Good news and bad news in a 3-0 loss to the Pirates

The New York Yankees enjoyed a split uprights series on Saturday, facing off against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies. The Bombers lost against the Pirates 3-0, failing to spark much offense and seeing rookie Ryan Weber give up three earned runs over 2.2 innings.

Actually, there weren’t many positive results from this unfortunate defeat, but there were a few individuals who came forward and showed good moments.

Good news for the Yankees:

The Yankees are trying to get as much work as possible, splitting things up between two games. Oswald Peraza played shortstop against Pittsburgh, making a few great defensive plays.

One defining moment that flashed was a ground ball that hit a Yankees pitcher and went up in the air, as Peraza hit the ball and managed to get it to second base to complete an improbable double play. There is no doubt that he offers Gold Glove-level defense, hitting once on three at-bats. Peraza hit the .200 with a .333 OBP this spring, so he’s had his fair share of ups and downs.

However, designated hitter Billy McKinney hit two hits in three hits, and Andres Chaparro also added a hit to his stellar first base streak in the spring. 333 with a 0.417 OBP, making a solid push to move up Triple-A Scranton.

As for the team’s pitching, Ian Hamilton did well, striking out one batter over the course of 1.1 innings. He gave up two hits but didn’t allow any runs. Nick Ramirez also had a strong relief performance, giving up a hit and hitting the batter over 1.0 innings pitched. Specifically, Hamilton had a very good spring, getting in four games and striking out four batters across 4.1 innings pitched.

Bad news for the Yankees:

Aside from some notable positives, the Yankees hit 13 times in their failed offense. Estevan Floriel continues to bury his chances for a potential place in the 26-man squad. He hit twice for a loss, hitting .136 with a .208 OBP this spring. Josh Donaldson also offered minimal output, shooting once, hitting . 200.

Ryan Weber, starting batter, gave up five hits and three earned runs across 2.2 innings pitched. Weber has insane action on his grounds but lacks speed, which makes him a last-ditch accessory in the bullpen. This game featured mostly backup options, but the Yankees did get a few flashes from their starts, which is exemplary.