“I think it all starts with our starting pitching”, Brett Gardner said after the Yankees completed Sunday’s four-game sweep at Oakland with a 5-4 win. During this last rotation turn, the five Yankees starters combined for 26 strikeouts and just four walks in 31 innings. The A’s gave up a four-spot in the fourth inning in Friday night’s loss as well and have allowed four or more runs in an inning nine times in 19 games in May. He has a 1.57 ERA in those games compared to the 5.68 mark he has when pitching with fewer days off. The results, while not quite to Rothschild’s satisfaction, were on view Sunday as Pineda was largely able to avoid his dual Achilles’ heels this season: the first-inning run and the two-out rally. Both are healthy enough to play now if they didn’t need to finish their 15-day terms, and will go out on brief injury rehab assignments soon.
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NY chased Manaea and scored its final run in the seventh on Castro’s RBI double.
RANGERS 2, ASTROS 1: Elvis Andrus hit his first home run of the season, Cesar Ramos pitched six solid innings and Texas won at Houston. Vogt came through with his team’s only hit in 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position, lining a double into the left field corner, getting two RBIs (10) for his efforts.
Sunday was Pineda’s first win since April 6, when the Yankees luckily scored 16 runs.
“I have a lot of belief in what Michael’s capable of doing”, manager Joe Girardi said, “so we just need him to get going”.
Polarizing New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is set to return to the team on Tuesday after spending some time on the disabled list.
“For me, it’s getting back to.500”. NY are 4-12 in the last 16 meetings in Oakland and are 7-15 in the last 22 meetings. While Davis declined to talk after the game, manager Bob Melvin said the left fielder felt his arm tighten while making a throw to the plate in New York’s four-run fourth inning off Manaea.
Carlos Beltran is 7 for 14 with a homer, four doubles and seven RBIs in this series for NY while Mark Teixeira is hitless in 17 at-bats. “Every time I make a mistake, it cost me the game”. Girardi and some NY players sidestepped the mess as they made their way to the field for pre-game workouts.
“Big hit for us”, assured A’s catcher Stephen Vogt, who drove in three of the team’s four runs Sunday.
Yankees starting pitchers have thrown so well lately, NY manager Joe Girardi would like to see them perform more often.
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The New York Yankees are just a win away from mediocrity. The Athletics entered this series on a four-game winning streak of their own, but the loss of Josh Reddick in the opener has contributed to their inability to score runs (five) against NY. The right-hander has lost a career-high five straight decisions.
