Yankees slug their way to series win against Rangers

The Yankees win three out of four against the Texas Rangers for their second straight series win, winning six of their last seven games.

J.A. Happ provided another solid start for the Yankees in the series opener: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. The offense racked up seven runs against the Rangers, all of which came via the long ball. Both Aaron Hicks and Miguel Andújar hit two-run homers. Giancarlo Stanton also went deep, as did Neil Walker, twice. Stanton made Statcast history with a home run, with a record-setting exit velocity of 121.7 MPH. The Yankees won 7-3.

Game 2 did not yield as strong of an outcome. Masahiro Tanaka fell apart following his string of previous quality starts. His final line: 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K. The offense attempted to rally back, but disappointing outings from the bullpen gave the Rangers too great a lead. Brett Gardner and Austin Romine both hit home runs. An Andújar double and Romine and Luke Voit singles accounted for the other RBIs. The Yankees took a painful 12-7 loss.

Lance Lynn started Game 3 and has continued his success with the Yankees thus far. His final line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K. The offense put up a 2-spot in the first inning when Stanton went deep, and Bird drove in Andújar with a double. Walker’s RBI single gave the Yanks a 3-1 lead. In the seventh inning, though, the bullpen struggled once again.

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Zach Britton loaded the bases after allowing two singles and a walk. He gave up another walk to reduce the lead to 3-2. When Dellin Betances come on to relieve Britton, he balked, which tied the game.

In the bottom seventh, Andújar became the game’s hero when his two-run blast gave the Yankees a two-run lead. Aroldis Chapman’s struggles continued, but he escaped a bases-loaded jam with a strikeout to secure the 5-3 win.

In the series finale, CC Sabathia gave the Yankees another strong start: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K. Stanton put the Yankees on top early with a solo shot in the first. The offense put up five runs in the fifth.

Hicks, Andújar, and Gregorious all had RBIs. Gardner went deep the following inning, resulting in seven runs for the Yanks. Sonny Gray struggled in relief (1.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K) but Holder maintained the lead as the Yankees won 7-2.

Andújar and Stanton have played very well as of late. Their recent contributions have been tremendous at a time when the team has lacked a couple of their most significant players. In the past 15 games, Stanton has 15 hits, 6 HR, and 13 RBI. In Andújar’s previous 15 games, he has 17 hits, 14 RBI, and 5 HR.

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The Yankees will continue their homestand with a makeup game against the Mets on Monday.  This game has a matchup of aces with Luis Severino (15-5, 3.11 ERA) facing Jacob DeGrom (6-7, 1.77 ERA).

Following the makeup, the Yanks will face the Rays and the Blue Jays for three-game sets before an off day on 8/20.