Erik Boland: Yankees’ Bullpen Exceeds Aaron Boone’s Expectations

The New York Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants. The final game ended 3-1 on Saturday night in San Francisco.

Early-season outlook

The team entered the season with optimism. Executives and coaches praised a deep lineup, a strong bench and improved starting pitching depth.

Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt began the year on the injured list. Still, the club felt its rotation depth was the best in years.

Bullpen performance through three games

Relievers have been reliable in the first three contests. They combined for 2 2/3 scoreless innings in the season opener, 3 2/3 scoreless innings on Friday, and 4 2/3 scoreless innings on Saturday.

David Bednar serves as the closer. He allowed two baserunners in the ninth on Saturday before recording the final two outs via a strikeout and a 4-6-3 double play.

Key reliever contributions

Camilo Doval opened with a scoreless inning and later struck out the side in one outing. His mix of sinker, cutter and breaking stuff impressed opponents and staff.

Jake Bird escaped a first-and-third, none-out jam on Saturday. He struck out Willy Adames and helped induce a double play to preserve the lead.

Context from last season

Last year the bullpen was strong early, then faltered during the summer. General manager Brian Cashman cautioned that bullpens are volatile.

At the trade deadline, New York added three relievers. Only Bednar made a clear positive impact that season. Bird posted a 27.00 ERA in three appearances and was optioned to the minors. Doval finished with a 4.82 ERA in 22 outings.

Spring training and adjustments

Both Doval and Bird showed marked improvement in spring training. They played important roles in this opening series.

Will Warren, the starter on Saturday, singled out Bird’s big sixth-inning escape as game-changing.

Managerial view and roster notes

Aaron Boone emphasized early competition for bullpen roles. He said roles must be earned and can shift by matchup and availability.

Boone has made clear Bednar is entrenched as the closer. He also mentioned other relievers, such as Tim Hill, could be used in late-inning situations.

Player perspective

Ben Rice supplied an early two-run double that helped the cause. Teammates credited the relievers with maintaining momentum throughout the series.

Opposing hitters noted Doval’s elite movement when he is at his best. That helped explain his dominant appearances this week.

Erik Boland has reported that the Yankees’ bullpen has already exceeded Boone’s early expectations. Filmogaz.com will continue tracking bullpen performance as the season unfolds.