Ben Rice homers, Ryan Yarbrough delivers as Yankees avoid sweep with 7-3 win over Dodgers

Yahoo

3 days ago

The Yankees avoided a sweep by salvaging the finale of their three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-3, on Sunday Night Baseball.
Here are the takeaways...
-New York's offense made Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto work in what ended up being the right-hander's shortest start of the season. In the first inning, Yamamoto needed 28 pitches to get out of the frame while the Yanks managed to score just one run. They left the bases loaded on Austin Wells' groundout.
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After another laborious inning in the second that didn't yield any runs, Yamamoto unraveled in the third. Aaron Judge started the inning with a walk which brought Ben Rice up to the plate. On an 0-2 pitch, Rice clobbered his 12th home run of the season to straightaway center that traveled 425 feet and gave New York a 3-1 lead.
Back-to-back one-out singles by Anthony Volpe and Wells put runners at the corners and a wild pitch by Yamamoto allowed Volpe to dash home for the third run of the inning.
-Yamamoto's night was done after 3.2 innings and 96 pitches. He allowed four earned runs on seven hits and three walks and only struck out two, a season-low. His ERA went from 1.97 to 2.39.
-Opposite Yamamoto was Ryan Yarbrough who, unlike his counterpart, pitched great. Yarbrough carved up Los Angeles' lineup over six innings, only allowing a run on four hits. He also struck out five.
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The run Yarbrough gave up came in the second inning and tied the game. Tommy Edman took the lefty deep on a 2-1 changeup that would've given the Dodgers the lead had Andy Pages not been caught trying to steal third base following a double. After the home run, Yarbrough set down nine in a row before Max Muncy's single in the fifth.
Yarbrough ended his night by striking out Teoscar Hernandez and Freddie Freeman as part of a 1-2-3 inning. The outing was Yarbrough's fifth straight start of allowing two earned runs or fewer in what has been a great move by the Yanks putting the 33-year-old in the starting rotation. He now has a 2.83 ERA to go along with a 0.99 WHIP.
-With Yamamoto out of the game, New York's offense didn't stop and went to work against the Dodgers' bullpen, particularly Anthony Banda and Lou Trivino in the fifth. After Banda walked two in the inning, Trivino entered and gave up a run-scoring single to DJ LeMahieu which made it 5-1. Oswald Peraza followed with an RBI single of his own.
LeMahieu added an RBI double in the ninth, his first double of the season, and finished 4-for-5. He was the only Yankee to have multiple hits.
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-The Yankees had traffic on the bases all night after producing 11 hits and seven walks while getting plunked twice. They also stole three bases and finished 4-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
-Jonathan Loáisiga was the first man on in relief and allowed Los Angeles to inch closer after home runs by Muncy and Pages in the seventh made it 6-3. But other than the Dodgers' three solo homers, their offense was held in check as their top four hitters went 0-for-16 with five strikeouts.
-New York pitchers struck out 10 and walked none in what was a relatively clean game. Devin Williams and Tim Hill each pitched a scoreless inning to end the game.
-After going 1-for-2 at the dish with a walk, RBI, run scored and stolen base, Jasson Dominguez was pinch-hit for in the sixth inning. It was announced he left the game with a left thumb contusion.
Game MVP: Ryan Yarbrough
In need of a win to salvage the series finale and avoid being swept, Yarbrough delivered like he has since making the transition to starter this season.
Highlights
What's next
The Yankees have an off day on Monday to return home before starting back up on Tuesday night against the Cleveland Guardians for a three-game series. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.
LHP Carlos Rodón (7-3, 2.60 ERA) faces off against RHP Tanner Bibee (4-5, 3.86 ERA).