Yankees feast on lowly White Sox to win eighth straight
One thing about a big league schedule that rings true for every team: You play who is on the docket.
So, yes, the Yankees have benefitted from beginning the home part of the schedule against the mediocre Rays, the awful Cardinals and the bumbling White Sox. Yet, teams don’t make the schedule. MLB does.
The degree of difficulty increases after the White Sox leave The Bronx later this week because the Yankees travel to Pittsburgh and Boston before returning home to meet the Orioles.
On Monday night, the Yankees extended the longest winning streak in the majors this season to eight by punishing the fielding challenged White Sox, 7-3, in front of an announced gathering of 28,181 at Yankee Stadium.
In his second major league start, Jordan Montgomery handcuffed the White Sox, who looked as bad as the Cardinals did during the weekend, through six innings when he didn’t allow a run. Aroldis Chapman came in to throw two pitches in the ninth for his fourth save of the season.
Matt Holliday and Aaron Judge backed Montgomery, who allowed three runs on seven hits in six-plus frames. After missing the previous two games with lower back stiffness and hitless in a dozen at-bats, Holliday crushed a three-run homer into the left-field bleachers that highlighted a five-run third inning. Judge added a two-run homer in the fifth off Derek Holland (1-2).
Starlin Castro went 3-for-4, had two doubles and scored two runs for the Yankees who improved to 9-4.
After going 12-for-69 (.174) with runners in scoring position in the previous seven games the Yankees were 3-for-7 in the clutch.
“I’d like to see him have all his weapons tonight. Like I said the last time, I don’t think he had great command of his fastball and I don’t think he had his good slider. Hopefully he has those two pitches,’’ manager Joe Girardi said of Montgomery before the game.
The manager said he thought Montgomery (1-0) would be more settled in the second big league outing and through six innings if the 24-year-old lefty was calmer he might have been passed out. First-inning trouble didn’t bother Montgomery who stranded two.
He did falter in the seventh when working with a 7-0 lead he gave up a three-run homer to Yolmer Sanchez with no outs and was replaced by Adam Warren.
“As a position player I thought the second game is not like the first. The butterflies are not nearly as large and I am sure he feels that as well,’’ Girardi said. “He has had a chance to get more comfortable with his surroundings. He went through what every little boy who is a baseball player dreams about, that first time you are in the big leagues and he got through it fairly successful.’’
Your browser does not support iframes.
During the eight-game winning streak Yankee starters are 6-0 with a 2.77 ERA and have allowed 39 hits in 52 innings.
Through five innings Montgomery blanked the White Sox and allowed three hits. He didn’t face a batter with runners in scoring position between the first and sixth innings and was helped by getting ground balls that turned into inning-ending double plays in the second and fourth frames.
Montgomery showed the White Sox the full tool belt within the first two batters of the game. He started Tyler Saladino off with a four-seam fastball and he singled off a two-seamer. In order of appearance, Montgomery fed Tim Anderson a two-seamer, changeup, curveball and slider with the final pitch resulting in a stress-free fly to center.
Derek Holland’s trouble in the third started when Pete Kozma, the No. 9 hitter, drilled a grounder off the pitcher’s right foot for a one-out single. Jacoby Ellsbury followed with an infield single and after Aaron Hicks forced Ellsbury at second Holliday fractured a 0-for-12 slide with a three-run homer that landed in the left field bleachers above the Yankees’ bullpen in left. Chase Headley added an RBI double and Judge scored Headley with an infield single for a 5-0 bulge.
Montgomery was unable to pitch around a one-out walk to Evan Longoria on Wednesday in his major league debut because Rickie Weeks, the next batter, homered for a 2-0 Rays’ lead.
Monday night Montgomery got in deeper trouble in the opening frame and escaped without the White Sox scoring.
Saladino opened with a soft single to center and Melky Cabrera walked with one out. A passed ball charged to Austin Romine, who appeared to be crossed up, put runners at second and third with one out for Jose Abreu. His grounder to Headley didn’t score a run and Montgomery stranded two runners by getting Avisail Garcia on a routine fly to center.