New York Yankees lose to Houston Astros 4-3 – MLB Spring Training
New York Yankees were defeated by Houston Astros 4-3 at the George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa Florida on Monday, March 12 in their Grapefruit League encounter of the 2012 Major League Baseball Spring Training Sessions.
Kyle Weiland made an impressive start to his spring training campaign as he tossed four hitless innings to impress his boss. Weiland pitched with great control and accuracy as he worked out of a two-outs jam in the third innings to help the Astros move past the Yankees. Not only was Weiland aggressive but he also used his groundballs, fastballs and curve balls extremely effectively. He will be looking to make the most of his chances this season.
"The first couple throws I knew my arm felt good," said Weiland, who threw 49 pitches. "The big challenge was going to be monitoring my effort level because when your arm feels that good, a lot of times you tend to get the ball up a lot."
"I'm sure there will be a different excitement level in the stands," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "I'm not so sure our players will be too caught up in it because I try to tell them to not get too caught up during the season. They've got to go out and play."
Losing six of their 11 games this spring, the Yankees have clearly looked out of sorts over the last two weeks. Yankees’ General Manager Brian Cashman had spent great amount of resources on the pitching attack during offseason and he was hoping for a decent return on investments made by the club. However, things are not looking very bright for the Yankees right now.
By acquiring Michael Pineda, Ivan Nova and Phil Hughes, the Yankees were hoping to form one of the most effective bullpen in the American League but so far the pitchers have not been able to execute their game plan.
Astros, on the other hand, will be very pleased with the outcome of the game. The players showed great character and composure to emerge victorious in an extremely competitive game. Astros’ ability to defend well can prove to be crucial during the regular season.
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