Yankees 9, Diamondbacks 2, and by the time Ben Rice's third-inning homer landed in left-center, the only real drama left in the desert was how far George Lombard Jr. was going to hit the next one.
New York put this one away in the first inning and just kept piling on -- five runs before most of the 41,910 fans at Chase Field had even found their seats, then two more homers and a pair of gift-wrapped runs in the seventh to turn a laugher into a full-on rout.
That first inning had some patience to it, too. A bases-loaded walk to Rice scored Paul Goldschmidt, Amed Rosario singled in Cody Bellinger, and Lombard capped it with a two-run single off Eduardo Rodriguez. Nine batters, five runs, and Gerrit Cole had all the cushion he'd need before he even threw a pitch.
The Answer
Corbin Carroll gave the Diamondbacks their one real look at this game. His two-run shot off Cole in the bottom of the second (388 feet, 110.7 mph off the bat) cut the 5-0 hole down to 5-2 and had Chase Field actually making some noise.
It lasted one half-inning.
Rice led off the third and turned an Eduardo Rodriguez fastball into a 390-foot souvenir (103.6 mph, 33-degree launch angle -- he got all of it), and just like that the door Carroll cracked open slammed shut. Arizona never got within four runs again.
Ben Rice, Right on Schedule
Rice was the best player on the field by a wide margin -- 2-for-3 with the homer, a triple, two walks, two runs and two RBI, and by far the biggest win-probability swing of anybody in either dugout. He also drew that bases-loaded walk that opened the scoring in the first.
Back in spring training, Aaron Boone predicted Rice would hit 39 home runs this season. Rice hit his 39th on the nose, in the third inning, on the road, off a lefty.
Boone called his shot. Rice made him look smart.
Lombard Piles On, Cole Digs In
George Lombard Jr. did plenty of damage of his own -- the two-run single in that five-run first, then a solo shot in the sixth (368 feet, 103.8 mph, also off Rodriguez) that made it 7-2 and left no doubt. Two hits, a homer, three RBI, one very good night in the desert. (Not that anyone in the Bronx was surprised.)
Cole did the rest. Six innings, four hits, two runs, six strikeouts, zero walks, 90 pitches and just 28 of them balls -- about as clean a start as he's had in weeks. The win got him to 9-9 on the season, and the bullpen trio of Yarbrough, Fulmer and Gil combined for the final three innings without letting Arizona sniff another run.
Cole's win was also his 162nd career victory, passing Mike Moore for the most wins ever by a pitcher taken No. 1 overall in the draft -- Cole went first to the Pirates back in 2011. Nice bit of trivia to pick up in the middle of a pennant race.
Insurance and a Roster Note
The seventh inning tacked on the final two runs almost by accident -- a throwing error by Pavin Smith let Ryan McMahon aboard and scored Goldschmidt, then Spencer Jones grounded into a force play that scored Heliot Ramos anyway. Not pretty. Plenty enough.
The win pushed the Yankees to 89-64, still 4.0 games back of Tampa Bay in the East but with a playoff spot already locked up and winners of 8 of their last 10. It also came the same week the club placed Aaron Judge on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain -- a reminder that this stretch run has to survive without its best hitter for a little while.
Two more out here before Arizona gets a break from playing the Yankees. The Diamondbacks' wild-card math got uglier tonight. New York's is just fine.
Jimmy writes the Bronx Pinstripes game recap after every Yankees game. Beat-reporter pacing, fan's heartbeat. He calls opposing players by last name and has no patience for dead-air innings.
