DENVER — The Yankees didn’t start the second half or their series against the basemen-dwelling Rockies the way they wanted to on Friday, but the team bounced back with a 6-3 win on Saturday at Coors Field.
For the second night in a row, Giancarlo Stanton found himself at the center of the Yankees’ offense. After smoking a two-run home run on Friday — the Yanks’ only runs of the game — Stanton forced a three-run shot the other way off Connor Seabold in the second inning. The ball traveled 398 feet and over the right field fence, giving Stanton a four-game homer streak and 11 longballs for the season.
Stanton, who also drove in a run with a first-inning groundout, reached 1,000 RBIs for his career with the dinger.
While Stanton didn’t have any help in the scoring department on Friday, that wasn’t the case on Saturday. Kyle Higashioka picked up an RBI sac fly in the second, while Gleyber Torres added an RBI single before Stanton’s blast. DJ LeMahieu also had a notable night at his old stomping grounds, scoring a run and recording his first three-hit game since April 23.
While the Yankees’ big second inning proved to be enough, all of their runs came against Seabold, who only lasted 2 1/3 frames.
Clarke Schmidt, meanwhile, continued to build on his strong end to the first half.
The righty allowed two earned runs over six innings and 92 pitches against the Rockies while also striking out eight and walking one. Colorado picked up only three hits off Schmidt.
The Rockies’ first run came on a first-inning balk from Schmidt, while C.J. Cron knocked the starter out with a solo homer to start the seventh. While Schmidt’s evening ended on a sour note, he has only permitted 17 earned runs in his last 11 outings, a stretch that includes 54 innings and dates back to May 19
“Clarke’s been in a good spot now for really the last month and a half, two months,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before the game. “He’s been throwing the ball really well.”
Colorado scored another run in the eighth when Tommy Kahnle induced a double-play ball with a runner on third. Kahnle, pitching in his 17th game of the season, had not been charged with an earned run prior to Saturday’s appearance.
With a second-half victory checked off, the Yankees will try to win their series in Colorado on Sunday. They’ll have an excellent chance of doing so with their ace, Gerrit Cole, on the mound.
Cole went 9-2 with a 2.85 ERA over 19 starts in the first half. That performance earned him the American League’s starting nod in the All-Star Game.
Chase Anderson, who has a 6.89 ERA this season, will start for the Rockies.
