BOUNCING BACK
Yankees ride strong effort by Tanaka, pen to win over Tribe
They had witnessed Masahiro Tanaka’s second straight strong outing, the Yankees loading the bases without scoring, Tommy Kahnle’s superb two-strikeout effort and Zack Britton working around first baseman Mike Ford’s fielding error on Didi Gregorius’ throw starting the eighth.
So, the Yankee Stadium crowd of 45,015 was on its feet Friday night when Aroldis Chapman faced Jason Kipnis with the potential tying run on first and two outs.
It was lefty against lefty, and Chapman sealed the 3-2 Yankees victory by blowing a 102-mph fastball past an overmatched Kipnis to rinse away the putrid taste of Thursday night’s 19-5 whipping by Cleveland.
“To get beat like that is a little embarrassing, especially at home,’’ Gardner said of Thursday evening’s debacle.
There was very little for the Yankees to be embarrassed about Friday night. Tanaka took another step toward claiming the tag of staff ace by allowing two runs and four hits in 6 ¹/3 innings. Aaron Judge showed signs of emerging from a deep funk by going 2-for-3 while scoring twice and the bullpen work of Kahnle, Britton and Chapman was splendid.
And don’t forget Gardner’s catch of Francisco Lindor’s drive to center with Tyler Naquin on second and one out in the eighth as the Yankees held a one-run lead.
“That was a big-time play,’’ Aaron Boone said of Gardner’s grab on the warning track, one step away from the wall, which he hit hard. “He didn’t have to leave his feet or anything, but you are not going to see a lot of better plays, especially in that spot.’’
The victory moved the Yankees to 10 ½ games ahead of the second-place Rays in the AL East. That is the second time this season the Yankees have been that far ahead of Tampa Bay.
Back-to-back, two-out singles by Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres produced a 2-0 lead in the first against Indians starter Aaron Civale. Jose Ramirez cut that in half with a solo homer off Tanaka in the second and Yasiel Puig’s bases-empty blast off Tanaka in the seventh made it a one-run game. When Ramirez followed that with a double, Boone called for Kahnle and his lethal fastball/ change-up combo to face the lefthanded hitting Kipnis and Franmil Reyes. Kipnis fanned on a 97mph fastball and Reyes went down on a 92-mph change.
Britton’s scoreless eighth followed the Yankees loading the bases in the seventh and not scoring. All that was left was for Chapman to seal the victory in the ninth against the muscle that lives in the middle of the Indians’ order.
And a five-pitch walk to Carlos Santana leading off the inning wasn’t a good sign.
“Mindset doesn’t change,’’ Chapman said of the free pass. “I wanted to attack and get the job done.’’
Chapman got Puig to pup up, struck out Ramirez on a slider and over-powered Kipnis to post his AL-leading 34th save in 39 chances.
“Having both pitches working, you have more options. It makes it easier for me,’’ said Chapman, whose last three saves have been one-run jobs.
Tanaka was very good and just might have grabbed the title of staff ace in a rotation that doesn’t have one. Judge might have started to get hits to fall. Kahnle and Britton got the game to Chapman and he added a dose of anxiety before dominating.
Yet Boone was right about Gardner’s catch.
“Obviously, it is a big play. If I didn’t get to it there is no telling how the game unfolds,’’ said Gardner, who credited a good jump allowing him to track what would have been a game-tying double if the ball weren’t caught.