PhotoDuring spring training, the Yankees rookie Gary Sanchez had an opportunity to secure a roster spot backing up catcher Brian McCann. McCann went 0 for 4, and the Yankees squandered two second-inning runs off Kluber, who pitched eight strong innings over all. McCann’s power numbers have dipped this season, although as a left-handed slugger, he remains a valuable commodity for the Yankees. Cleveland continued to chip away at the Yankees by scoring the tying run in the fifth. “His fastball-cutter-slider combination is really, really good,” Girardi said of Kluber, the American League’s Cy Young Award winner in 2014.

Source: New York Times August 06, 2016 20:45 UTC