NEW YORK – Throwing up a hotly contested series against Tampa Bay, no one would have faulted the Yankees for looking at a three-game set against the A’s as something of a relief.
After losing a series where all three games were decided by one run and before hosting a four-game set against the same major league-leading Rays team (29-8) this weekend, the Yanks took on an Oakland team that opened the season with the worst record in the Majors (8- 29).
The Bronx Bombers immediately got back in the winning column in Monday’s opener, then scored double-digit runs for the third time this year Tuesday night, defeating the A’s en route to a 10-5 victory at Yankee Stadium that secured the series victory.
The Yankees battled into a five-run third inning, with Aaron Judge driving in the first in his return from the injured list. The captain reached base on a fielder’s pick that was too hot for third baseman Jesse Peterson, allowing Jose Trevino to cross home plate. Anthony Rizzo, Gleiber Torres, and Harrison Bader kept the streak moving with back-to-back RBI singles, before Jake Bauers closed out the big inning with a sacrifice fly.
Torres added his second home run in as many nights with a two-run blast in the fifth, and Powers knocked a two-knee homer in the seventh to face the devastating one-man crew that was second baseman Jordan Diaz; The 22-year-old hit a hat-trick, accounting for all but one of Auckland’s runs on the night.
“It feels good to have an offensive production like that and bounce back after a tough final series, and let’s get back to playing our baseball,” said Rizzo.
The third-inning cushion proved most beneficial to Yankees rookie Clark Schmidt, who earned his first win of the season with the longest outing of his young career. The right-hander threw six innings off the two-run ball with seven strikeouts in a 93-pitch start.
“It’s huge,” Schmidt said. “Anytime you get a lead like that, you can’t take a step back, but you have to put on a slightly different show. You still want to be on the offensive the whole time when you’re out there, but I think the important thing is that When you have that lead, there’s a little more room for error.
“So it was nice to be able to advance and obviously the offense did a great job tonight putting up 10 points. An impressive display by them.”
Propelled into a starting role with three-fifths of the Yankees rotation (Carlos Rodon, Luis Severino and Frankie Montas) starting the year on the injured list, Schmidt answered the call with confidence, but he didn’t always have the results to show for it.
He’d come close to crossing the six-run threshold twice before, but on April 23 against the Blue Jays, the hook came after allowing back-to-back homers in the top of the sixth and then in his next start against the Rangers, he hit 97 runs through five innings.
So when Schmidt returned to the sixth mound on Tuesday, he knew he needed to make quick work with the A’s. Yankees manager Aaron Boone had already told him so.
After getting his first pitch, Schmidt gave up a single to Shea Langeliers that could have spelled the end of his night. But Boone let him continue, and rallied back by pitting Tony Kemp into a double play at the end—again on the first pitch.
“It is very satisfying; “I think there was a big sigh at the end,” said Schmitt. “I really wanted to get back into the sixth, and I knew I had the 10 or so pitches he said to me, so after I gave up the single, I kept looking at him. I was hoping he wouldn’t pull me out. So it was nice to be able to play.” Double there and out in the first round.”
The Yankees know the same satisfaction, having enjoyed an offensive comeback amid the series’ win. They’ll go into Wednesday’s final game with a chance to claim their first sweep of the season – and take the Rays back with some momentum in their favour.
“Yeah, it sure is cool,” Boone said. “[We] I have a chance to get a really good series tomorrow.”
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