavy arsenal helped Tanaka keep Baltimore off the board until the sixth.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].