Best-in-MLB Yankees top worst-in majors A’s on late rally
NEW YORK — The Yankees took advantage of two catcher’s interference calls, a hit batter and a walk to spark a bizarre six-run seventh inning, and Josh Donaldson followed with a go-ahead, two-run double that led best-in-themajors New York over the big-league worst Oakland Athleics 9-5 on Monday night.
Oakland built a 5-1 lead against Jordan Montgomery behind Elvis Andrus’ tiebreaking, three-run double in a five-run third inning.
Giancarlo Stanton’s fourth-inning home run and Aaron Judge’s fifthinning RBI single started the Yankees to their 23rd come-from-behind win.
DJ LeMahieu walked against Adam Oller with one out in the seventh. Judge hit a grounder to third, perhaps hard enough for a double play, but plate umpire Manny Gonzalez immediately signaled interference on catcher Sean Murphy.
A.J. Puk (1-1) hit Anthony Rizzo near the right elbow with his first pitch, loading the bases, and when Stanton fouled off a 1-0 pitch, Yankees manager Aaron Boone asked for a video review that led to another interference call on Murphy, forcing in a run and cutting New York’s deficit to 5-4.
Donaldson lined an 0-2 fastball at the letters into left field for a 6-5 lead, Jose Trevino hit another tworun double with two outs against Austin Pruitt and scored on Marwin Gonzalez’s single.
Albert Abreu (1-0) struck out four in 21⁄3 hitless innings.
New York, coming off a four-game split with AL West leader Houston, improved to 54-20 while Oakland is just 25-50 and has lost 21 of its last 25 games.
While the Yankees lead the majors in scoring and home runs, Oakland is 29th in both and is last in batting
MLB
YANKEES 9
ATHLETICS 5 average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. The A’s bullpen has a 4.49 ERA that began the night 26th.
Montgomery gave up all five runs and six hits in 62⁄3 innings. He is 3-0 in 12 starts since a April 21 loss at the Tigers.
Paul Blackburn, 5-0 on the road this season and 1-3 at home, tied his season high with seven strikeouts while allowing three runs and five hits in five innings.
Rizzo ended an 0-for-19 slide in the first, reaching 20 home runs for the ninth season with a solo shot that gave him 50 RBIs.
Oakland tied it in the third when Ramon Laureano hit a drive with two on that hit the top of the 8foot, 5-inch wall in left and bounced back into the field. Christian Bethancourt, who started on first, jogged to third and failed to score.
Andrus put the A’s ahead 4-1, improving to .325 with 115 RBIs in 151 career atbats with the bases loaded. He scored on Sheldon Neuse’s single as Oakland tied its season high with a five-run inning.
Stanton’s homer was his 18th. He is in a 5-for-44 slide, but all five hits have been home runs.
EARLY EXIT
Matt Carpenter batted for Rizzo in the eighth, an inning after Rizzo was hit by Puk’s 95 mph pitch.
SLUMPING
Joey Gallo is hitless in 25 at-bats, dropping his average to .169.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Athletics: OF Jonah Bride was out of the starting lineup, one day after hurting his right shoulder and cutting his nose during a collision with Chad Pinder .…OF Stephen Piscotty, sidelined since May 6 by strained left calf, will rejoin the team Tuesday and could be activated by Wednesday’s series finale.
Yankees: 2B Gleyber Torres’ sprained right ankle was doing fine, Boone said, but Torres likely won’t swing a bat until Wednesday after getting a cortisone injection Monday in his sore right wrist. … SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa was out of the starting lineup after bruising a nail while successfully bunting in the 10th inning Sunday. … LHP Aroldis Chapman (left Achilles tendinitis) is to make a third minor league rehabilitation appearance, on Tuesday for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, then will be activated.
UP NEXT
LHP JP Sears (2-0, 0.00) will be recalled from Scranton to make his second big league start on Tuesday night. Sears is 1-1 with a 1.83 ERA in eight starts and two relief appearances at Triple-A this year. Oakland RHP Frankie Montas (3-7, 3.21) is being scouted by teams ahead of the Aug. 2 trade deadline.