Elmer Rodríguez delivered the strongest outing of his Major League career Wednesday night, and the New York Yankees (75-57) backed him with a late offensive surge to earn a 9-3 victory over the Houston Astros (66-67).
The win helped the Yankees bounce back after Tuesday’s loss, as they remained 3.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East. Boston’s loss also pushed the Red Sox 2.5 games behind New York in the race for the league’s top wild-card position.
Rodríguez was making his return to the Yankees and encountered trouble early, though his defense played a role. With two outs in the first inning, Trent Grisham misplayed a ball hit by Jose Altuve, allowing Isaac Paredes to score from first on the resulting double.
After that, Rodriguez settled in. Daulton Varsho tied the game with a solo home run in the fourth, but Rodriguez continued into the seventh inning before being removed after issuing a leadoff walk to Altuve.
Rodriguez allowed three runs on three hits over six-plus innings, striking out six and walking two while throwing 88 pitches.
Paul Blackburn entered and worked out of a bases-loaded jam by striking out the final two batters. Michael Fulmer and Tim Hill followed with scoreless relief as the Yankees bullpen rebounded from its struggles the previous night.
The Yankees erased Houston’s early lead when Ben Rice opened the scoring with a solo home run. George Lombard Jr. later drove in Luis García Jr. with a groundout, while Grisham added another run on a double-play ball.
New York broke the game open with four runs in the seventh. Cody Bellinger delivered a go-ahead two-run double before Spencer Jones and Jazz Chisholm Jr. added run-scoring hits.
García capped the night with a two-run home run in the eighth, finishing 3-for-5 with two runs batted in and three runs scored.
The Yankees and Astros conclude their three-game series Thursday at 7:05 p.m. Gerrit Cole will start for New York against Houston’s Hayden Wesneski.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.