Four Key Takeaways for Yankees in Series Loss to San Francisco Giants

The New York Yankees were unable to return home and get a series win against the San Francisco Giants, dropping the series against their National League foe.

Despite a strong start to the year, the Yankees have not been playing as well of late.

After losing two out of three to the Detroit Tigers, they followed that up by losing two out of three to the Giants, as well.

Once again, the starting pitchers have become a hot topic for New York, with the franchise simply not getting what they need from that unit.

Now, with the franchise just one game above .500 and the offense coming back down to earth a bit, the Yankees could be in a bit of trouble.

Here are four key takeaways from the series loss to San Francisco.

End of Marcus Stroman as Starter?

In the first game against the Giants, it was a disappointing performance by the former All-Star after taking the loss and allowing five runs in the first inning of the game.

Following the poor outing, Stroman went for an MRI on his knee and was placed on the injured list.

With Clarke Schmidt coming back next week, he will be sliding into Stroman’s spot. Due to his ineffective performance this season, Stroman might not return as a starter for the Yankees.

Will Warren Steps Up

With the rotation really struggling for the most part, Will Warren delivered a great start for New York when they needed it. After getting smoked in the first game of the series, they were led by a strong outing from Warren in the second contest of the set.

The 25-year-old totaled five innings, allowing just two hits, two walks and two earned runs, while striking out six batters.

After the debacle in Game 1 of the series, the Yankees needed a solid performance from a starter, and the young right-hander delivered.

Ben Rice Finds His Spot

After a great start to the season, it appears that designated hitter Ben Rice has firmly placed himself in the leadoff spot to begin the year. He had another strong series against San Francisco, with his fourth home run of the year to go along with a few more hits.

Not only has he become the leadoff hitter for New York, but it’s hard to imagine at this point that he is going to be taken out of the lineup even when Giancarlo Stanton returns.

Roller Coaster Carlos Rodon

It is hard to figure out Rodon for the Yankees this year, with the results being very up and down.

Against the Giants, it looked like the southpaw was well on his way to one of his best starts of the season. However, the wheels came off in the sixth inning, and it ended up being another sub-par outing.

The ups and downs not only this year, but sometimes within the game, are extremely frustrating to see. New York is counting on the left-hander to be good, and so far, the results have been mixed at best.