New York Yankees 20 – Atlanta Braves 6
The Yankees easily took today’s game with a handful of tremendous offensive innings to complete the sweep.
After a scoreless first inning, the Yankees rallied in the second inning against the Braves’ Julio Teheran. Chase Headley started the second inning with a walk. After one out, Stephen Drew hit a single before Nathan Eovaldi failed in his attempt to sacrifice the two base runners into scoring position. Eovaldi reached on a fielder’s choice but Jacoby Ellsbury made sure it did not matter who was on base when he put a three-run home run into right field.
Nathan Eovaldi pitched another scoreless second inning and the offense rallied behind him again, as usual.
Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann flew out for the first two outs in the third inning. Greg Bird extended the inning with a walk and Chase Headley cashed in. The Yankees third baseman hit a two-run home run to straight away center field. Didi Gregorius followed Bird’s lead and walked so that Stephen Drew can pull off his best Chase Headley impression. The Yankees second baseman hit a two-run home run of his own to make it a four-run inning and a seven-run Yankees lead.
With the seven-run lead, Eovaldi had room to work but he struggled with two outs in the third inning. Following the two outs, Nick Markakis and Nick Swisher walked before Freddie Freeman and A.J. Pierzynski plated two runs on a pair of singles.
The Yankees plated another run in the fifth inning when reliever Sugar Ray Marimon replaced Teheran with one out and the bases loaded. Marimon walked Stephen Drew for the Yankees’ eighth run of the game.
Nathan Eovaldi finished the fifth inning before running into trouble in the sixth inning.
Adonis Garcia led off the sixth inning with a single and Jace Peterson hit a double to put two in scoring position with no outs. Andrelton Simmons plated two runs and that was it for Eovaldi on the mound. Adam Warren took over and got a fly out to center field. Oddly, Ellsbury’s throw back into center field hit second base and redirecting away from Drew, allowing Simmons to advance. With a runner in scoring position, pinch-hitter Jonny Gomes brought in the run. Warren gave up another hit before getting the second out of the inning. Chasen Shreve was needed to get the last out of the sixth inning.
In five innings, Nathan Eovaldi allowed five runs on eight hits while walking two and striking out seven.
The Yankees were only ahead by three entering the seventh inning. Three was the closest the Braves could get.
Against reliever Ross Detwiler, Chase Headley walked on four pitches for a one-out base runner. Didi Gregorius got on base when he was hit by a pitch and Stephen Drew hit a single to load the bases. With pinch-hitter Alex Rodriguez entering the game, reliever Peter Moylan came in. On the first pitch from Moylan, Rodriguez hit a single to center field for two runs.
Reliever Jake Brigham followed and got Jacoby Ellsbury to strikeout swinging for the second out. Brett Gardner erased the 0-for in his day with a run-scoring single to left field. Carlos Beltran hit a single to load the bases for Brian McCann.
The former Braves catcher hit a single to left field to bring home two runs and Greg Bird hit a double that brought in one run. The hit parade kept going with a double by Chase Headley in his second at-bat of the inning. Didi Gregorius walked and Stephen Drew hit a run-scoring single. When the dust settled after the top of the seventh inning, nine Yankees runs came across the plate to extend the lead to 17-5.
Reliever Branden Pinder came on in the seventh inning and gave up a home run to Adonis Garcia. He minimized the damage of the inning though the lead was far too sizable for the Braves to really threaten.
Brigham stayed in for the eighth inning, to the Yankees delight.
Jacoby Ellsbury started the eighth inning with a walk. Brett Gardner got his second hit in as many at-bats. After the first out of the inning, Brian McCann walked to load the bases. Greg Bird brought home a run with a sacrifice fly and the unexpected big hit came from pitcher Branden Pinder. The Yankees reliever swung at the first pitch he saw and drove it into the left center gap for a run-scoring double. Didi Gregorius brought home the last run of the game for the Yankees with a single making it 20-6.
Branden Pinder pitched the eighth inning but his struggle with command forced him to throw too many pitches. Bryan Mitchell came in for relief in the ninth inning where he retired the Braves in order.
The Yankees completed the sweep in dominant fashion.
Win – Nathan Eovaldi (14-2)
Loss – Julio Teheran (9-7)
Notables
Yankees
*Stephen Drew – 4 for 4, 3 R, 2 BB, Two-run home run (16) in the 3rd, 4 RBI (39)
*Chase Headley – 3 for 3, 2 BB, 2B, Two-run home run (10) in the 3rd, 4 RBI (57)
*Jacoby Ellsbury – 2 for 6, 2 R, BB, Three-run home run (7) in the 2nd, 3 RBI (30)
Braves
*Andrelton Simmons – 2 for 5, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI (34)
*Adonis Garcia – 3 for 5, 2 R, Solo home run (7) in the 7th, RBI (11)
Current Yankees Record: 72-57
