Carlos Rodón turned in another strong start and the New York Yankees got a timely hit from Ryan McMahon to edge the Cleveland Guardians 2-1 on Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. The victory helped New York avoid a three-game sweep and improved the Yankees to 37-25, while Cleveland fell to 36-28.
The Yankees once again played without Aaron Judge, who remained out of the lineup as the club awaited results from multiple tests on his rib injury. In his absence, New York relied on its pitching staff and just enough offense to secure the win.
Rodón was sharp throughout his six innings, allowing one run on only two hits while striking out seven and walking three. The lone blemish came in the fourth inning when Stuart Fairchild delivered a two-out RBI single to give Cleveland a brief 1-0 lead. Rodón settled in from there and lowered his ERA to 2.88.
New York answered in the bottom half of the inning. Paul Goldschmidt singled and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Jazz Chisholm Jr., tying the game at 1-1. The score remained deadlocked until the seventh, when Chisholm drew a walk, stole second and advanced to third before McMahon lined a two-out single to bring home the go-ahead run.
That was all the support the Yankees needed. Brent Headrick, Fernando Cruz, and David Bednar each delivered a scoreless inning out of the bullpen as New York held Cleveland to just two hits all afternoon.
The Yankees begin a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox on Friday at Yankee Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Ryan Weathers is expected to start for New York, while Sonny Gray is slated to take the mound for Boston.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].