CHICAGO — As they tried to swing a deal to help their flailing lineup on Sunday afternoon, the Yankees played a familiar game.
Strong starting pitching, two runs from their offense, and a bullpen hanging on for dear life.
That equation failed late on Saturday night, but the Yankees came right back and survived it on Sunday to secure a 2-1 win over the Cubs in a rubber game at Wrigley Field.
José Caballero’s two-run home run in the third inning was the difference thanks to Gerrit Cole, who gave up one run across 5 2/3 innings, and Brent Headrick, Paul Blackburn and David Bednar, who got the game across the finish line.
“We’re such a prisoner of the moment and what you’re going through as a team,” manager Aaron Boone said. “But I do think playing these games the way we have over the last month, where it feels like a leverage nip-and-tuck every game, I think there’s value in playing those games. We’re going to get it going offensively, we’re going to get better offensively, and hopefully become more of a complete team as we move through the next couple months.
“But we are finding ways to win games, especially in a tough part of our schedule where we’re playing a lot of really good teams.”
Bednar closed it out with a four-out save as the Yankees (63-49) picked up a game on the Rays and moved within 2 1/2 games of them for the division lead.
In their final game before Monday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline, during which they were acquiring Nationals slugger Luis García Jr., the Yankees finished off a 6-4 road trip and headed home to find out what their club will look like by the time it takes the field on Monday night.
“Look, we want to be winning more,” Cole said. “I think we put together a great road trip overall. If you ask us, we probably want to get out of here with one or two more wins, but we were in every ballgame for the entire trip, so there’s a lot of pride in that to a certain extent. We know we want to be better, but at the same time, we’ve been playing rather effectively in close games. In that regard, control what we can control, always push to be better, but at the same time, meet the demands of the game.”
After Cole quieted the Cubs (63-49), who have been one of the majors’ best offenses this season, the last six Yankees starters have now combined to give up just three runs across 37 innings, in which they have allowed 19 hits and 10 walks with 38 strikeouts.
During that stretch, the Yankees have scored 15 runs, including two or fewer in each of their last four games. But their pitching is giving them a chance to win every day.
“For this time when we’re battling at the plate, being in the game, it’s so huge for the team and huge for us as batters because we know they have our back,” said Caballero, who crushed his 11th home run of the year through the wind in the third inning. “They’re always keeping us in the game, so it’s great to have this staff.”
Cole became the sixth straight Yankees starter to allow one run or fewer – and the ninth in their last 11 games – while scattering four hits and three walks while striking out five.
Two of those walks came in the sixth inning, as Cole loaded the bases with two outs, at which point Boone called on lefty Brent Headrick from the bullpen. The Cubs had gotten to Headrick on Saturday night to pull off a late comeback, and it did not look good Sunday when he fell behind Nico Hoerner 3-0. He then threw what should have been ball four, but Austin Wells framed it and it was called a strike – not challenged – before Hoerner flew out to end the threat.
Headrick then struck out the side in the seventh before handing it off to Blackburn and Bednar, allowing the Yankees to fly home happy while keeping tabs on their trade activity.
“This trip was, in so many ways, such a grind,” Boone said. “We go play three playoff teams and go 6-4 on the trip. It says a lot about the guys in that room. Obviously the pitching’s been outstanding, but also in a lot of those games, doing some big things whether it’s bases, defense, enough with the bat, whatever. It’s about winning games. We know we got to continue to move the needle offensively, but another outstanding performance starting with Gerrit today.”
