The New York Yankees lost 4-3 on Monday night against the Baltimore Orioles, falling to 17-12 on the season.
Still in first place in the American League East, despite the injuries the team has dealt with, the Yankees aren’t in a bad spot.
They need to get to the deadline healthy and add, so staying afloat now is what’s important.
But the Yankees will also need guys to step up in a major way before then. One of those players will be Devin Williams, who hasn’t thrown the baseball as he was expected to entering the season.
Holding a 10.00 ERA and walking seven in nine innings of work, Williams needs to improve. The Yankees demoted him from the closer role, giving Luke Weaver the ball in close situations now.
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However, it might not be permanent. The Yankees understand that Williams is incredible when he’s at his best, and that’s why Aaron Boone made the comments he did after he threw a scoreless inning in a non-close situation on Monday.
“It’s just little things here that can get your mojo and remind you just how darned good you are at this game,” Boone said, per MLB.com. “Hopefully, it’s a step in the right direction.”
Outside of giving up 10 earned runs, Williams has to throw strikes. He hasn’t dealt with walk issues for much of his career, which is part of the reason why he’s been so dominant.
No matter how good a pitcher’s stuff is, walking big league hitters will never result in outs.
“I liked his look out there,” Boone said. “He was aggressive in the strike zone, aggressive with his fastball. I thought every changeup he threw … I liked the depth on the pitch, but also establishing his fastball and in the strike zone for us.”
