The fact that the Yankees are in firm command of the AL East this far into the season isn’t exactly a surprise.
How they got here certainly is.

After Domingo German and DJ LeMahieu led them to a 9-2 victory in the opener of Saturday’s split doubleheader against the Red Sox, it was Mike Tauchman who put them ahead for good in the nightcap, a 6-4 victory.

Over the course of Friday and Saturday, in front of three straight sellout crowds in The Bronx, the Yankees further distanced themselves from the fading Red Sox.

With Saturday’s doubleheader sweep, the Yankees have beaten their rivals four straight times — and also won four in a row overall.

The Rays, with their fifth consecutive win, stayed eight games back of the Yankees, who shook off another potentially serious injury, as they lost Edwin Encarnacion to a fractured right wrist in the first game.

But just as they have all season, the Yankees hardly missed a beat — although Zack Britton gave them a scare by loading the bases in the eighth before striking out Rafael Devers to preserve a two-run lead. Aroldis Chapman closed it.

Using Chad Green as an opener, the Yankees got an inning-plus from the right-hander before Nestor Cortes Jr. and Chance Adams both gave up a pair of runs in two-inning outings.

Their struggles left Boston with a one-run lead despite the Yankees’ three-run third, which featured a homer by Gleyber Torres and a two-run single by Cameron Maybin.

Torres tied it in the fifth, when he hit a ball off the second deck for his second homer of the night, which allowed Aaron Boone to go to the heart of his bullpen.

Adam Ottavino and Tommy Kahnle tossed scoreless innings before the Yankees took control in the seventh.

Torres led off with a double and Aaron Hicks and Gio Urshela walked to load the bases for Cameron Maybin, who whiffed.

That left Tauchman, who responded with a two-run single to left to give the Yankees the lead and they held on for the win.
It followed what LeMahieu and German did in the opener.

LeMahieu’s two homers — including a three-run shot in a seven-run fourth — sparked the offense and German delivered yet another strong outing.

And they knocked around Chris Sale in the process, something that has also become commonplace this season. Sale is now 0-4 with a 9.90 ERA in four outings against the Yankees this year. He allowed a season-high eight runs in just 3 ²/₃ innings.

Seven of them came in the fourth, all with two out.

Three singles loaded the bases with two outs for Breyvic Valera, who singled to right to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead.

Boston manager Alex Cora came out to visit Sale — and likely to get tossed by home plate umpire Mike Estabrook — after the Red Sox questioned several of his calls with both pitchers.

Cora was ejected— and his chat with Sale did no good, as Brett Gardner smacked a two-run single to center and LeMahieu homered for a second time. The three-run drive to the short porch in right put the Yankees up 7-1.

As Sale walked off the mound after being yanked, he shouted at Estabrook, who tossed the left-hander despite the fact he was out of the game.

German, meanwhile, outdueled the lefty for the second time in less than a week. He gave up just two runs in seven innings — and became the first Yankee to record an out in the seventh inning since the All-Star break.

Last Sunday, he began the Yankees’ turnaround by stabilizing the rotation after they got beaten up for seven straight games, but he was better on Saturday.

And while the Yankees have said German is on an innings limit, they have yet to say how it might impact the right-hander’s usage down the stretch.

“We’ll obviously start to have those conversations and go accordingly,’’ Boone said of German’s workload. “We still feel like he’s strong.”

And Boone made it clear German will be in their October plans.

“I expect him to be big part of it,’’ Boone said.

Source: Read Full Article