The New York Yankees stopped the bleeding on Wednesday in Arlington, using a clutch pinch-hit homer and a lockdown bullpen to edge the Texas Rangers, 3-2, and end a five-game losing streak.
With the game tied in the seventh, manager Aaron Boone turned to Paul Goldschmidt off the bench, and the veteran delivered. Facing a 0-2 count against lefty Robert Garcia, Goldschmidt turned on a high fastball and launched a solo shot to left, putting New York in front for good. It was his seventh homer against southpaws this season, continuing a dominant run against left-handed pitching.
The bullpen took it from there. After Carlos Rodón grinded through five innings of two-run ball, Boone mixed and matched to cover the final 12 outs. Tim Hill, Yerry De Los Santos, and David Bednar combined for four scoreless frames, with Bednar recording five strikeouts over the final five outs for his 18th save. Boone stuck with Bednar after a two-out walk in the ninth, and the right-hander responded by striking out Adolis GarcÃa with the tying run on base.
Offensively, Anthony Volpe tied the game with an RBI single in the fourth, and Jasson DomÃnguez later scored the go-ahead run on an errant throw during a double steal attempt. Aaron Judge collected his first hit since returning from the injured list.
Box Score | AL Wild Card Standings
After a day off Thursday, the Yankees (61-54) open a three-game series with the Houston Astros on Friday night in the Bronx, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.