NEW YORK - The Yankees offense came to life in the series finale against the Angels, scoring seven runs to avoid the sweep with a 7-3 win over Los Angeles Thursday, June 19 at Yankee Stadium.
Mike Trout got the offense started early for the Angels with a solo home run to theYankee bullpen in the first to put the Angels on the board 1-0.
Trout’s solo shot was one of three solo home runs for the Angels, the only way they scored in the game. Center fielder Jo Adell followed Trout in the second inning to put the Angels ahead 2-1, while Taylor Ward lined a ball into the second row of seats in right field in the sixth inning.
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Los Angeles Angels right fielder Mike Trout (27) follows through on a solo home run against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees shot right back in the bottom of the first against Angels starter Tyler Anderson. Paul Goldschmidt scored off a player’s choice ground out by Giancarlo Stanton after Goldschmidt doubled to find his way aboard and moved to third courtesy of a Cody Bellinger single.
The Yankees challenged the out call in their RBI play and lost, and the call review rolled into a brief rain delay with play resuming soon after.
The Angels weren’t the only ones knocking the ball out of the park. Yankee center fielder Trent Grisham blasted a two-run shot to put the Yankees ahead and Goldschmidt followed with a solo home run of his own to improve the Yankees to a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the second, scoring more runs in two innings than they had in the previous three games combined.
Ward’s solo shot in the sixth inning cut the Yankee lead down 5-3, though it’s the last time the Angels would score in the game. Beyond the three home runs, Carlos Rodón largely contained the Los Angeles lineup, allowing just one other hit in six innings of work.
Bellinger powered a single into right field off of relief pitcher Sam Bachman to score Grisham from second and pad the Yankees lead 5-3 lead in the bottom of the 7th.
Angels right fielder LaMonte Wade Jr. was quick to throw down to home, though it wasn’t in time to catch Goldschmidt. Angels catcher Travis d’Arnaud fired the relay throw back to second to catch Bellinger while he tried to stretch his single into a double for the third out of the seventh inning.
Brad Penner-Imagn Images
New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham (12) celebrates his two run home run against the Los Angeles Angels with second baseman DJ LeMahieu (26) during the second inning at Yankee Stadium.
The Angels were in trouble in the bottom of the eighth with Hector Neris on the mound and Yankees on first and second with no outs.
That was when the weather stepped in. The rain that threatened briefly in the second inning returned, with the Yankee Stadium grounds crew quickly pulling the tarp out again and delaying the game again.
When the delay lifted, Brock Burke came on in relief for the Angels. Yankee shortstop Jazz Chisholm Jr. answered Burke with a soft bunt up the right side to load the bases.
New York converted those baserunners into insurance, scoring two more runs in the eighth to improve to a 7-3 lead. That was more than enough to finish off the Angels, who went scoreless in the ninth.
The win snaps a six game losing streak for the Yankees and fends off what would have been the first ever four-game-sweep of the Yankees by the Angels.
The Angels still head home with a 3-1 series victory and gear up to host the Houston Astros for a series at home, beginning Friday, June 20 at Angel Stadium at 6:38 pm PDT.