New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians: 5 Takeaways

[caption id="attachment_44652" align="aligncenter" width="850"] Aug 13, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Yankees catcher Brian McCann (34) rounds the bases after hitting a three run home run against the Cleveland Indians during the first inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports[/caption]rnrnAfter a disappointing series against the Toronto Blue Jays, the New York Yankees were unable to bounce back against the Cleveland Indians.rnrnThings didn’t start out well for the Yankees, as they blew a great chance to win the opening game of the series, which turned into a 16-inning loss. In Game 2, the offensive woes of late continued, as the Yankees were held to just one run in a great performance by Danny Salazar.rnrnThe Yankees’ offense finally came alive in the final game of the series to avoid the sweep. Brian McCann would have the big blast in the first inning that set the tone for the remainder of the game. The top of the Yankees' order started to turn things around in the third game of the series, as both Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner were on base multiple times.rnrn Final Scores: rnrnTuesday: Yankees 4, Indians 5rnrnWednesday: Yankees 1, Indians 2rnrnThursday: Yankees 8, Indians 6rnrnHere are five takeaways from the series between the Yankees and the Indians.rnrn[nextpost teaser="Severino does well" slider="true"]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_44653" align="aligncenter" width="850"] Aug 11, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino (40) delivers in the first inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports[/caption]rnrn - Another solid showing from Severino rnrnMuch of the talk for the rest of the season will be how well does Luis Severino pitch. The Yankees were unwilling to part with their top prospect in order to land an ace before the trade deadline, and that will place pressure on the young right-hander. In the opening game against the Indians, Severino pitched fairly well in the no decision.rnrnSeverino finished going six innings, allowing two runs, seven hits, and one walk. It was a bit disappointing that he only struck out two batters, but it was a solid start overall. Severino was on the hook for the loss, but a Carlos Beltran homerun in the eighth inning saved him from what could have been a tough loss.rnrnThe Yankees have put a lot of pressure on Severino to succeed right away by not trading him for big named starters. So far, Severino has done well, but he hasn’t received nearly enough run support with the Yankees’ struggles hitting the baseball.rnrn[nextpost teaser="Miller is human" slider="true"]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_44649" align="aligncenter" width="850"] Aug 7, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Andrew Miller (48) delivers a pitch during the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. The Blue Jays won 2-1 in ten innings. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports[/caption]rnrn - He is human rnrnAfter some clutch hitting in the eighth inning of the first game of the series by Beltran, the Yankees were able to take a two-run lead in the 10 th inning. Chase Headley was able to have a two-run single in the 10 th inning to give the Yankees a 4-2 lead with their closer Andrew Miller in their pocket still.rnrnIn the save situation, Miller came on looking for his 25 th save of the season, but instead he blew his first save of the season.rnrnThe trouble would start with a Francisco Lindor infield single, which was followed by a double by Michael Brantley . Carlos Santana would hit a sac-fly to score Lindor, which made it a one-run game. A single by Yan Gomes would score Brantley and tie the game before a lengthy extra innings loss for the Yankees.rnrnMiller has been great for the Yankees all season but the blown save came at a very poor time with the Toronto Blue Jays playing so well.rnrn[nextpost teaser="Good showing from Sabathia" slider="true"]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_44648" align="aligncenter" width="850"] Aug 12, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia (52) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports[/caption]rnrn - Solid out for Sabathia rnrnMost of the 2015 season has been a disaster for CC Sabathia . This season, Sabathia has a 4-9 record with a 5.23 ERA, but in his last two starts, things have begun to improve.rnrnSabathia pitched very well in his recent start against the Boston Red Sox, and that continued in a losing effort against the Indians in Game 2 of the series. Sabathia pitched six innings, allowing nine hits, and two walks in his ninth loss of the season. Although the amount of base-runners Sabathia allowed isn’t very good, he was able to strand most of them on base. Most Yankees fans would love for six innings and only two runs allowed every night from Sabathia.rnrnWith Michael Pineda still sidelined, the Yankees really need Sabathia to pitch well, and his last two starts are promising. It would take a long stretch of good games to say Sabathia has regained some sort of his old self, but the last two starts are a step in the right direction.rnrn[nextpost teaser="Bird is the word" slider="true"]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_44647" align="aligncenter" width="850"] Oct. 14, 2014; Mesa, AZ, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird (20) plays for the Scottsdale Scorpions against the Mesa Solar Sox during an Arizona Fall League game at Cubs Park.Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports[/caption]rnrn - Bird is the word rnrnWith the Yankees’ offense slumping, they looked to add a spark in the form of prospect Greg Bird. Like Severino, Bird was one of the untouchable Yankees prospects that they didn’t want to part with at the trade deadline.rnrnBird has split time in Double-A and Triple-A this season, and has been successful at each level. In 2015, Bird has batted .277 with 12 homeruns and 52 RBIs in the minors this season.rnrnThe Yankees gave Bird the start at first base in the final game of the series to give Mark Teixeira a needed day off. The plan seems to be for Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez to get some more days off in the stretch run, and the hope is that Bird can be a productive player on their days off.rnrnIn his debut, Bird didn't register a hit, but he certainly put together some good at-bats, and also hit the ball very hard.rnrn[nextpost teaser="No longer in first" slider="true"]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_44650" align="aligncenter" width="850"] Aug 13, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (30) delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Indians during the first inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports[/caption]rnrn - No longer in first rnrnAfter the weekend series against the Blue Jays, the Yankees held a slim 1.5 game lead in the AL East.rnrnThe Blue Jays like the Yankees were off on Monday, and they then began a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics at home on Tuesdday. As expected, the Blue Jays stayed hot and swept the Athletics to take command of the AL East from the Yankees.rnrnWith the Yankees losing two out of three games to the Indians, they have seen their 1.5 game lead turn into a 0.5 game deficit in the standings.rnrnThis upcoming weekend will once again be a big one for the Yankees, as they will be heading north to look for revenge against the Blue Jays. The Yankees’ offense has struggled for much of August, but in the final game of the series in Cleveland, things started to come alive.rnrnThe Yankees will need all of the offense they can muster to try and regain control of the AL East this weekend.rnrn[nextpost teaser="Who is the greatest Yankee of all-time?" url="https://empirewritesback.com/2015/03/29/new-york-yankees-5-greatest-yankees-time/"]rnrn[recentposts align="center" thiscategory="no"]rnrn[sitesocials]rnrn[subscribe]

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New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians: 5 Takeaways from series

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