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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 wasn’t flawless, conceding three runs across 4 ²/₃ innings, but it was enough as the Yankees triumphed over the Brewers 12-3 to seal a sweep at home in The Bronx.
“I felt like my performance was solid,” Stroman remarked. “There were a couple of pitches I wish I could take back, but overall, for a first outing, I think it was decent. There’s definitely room for improvement moving forward, but keeping our offense in the game is crucial. If we can hold the opposing team to three runs or fewer through five innings, I believe we have the capability to score and execute throughout the game.”
Stroman, initially pegged as the sixth starter in spring training, found himself promoted to the third starter position due to injuries as he racked up three strikeouts and a walk while tossing 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.