Chien-Ming Wang threw three strong innings this afternoon, but a silent Yankee offense came out on the wrong end of a 3-1 game against Atlanta.
Wang, making his second start after missing half of 2008 with a Lisfranc injury, went three innings and used just 33 pitches. Twenty-seven of those went for strikes, and his one mistake with a high change-up that Casey Kotchman deposited into the right field seats. Wang, as I detailed on RAB’s twitter account during the game, made a few nice plays in the field and had his splitter and sinker working. For an early March outing, it was a good one.
Brett Tomko followed Wang, and while he walked away with the loss, Tomko continued to make his case for a spot in the Yankee bullpen. He threw three innings, giving up a run on three hits while striking out three. Phil Coke allowed a run before giving way to three pitchers who probably won’t see action in the Bronx this year.
Offensively, the Yanks mustered just six hits against the Braves and struck out eight times. It was an unimpressive showing by the depleted Yankee lineup.
In WBC action, Team USA eked out a win against Canada. In a thrilling game, the Americans secured 6-5 win after JJ Putz threw like a Mets reliever and nearly gave away the game. Derek Jeter had a pair of hits; Chipper Jones went 0 for 4 with three strike outs and left five runners on base; and after rooting for Kevin Youkilis to deliver, I felt the need to shower. The Dominicans fell to the Netherlands in a shocker, and Japan, the defending champs, advanced to the second round. As of this writing, Panama is losing to Puerto Rico, and Italy and Venezuela play at 8 p.m.
Anyway, you know the rules: Here’s your open thread. Play nice.
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