The Yankees ended May on a high note with Sunday’s 13-8 win at the Athletics. New York (36-23) is a game and a half behind the 36-20 Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East, winning six of its past seven game as it gets Monday off and returns to Yankee Stadium for this week’s six-game homestand.
“Anytime you win five out of six on the road, it’s a really good trip,” Aaron Boone said, referencing the combination of the Yankees’ three-game sweep at the Kansas City Royals earlier this week and New York’s 2-1 series in West Sacramento, Calif, against the A’s (28-31). “So, you take that. I feel like, for the most part, we played well. Today was one of those crazy games that I don’t know what it was, but it was a win. So, obviously, a good way to go back cross country into an off day.”
The Yankees’ 13-run third inning created a 13-3 lead before the A’s hung around with a four-run seventh and one-run eighth. New York ultimately enters this week’s three-game series with the Cleveland Guardians, which starts with Cam Schlitter set to start Tuesday’s 7:05 p.m. opener, on the upswing after a 16-12 month.
“Lot of positives,” said Aaron Judge, whose 1-for-4 afternoon featured the RBI single in the third inning that gave the Yankees their first lead of the game as they piled on the 13-run frame. “You can take a lot of positives from the first two months here. … It kind of starts with our pitching staff, especially the starting rotation, getting a lot of key guys back. It kind of is the main part of our team.”
Judge enters June slashing .248/.375/.533 with 17 home runs and 38 RBI through 59 games, but those around him in the Yankees’ order have made a difference.
“A lot of people kind of banged on us about bringing the same guys back,” Judge said. “But you bring back Cody Bellinger — he’s been so efficient for us, just probably one of the best players in the game right now. And then Ben Rice, the emergence of him — I know he had a great year last year, but he just continues to make strides.”
Rice, who brought in four runs Sunday, is tied with Judge for the team lead in homers while slashing .306/.397/.658 with 44 RBI through 54 games. Bellinger, meanwhile, is slashing .271/.378/.476 with eight long balls and 38 RBI through 58 games of his second season in pinstripes.
“There’s a couple things you need to clean up — maybe a couple things defensively or couple times where, like I said, our offense isn’t clicking the way it should be,” Judge said. “But I like where we’re at. I love this team. A lot of guys are ready to go out there and compete, and all the guys competing for a job — so, when you do that, good things happen.”
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