The way the Yankees have been hitting the ball to start the season has given their pitchers more room for error.
Marcus Stroman was the latest beneficiary on Sunday.
He was not perfect, giving up three runs over 4 ²/₃ innings, but did not need to be as the Yankees beat the Brewers 12-3 to finish off a sweep in The Bronx.
“I thought I threw the ball pretty well,” Stroman said. “Made a few bad pitches, but overall for the first one, thought it was OK. Definitely need to be better going forward, but to keep this offense in the game is definitely key. To limit the team to three runs or less over five, I feel like we’re going to be able to score and do what we need to do over the course of the game.”
Stroman, who entered camp as the projected No. 6 starter only to enter the season as the No. 3 starter because of injuries, struck out three and walked one while throwing 81 pitches.
He was hurt most by a 3-1 cutter to Jake Bauers that the former Yankee roped off the right field foul pole for a two-run shot.
“I thought Stro was good,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Bauers got him. Would have liked to have gotten him through [five] there, but we were going 80 pitches with him today. … Had some swing and miss going too. Kind of in line with what he was in spring training. I thought he carried that in and had a pretty sharp first outing.”
A day after the Yankees committed five errors, they cleaned up their defense to help Stroman’s cause.
Cody Bellinger turned in a strong over-the-shoulder catch on the warning track in center field in the first inning before Anthony Volpe robbed Oliver Dunn with a slick pick on a ball sliced up the middle in the fifth.
Fernando Cruz and Ryan Yarbrough each made their Yankees debuts by throwing a scoreless inning of relief.
Ian Hamilton (viral illness) came out of Saturday’s rehab outing feeling good, he told Boone, after throwing 26 pitches with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
If he does not have any setbacks during his rehab assignment, he is expected to be activated when first eligible on April 8.
Carlos Carrasco, who made his Yankees debut out of the bullpen in Saturday’s blowout, is scheduled to make his first start on Thursday against the Diamondbacks.
Clarke Schmidt, who is on the injured list to build up his pitch count after missing time in camp with shoulder fatigue, is set to make his latest start on Monday.
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