Daily dose of Yordan (Game 108)

Today's statline: 1-4, R

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At bat 1 (Top of first): 3 pitch flyout to left

Facing Scherzer for the first time, Yordan watched the first pitch, a curve outside and low, for a ball, and watched the next one fall right in the zone to even the count at 1-1. He then took the next pitch, a high fastball, and crushed it high and deep to left field, but unfortunately not deep enough, as it was caught just a few feet short of the outfield wall for a deep flyout. Definitely would have made it out in the crawford boxes, you can't really fault Yordan much for his first at bat here. Correa would advance to second on the flyball, but wouldn't score as Diaz struck out to end the inning.

At bat 2 (Top of fourth): 4 pitch single to left

Once again, Yordan took the first Scherzer pitch, this time a high fastball, outside for a ball. He then watched a questionable curveball called for strike 1, before swinging and missing at a fastball near his hands but in the zone to make the count 1-2. Yordan then got a curve way out of the zone and low, but he did a great job of staying on it and dribbling it to left field. With a normal defense that's probably a routine groundout, but a good job by Yordan to keep the defense honest and generate offense regardless of how it was made. He would later scoot over to second on a Diaz groundout and score on a Tucker base hit.

At bat 3 (Top of sixth): 4 pitch flyout to left

Yordan started the at bat by chasing a fastball that was near the outer half of the plate for strike one. He then watched another low Scherzer curve for a ball, and then foul crushed another curve to make it again, a 1-2 count. Yordan once again got another high fastball in the zone that he crushed to left field. but again, it stopped just a couple feet shy of the wall, where Pollock made the routine catch. Another out that probably would have cleared the wall in Minute Maid.

At bat 4 (Top of eighth): 5 pitch flyout to left

Facing the new reliever, Joe Kelly, Yordan received an unhealthy diet of only knuckle curves, but unlike the Buehler curves from last game, Yordan did quite well against these. He watched the first one outside for a ball, took the second one right down the middle, watched another one way outside for a ball, and then tapped the fourth one foul to make it a 2-2 count. Once again, on the two strike count, Yordan swung and made good contact, this time on a low curve, and hit it well to left field, where once again, the left fielder was there for the warning track out that most likely would have been out in Minute Maid.

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Pitch data:

Knuckle curve (only thrown by Kelly) – 5

2 out of zone, 1 foul ball, 1 strike looking, 1 put in play (flyout)

Curveball (Only thrown by Scherzer) – 6

2 out of zone, 1 strike looking, 1 foul, 2 put in play (single and flyout)

4 Seam Fastball – 4

2 put in play (2 flyouts), 2 strike swinging

Cutter – 1

1 out of zone

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As the data shows, Yordan again did a great job recognizing the pitches and timing them up, he just couldn't get them to fall. The great job he did against the offspeed curves he got today (no swings and misses, single and 2 deep flyouts) should confirm what the announcers say, which is that Yordan is one of the elite breaking ball hitters in the league. It's a shame his hits weren't falling though, as he might have had a 3 homer game if this was minute maid. His mechanics and expected results look extremely promising though, hopefully he can translate that to real stats soon, he should get a great opportunity to do so in the following series against the lowly Minnesota Twins.