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Sports Jun 05, 2023
Dodger Stadium. | Photo courtesy of Junkyardsparkle/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 1.0)
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By HeyWire
The New York Yankees bounced back from an 8-4 loss Friday night in the opener of their high-profile interleague series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 6-3 victory on Saturday. Aaron Judge hit his 19th home run and made an outstanding catch in the corner in right, Jake Bauers had a pair of two-run homers, and Gerrit Cole stayed unbeaten with six innings of four-hit ball before leaving early due to cramping.
Cole, who hails from Southern California, was sharp on the mound, striking out five with two walks while allowing only one run on David Peralta’s bloop RBI single. The Yankees were able to build a 4-1 lead with homers from Bauers in the second and fourth innings before Judge put a line drive into the short left-field porch in the sixth inning.
Judge’s homer off Shelby Miller in the sixth traveled only 360 feet, but the AL MVP’s 113.7-mph line drive got into the low stands before Peralta could attempt to make a play on it. Right-hander Tayler Scott, who was recently called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City, made his Dodgers debut in the eighth inning, throwing 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
In addition to Judge and Bauers, Oswaldo Cabrera also added a solo home run in the ninth inning for more breathing room, helping the Yankees earn their second consecutive victory over the Dodgers.
However, on Sunday, the Yankees had to play without Judge, who suffered an injury to his big right toe in the eighth inning of Saturday’s game while crashing through a door in the right-field wall that leads to the visiting bullpen. The team was also without center fielder Harrison Bader (hamstring), outfielder Greg Allen (hip flexor), and reliever Ryan Weber (forearm strain), who were all placed on the injured list earlier on the trip.
During Sunday’s matchup, Anthony Volpe provided some insurance with a two-run homer in the ninth for the Yankees, who were able to edge out the Dodgers 4-1 in a game that featured an impressive pitchers’ duel between Domingo Germán and Bobby Miller. Anthony Rizzo scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning on a grounder, and Kyle Higashioka hit a broken-bat grounder to score Bauers after shortstop Chris Taylor’s only play was to first.
The Yankees fans in attendance over the weekend saw impressive work from two superstars — Judge and Cole — and an unlikely power contribution from Bauers, a journeyman first baseman and outfielder who spent last season entirely in the minors. In Bauers’ first career multi-homer game, he connected twice off Michael Grove to help the Yankees earn a 4-1 lead early on in the game.
Los Angeles is desperate for pitching, with three frontline starters currently injured. Grove, who recently returned to the active roster after going on the injured list in April with a groin strain, pitched well for the Dodgers, yielding only four runs on four hits with seven strikeouts over five innings.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had to turn to Tony Gonsolin to close out Sunday’s game, given the team’s current pitching woes, but it was not enough to overcome the Yankees’ steady performance.
The Yankees have been struggling to stay healthy, but they continue to find ways to win as they battle their way through the season. With their strong showing against the Dodgers, the Yankees proved they are a team to be reckoned with, even amidst injuries and setbacks.
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