Preview: Nationals at Yankees
Gracenote
Jun 11, 2018
The New York Yankees have seen their notoriously loud bats fall silent of late as the club matched a season low with three hits in its last outing and is batting .176 over the last four games overall. The Yankees (42-19) look to avoid hitting the snooze button once again Tuesday when they open an abbreviated two-game interleague series against the visiting Washington Nationals (36-27).
Gary Sanchez is mired in a 4-for-53 stretch while teammates Greg Bird (1-for-16) and Aaron Judge (2-for-23) are also slumping. Slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who has answered a six-game hitting streak by striking out five times in his last two contests, scored a run in the last meeting with Washington - a 3-3 deadlock on May 15 that was suspended after 5 1/2 innings. While the Yankees became the final major-league team to get shut out when they were blanked by the cross-town Mets on Sunday night, the Nationals also lost a 2-0 decision to San Francisco hours earlier to fall to 4-5 in their last nine outings. Anthony Rendon, who belted a solo homer in the suspended game versus the Yankees, is 6-for-16 with five RBIs and six runs scored in his last four games.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MASN (Washington), WPIX (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals RH Tanner Roark (3-6, 3.56 ERA) vs. Yankees LH CC Sabathia (3-1, 3.59)
Roark recorded his first win since April 30 after allowing two runs on six hits in an 11-2 romp of Tampa Bay on Wednesday. The 31-year-old worked six innings in that contest, marking the 11th time in 12 starts that he has ventured that far into a game. Roark will be making his first career start versus the Yankees, although he is very familiar with Stanton (8-for-33, four home runs) from the slugger's time with Miami.
Like Roark, Sabathia also snapped a prolonged winless drought in his last outing after yielding two runs on three hits in seven innings of a 7-2 triumph over Toronto. The 37-year-old, who won for the first time since April 29, was taken deep twice to raise his home run total to seven in his last five trips to the mound. Mark Reynolds is 4-for-18 with a homer versus Sabathia, but the left-hander owns a 2-1 career mark against the Nationals with a 2.25 ERA and an 0.92 WHIP while limiting the club to a .185 batting average.
WALK-OFFS
1. Washington rookie OF Juan Soto is 20-for-61 and has reached base safely in 16 of 19 games played.
2. New York's bullpen allowed only two unearned runs and struck out 25 in 19 1/3 innings over the past week.
3. Nationals 2B Daniel Murphy (right knee surgery) is expected to accompany his club to Yankee Stadium and could be activated from the disabled list this week, according to the Washington Post.
PREDICTION: Nationals 4, Yankees 2
Gracenote
Jun 11, 2018
The New York Yankees have seen their notoriously loud bats fall silent of late as the club matched a season low with three hits in its last outing and is batting .176 over the last four games overall. The Yankees (42-19) look to avoid hitting the snooze button once again Tuesday when they open an abbreviated two-game interleague series against the visiting Washington Nationals (36-27).
Gary Sanchez is mired in a 4-for-53 stretch while teammates Greg Bird (1-for-16) and Aaron Judge (2-for-23) are also slumping. Slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who has answered a six-game hitting streak by striking out five times in his last two contests, scored a run in the last meeting with Washington - a 3-3 deadlock on May 15 that was suspended after 5 1/2 innings. While the Yankees became the final major-league team to get shut out when they were blanked by the cross-town Mets on Sunday night, the Nationals also lost a 2-0 decision to San Francisco hours earlier to fall to 4-5 in their last nine outings. Anthony Rendon, who belted a solo homer in the suspended game versus the Yankees, is 6-for-16 with five RBIs and six runs scored in his last four games.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MASN (Washington), WPIX (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals RH Tanner Roark (3-6, 3.56 ERA) vs. Yankees LH CC Sabathia (3-1, 3.59)
Roark recorded his first win since April 30 after allowing two runs on six hits in an 11-2 romp of Tampa Bay on Wednesday. The 31-year-old worked six innings in that contest, marking the 11th time in 12 starts that he has ventured that far into a game. Roark will be making his first career start versus the Yankees, although he is very familiar with Stanton (8-for-33, four home runs) from the slugger's time with Miami.
Like Roark, Sabathia also snapped a prolonged winless drought in his last outing after yielding two runs on three hits in seven innings of a 7-2 triumph over Toronto. The 37-year-old, who won for the first time since April 29, was taken deep twice to raise his home run total to seven in his last five trips to the mound. Mark Reynolds is 4-for-18 with a homer versus Sabathia, but the left-hander owns a 2-1 career mark against the Nationals with a 2.25 ERA and an 0.92 WHIP while limiting the club to a .185 batting average.
WALK-OFFS
1. Washington rookie OF Juan Soto is 20-for-61 and has reached base safely in 16 of 19 games played.
2. New York's bullpen allowed only two unearned runs and struck out 25 in 19 1/3 innings over the past week.
3. Nationals 2B Daniel Murphy (right knee surgery) is expected to accompany his club to Yankee Stadium and could be activated from the disabled list this week, according to the Washington Post.
PREDICTION: Nationals 4, Yankees 2