Strahm Ks 10, Bats Subdued, Padres Lose 5-2 to Yankees
Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
New York, New York
The Padres headed south from Toronto to start a series with another A.L. East foe, the New York Yankees.
Matt Strahm took the hill for the Padres opposite the Yankees’ “opener” Chad Green. It was a beautiful Memorial Day Monday at Yankees Stadium. 46,254 fans enjoyed pre and mid-game festivities honoring our nation’s military.
Yankees Stadium is a tough ballpark to pitch in as the ball flies out of the park in a hurry. Strahm did a good job keeping the damage to a minimum.
The Friars jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second as Josh Naylor nearly had his first major league home run but had to settle for an RBI double, giving San Diego a 1-0 lead.
Austin Hedges then did likewise, doubling home Naylor.
Josh Naylor!
The rookie puts the @Padres on the board with an RBI double to right!#FriarFaithful | @Padres | @JoshNaylor44 pic.twitter.com/6WXfzFe0bB
— Bally Sports San Diego (@BallySportsSD) May 27, 2019
The Yankees would quickly respond in the bottom of the second. Clint Frazier lined a solo home run to cut the Padres lead in half. Then a runner got on in front of Brett Gardner, who hit a two-run homer, giving the Yankees a 3-2 lead.
After that, Strahm settled down and dominated the Yankees. He finished with a career-high ten strikeouts in six innings, with just that hiccup in the second inning and three walks. Strahm continues to be a pleasant surprise in this young rotation.
Make it 10 strikeouts for @MattStrahm, a new career high! 🔥#FriarFaithful pic.twitter.com/y3FZoRAiqd
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) May 27, 2019
The score remained 3-2 through the next five innings as both bullpens locked it down until the bottom of the eighth. Trey Wingenter pitched a scoreless seventh inning, but Craig Stammen ran into trouble in the eighth. Gary Sanchez launched an opposite-field home run, extending the lead to 4-2. Franmil Reyes committed an error in right field, allowing a single to score another run, extending the Yankee lead further.
Down 5-2 in the top of the ninth, the Padres faced All-Star closer, Aroldis Chapman. Manny Machado led off with a double down the left field line, extending his hitting streak to seven games. The Friars were unable to capitalize on his leadoff double as the next three Padres went down easily, giving Chapman the save and the Yankees the 5-2 win.
The Padres look to even up the series on Tuesday with Eric Lauer going against Masahiro Tanaka at 3:35 PM PDT.
Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.