Yankees takeaways from Friday's 3-0 loss to Cubs, including Carlos Rodon's solid team debut
In the first of a three-game series, the Yankees fell to the Cubs 3-0 on Friday night in Carlos Rodon's team debut.
Here are the takeaways...
1. Carlos Rodon took the ball in his Yankees’ debut after signing a big free-agent deal this past winter. After missing the opening three months due to injury, the left–hander made his first start with New York and looked sharp in the opening frame. He retired the side in order and fanned Ian Happ with a 97mph fastball for his first strikeout in pinstripes.
Rodon stayed perfect through two innings before Chicago struck first on a Cody Bellinger home run into the second deck in right field. The left-hander bounced back to end the frame and deliver a 1-2-3 fourth inning.
The left-hander began to lose control in the fifth inning with a pair of walks. With two on and two out, Nico Hoerner shot a base hit to right to double the Chicago lead. Rodon escaped further damage in the fifth and was efficient overall with just 59 pitches in five frames.
At 69 pitches, Aaron Boone made the move to the bullpen after Rodon tossed 5.1 innings with just four hits and two runs while striking out two.
2. Jameson Taillon made the start for Chicago in his return to Yankee Stadium. In two seasons with the Yankees, the right-hander went 22-11 with a 4.08 ERA. On Friday, the right-hander allowed just one hit and kept the Yankees scoreless the first time through the order. Taillon mixed speeds and kept hitters off balance into the fifth as the Yankees offense struggled for a second straight night with just two baserunners in six innings.
Taillon finished off his seventh inning of one-hit ball when Harrison Bader bounced into a double play and worked through eight innings and 102 pitches. The outing marked Taillon’s best outing of 2023 and just his second scoreless performance of the season in addition to his five shutout frames against the Dodgers on April 15.
3. Ian Hamilton entered in relief for Rodon in the sixth inning. After walking Christopher Morel, Hamilton produced a double play ball to end the inning and officially close the book on Rodon’s outing.
4. Patrick Wisdom added another insurance run in the seventh inning when he smacked a double to left field off of Ron Marinaccio. A pair of impact defensive plays erased two Cubs runners to end the inning. Anthony Volpe threw out Wisdom running to third base before Kyle Higashioka caught Hoerner stealing.
5. Clay Holmes worked a scoreless ninth inning and struck out the side to give the offense a chance in the bottom of the frame. For the Cubs, Adbert Alzolay faced the minimum to earn the save and secure a 3-0 win for Chicago.
Highlights
What's Next
The Yankees continue their series with the Chicago Cubs in the Bronx on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.
