17 August 2023
ATLANTA — The Yankees wrapped up an abysmal road trip in fitting fashion on Wednesday, as the Braves completed a sweep with a 2-0 victory at Truist Park.
Atlanta, baseball’s best team, scored the only runs of the game in the second inning when Eddie Rosario crushed a two-run shot for his second home run of the series. The blast came after Marcell Ozuna doubled.
While Ozuna’s two-bagger was well-struck to right field at 102.1 miles per hour, the ball had a catch probability of 70%. Giancarlo Stanton, limited in his mobility but playing the field with Aaron Judge DHing, could not come up with it.
Those were the only runs Randy Vásquez and the Yankees allowed against a stacked offense, but the rookie right-hander lasted just 3.1 innings. Vásquez walked three, including two in the fourth, and struck out three over 60 pitches before Michael King took his place on the mound.
King, whom the Yankees would like to stretch out if possible, struck out three and walked one while delivering 3.2 scoreless innings and 44 pitches.
While the Yankees’ pitching did better than one could ask for against a dangerous lineup, their offense stumbled yet again. This time, Charlie Morton did the stifling, as the veteran righty totaled four hits, one walk and 10 strikeouts over six scoreless innings.
Braves pitching, highlighted by Tuesday’s one-hitter, held the Yankees to just three runs in the unevenly matched series. All of those runs came in the first game of the series.
Wednesday brought an end to a brutal, three-city road trip that saw the Yankees go 2-7 against a dysfunctional White Sox team, the Marlins and Atlanta. The Bombers are now 60-61 on the season. They haven’t had a losing campaign since 1992.
The Yankees will try to return to .500 when they resume play at home on Friday. They’ll begin a three-game series with the Red Sox that night. Boston is one of the teams leading the Yankees in the chase for the final wild card spot, making this weekend’s matchup a pivotal one for two teams that are short on time.
Jhony Brito is expected to pitch in some capacity for the Yankees on Friday, while Brayan Bello will start for the Red Sox. Gerrit Cole will face Kutter Crawford on Saturday, while Clarke Schmidt will look to rebound from a rough start on Sunday.
The Red Sox had yet to decide on a Sunday starter at the time of publication.
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