CHICAGO — Before they swung a deal to help their flailing lineup on Sunday afternoon, the Yankees played a familiar game.
Strong starting pitching, two runs from their offense, and a bullpen hanging on for dear life.
That equation failed late on Saturday night, but the Yankees came right back and survived it on Sunday to secure a 2-1 win over the Cubs in a rubber game at Wrigley Field.
José Caballero’s two-run home run in the third inning was the difference thanks to Gerrit Cole, who gave up one run across 5 2/3 innings, and Brent Headrick, Paul Blackburn and David Bednar, who got the game across the finish line.
Bednar closed it out with a four-out save as the Yankees picked up a game on the Rays and moved within 2 1/2 games of them for the division lead.
In their final game before the trade deadline, after which they acquired Nationals slugger Luis García Jr., the Yankees finished off a 6-4 road trip and headed home. What their team will look like by the time it takes the field for Monday’s game against the Cardinals – one hour after the deadline passes – remains to be seen.
The last six Yankees starters have now combined to give up just three runs across 37 innings, in which they have allowed 19 hits and 10 walks with 38 strikeouts.
Cole became the sixth straight Yankees starter to allow one run or fewer – and the ninth in their last 11 games – while scattering four hits and three walks while striking out five.
Two of those walks came in the sixth inning, as Cole loaded the bases with two outs, at which point Aaron Boone called on lefty Brent Headrick from the bullpen. The Cubs had gotten to Headrick on Saturday night to pull off a late comeback, and it did not look good Sunday when he fell behind Nico Hoerner 3-0. He then threw what should have been ball four, but Austin Wells framed it and it was called a strike – not challenged – before Hoerner flew out to end the threat.
Cubs righty Colin Rea, by no means a strikeout artist, started the game by striking out the first five Yankees in their latest display of offensive futility.
But Ryan McMahon led off the third inning with a lined single before Caballero crushed a 408-foot shot through the wind to left field for the 2-0 lead.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
