Paul Goldschmidt's pinch-hit home run lifts Yankees past Rangers, ends five-game losing skid

Paul Goldschmidt’s pinch-hit solo home run put the Yankees ahead in the seventh inning, and the much-maligned bullpen pitched four innings of scoreless relief to end a five-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday afternoon in Arlington.

With the win, just their eighth in 19 games since the All-Star break, the Yanks improved to 61-54 on the season. The Rangers, who entered the game just 0.5 game behind New York for the final Wild Card spot, fell to 60-56.

Here are the key takeaways…

– Looking for a spark in a tie game, Aaron Boone went to the bench in the seventh against left-handed reliever Robert Garcia. Amed Rosario (batting for Ryan McMahon) tapped out to third, but Goldschmidt (batting for Austin Wells) had better luck, taking an 0-2 up-and-in fastball and clobbering it 395 feet to left (109.3 mph off the bat) for a solo home run to put New York up 3-2.

Goldschmidt has been eating southpaws alive; he is now batting .410 (43-for-105) on the year with 13 doubles, seven home runs, and 16 RBI.

After Ben Rice reached on a two-out infield hit, Bruce Bochy went to the bullpen, but Shawn Armstrong allowed a single and a walk to give Jazz Chisholm Jr. a bases-loaded chance. But Chisholm managed just a flyout to the warning track in left.

Through the series' first 26 innings, the Yanks had left 19 runners on base and were 4-for-21 with runners in scoring position.

– Tim Hill, pitching with a lead in the seventh was the second man out of the 'pen, got the first out before a single and catcher's interference by Rice put two aboard. The lefty got CoreySeager swinging and Boone summoned Yerry De los Santos, who walked the first man he faced. But a good sinker in on the hands got a fly out to center to leave the bases loaded. 

– After De los Santos got the first out of the eighth, Boone called on David Bednar, who walked the first guy he faced, but struck out the next two. 

In the ninth, Bednar got pinch-hitter Rowdy Tellez swinging at a high fastball and Sam Haggerty to wave at a splitter. Seager looked at a 3-2 pitch that appeared to just catch the corner but was judged a ball, giving the Rangers life. Marcus Semien slashed a single through the right side of the infield to put the go-ahead run on base. Boone came out for a visit and after a conversation, allowed Bednar, who was already at 35 pitches (a season high), to face Adolis Garcia. And the righty got Garcia to swing through a 2-2 splitter on the seventh pitch of the at-bat to end the game. 

The Yanks held the Rangers to 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position, with 11 runners left on base and turned three double plays. 

– Carlos Rodon allowed two singles and a walk, but no runs in his first two innings of work. The Rangers pushed the game’s first run across when a Rodon changeup over the middle got smashed by Ezequiel Duran for a double off the left field wall to start the third, and Haggerty slapped a single the other way.

The left-hander walked Seager on a full count, after getting squeezed on a 2-2 sinker that caught the outside corner to put two men on, but a 5-4-3 double-play and flyout saw him safely out of further damage.

Rodon was in a spot of bother with one out in the fifth after a swinging bunt single, walk, and Seager bloop single to center loaded the bases. The lefty was able to escape with minimal damage, a Semien sac fly to tie the game, getting Adolis Garcia to ground out to short to leave two men on. 

The lefty walked Wyatt Langford to start the sixth and Boone went to the bullpen in a tied game, but Mark LeiterJr. got a flyout and a double play to close Rodon’s line: 5.0 innings two runs on six hits, four walks, three strikeouts on 93 pitches (58 strikes) raising his ERA to 3.35 on the year.  

– In the top of the fourth, Anthony Volpe had a big chance with runners on first and second and one out after a couple of walks, and tied the game yanking an inside fastball into left for an RBI single off Texas starter Jack Leiter. The Yanks used their speed to take the lead when the runners took off, and catcher KyleHigashioka's throw to third was low and bounced away, allowing Jasson Dominguez to score and Volpe to reach third.

After McMahon walked to put runners on the corners, the Yanks failed to score off lefty reliever Hobby Milner, as Wells tapped into a fielder's choice (Volpe caught off third, 1-5-2) and Trent Grisham tapped out to Milner, as well.

Since the All-Star break, Wells is 5-for-46 with just one extra-base hit, three walks, and 11 strikeouts. McMahon went 1-for-1 with a walk and is batting .297 in 12 games with the club. Volpe finished 1-for-4, including bouncing into a double play.

– Judge, who threw in the outfield before Wednesday’s game, looked overeager his first time up when he popped out on the infield swinging at a 3-0 fastball coming in on his hands from Rangers starter Jack Leiter.

The slugger came up in a big spot with runners on first and second and two out in the third, but was caught looking at a 2-2 changeup at the knees on the outside corner. 

Judge got his first hit since his return, lining a two-out single in the seventh. He went 1-for-6 with three strikeouts and one walk in his first two games back.

– Rice went 1-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts and hit into a double play. He is now 9-for-46 (.196) with eight walks and eight strikeouts since the All-Star break.

– Chisholm finished 0-for-4 with a strikeout. He is now batting .208 (15-for-72) with just four extra-base hits, eight RBI, and 24 strikeouts since the break.

– Bellinger went 0-for-2 with a walk and grounded into a double play. The outfielder went 3-for-22 with two walks and two strikeouts during the six-game road trip.

– Dominguez 0-for-2 with two walks, now has 12 hits in his last 57 at-bats.

– Grisham, who singled to start the game, went 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout and is batting .217 (13-for-60) since the break.

Game MVP

The Yankee bullpen allowed two hits and walked three batters, but got 12 outs without allowing a run and struck out six, including five by Bednar, who earned his 18th save of the year.

Highlights

Upcoming schedule

After taking Thursday off, the Yanks open a three-game series in The Bronx against the Houston Astros, starting on Friday at 7:05 p.m.

New York is scheduled to start with Cam Schlittler (4.58 ERA, 1.678 WHIP in 19.2 innings) on Friday, with Luis Gil and Max Fried following. Houston is set to counter with righty Hunter Brown (2.47 ERA, 0.985 WHIP in 131 innings) on Friday with lefty Framber Valdez on Saturday. No Astros starter has been named for Sunday.

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