Yankees Respond to 19-5 Smackdown, Down Indians

YANKEES 3 
INDIANS 2 

What a difference a day makes, and a little pitching to boot.

The Yankees rode an early 2-0 lead, and the right arm of veteran Mashairo Tanaka to beat the Cleveland Indians 3-2 Friday, one night after Cleveland dropped 19 runs and 24 hits on the Bombers.

Unlike Thursday, it was the Yankees who wasted little time offensively, scratching out two early runs in the bottom of the first on RBI base hits by Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres.

Tanaka would do his part to make that lead stand up. He gave up a solo homer to Jose Ramirez in the top of the second inning, and then nothing but zeroes. At one point Tanaka retired eight consecutive batters until Ramirez returned to get a single off the veteran righty in the top of the fifth.

The Yankees would tack on a little insurance for Tanaka in the bottom of the sixth when Gio Urshella turned one of his three hits into a RBI single to make it 3-1.

The Indians would get a run closer on a solo homer by Yasiel Puig in the top of the seventh before Tanaka exited, but the Yankee pen once again proved too tough.

The combination of Tommy Khanle, Zach Britton and Aroldis Chapman held the Tribe hitless and scoreless over the final 2.1 innings of the game to send New York to its 82nd victory. Speaking of which, the Yankees are now a season high 40-games over .500.

The Yankees and Indians continue their four game series on Saturday. These are big games for the Yankees who must set the tone against some of the better competition in the American League, that this Yankee squad can indeed string together quality games out of their pitching staff.

James Paxton who has struggled most of the year will get the start tomorrow for the Yankees.