CC Sabathia delivered another solid outing, Giancarlo Stanton went deep for a second straight game and the Yankees won another series, but the good vibes in The Bronx were dampened by Gleyber Torres being lifted from the game in a 6-2 victory over Atlanta.
The rookie second baseman suffered a mild strained right hip and was placed on the 10-day DL, which means he could be out through the All-Star break.
“We need him,’’ Greg Bird said of Torres. “He’s gonna be a big part of this. He’s obviously shown what he can do, in big situations, too.”
They survived without him in front of another sellout crowd in The Bronx, thanks in part to a three-run, opposite-field homer into the bleachers in right by Stanton and six strong innings from Sabathia.
But the rookie has been a critical part of the team’s terrific first half.
With Wednesday’s win, they stayed a game behind Boston in the AL East and have infield depth thanks to the recent arrival of Brandon Drury.
As for Sabathia, the lefty gave up two runs and over his last six starts is 4-2 with a 2.09 ERA.
“He got tired a little bit at the end and kind of emptied the tank in the sixth inning,’’ Aaron Boone said. “On a hot day, he went out there and was in control like we’ve pretty much seen him all year.”
Sabathia was tested throughout, throwing more pitches (103) than he had in an appearance since 2016 on a sultry July 4th afternoon.
In the first, Sabathia hit Nick Markakis with an 0-2 sinker and then walked the red-hot Kurt Suzuki to load the bases with two out before striking out rookie phenom Ronald Acuna Jr. with a cutter.
The first-place Braves had runners on the corners with one out in the fifth. Sabathia faced Danny Santana, who replaced Freddie Freeman after Freeman left following a hit by pitch in the third. Santana’s slow grounder to second scored a run to make it 5-1.
Sabathia allowed a homer to Johan Camargo with two outs in the sixth, followed by a double by Charlie Culberson, but got Dansby Swanson to ground out.
“Even when I felt I was in control, I still had to make pitches,’’ Sabathia said. “They made me work.”
He’s pitched into the sixth inning in each of those six starts, a streak he never had last season.
“It’s case-by-case with everyone,” Boone said of how long he lets his starters go. “But especially with CC.”
CC SabathiaCharles Wenzelberg“As long as my body holds up, I feel like I can go out and get outs,’’ Sabathia said.
Aaron Judge and Kyle Higashioka added solo shots to pad Sabathia’s lead, as the Yankees hit three homers on the day.
None was bigger than Stanton’s.
“When he’s on, he’s as deadly as there is,’’ Boone said of the slugger. “And we’re starting to see that on a more consistent level.”
After Bird gave the Yankees the lead in the second with a two-out single that scored Didi Gregorius, Stanton hit his 21st homer of the season.
Giancarlo Stanton rounds the bases after hitting a three-run homer.Paul J. BereswillThe blast, also with two outs, came on an 0-2 pitch and reached the bleachers in right.
Higashioka added to it by becoming the first Yankee since Alfonso Soriano in 2000 to have his first three MLB hits go for home runs.
Up 5-2 in the seventh, Chad Green entered and immediately gave up singles to Ender Inciarte and Ozzie Alibies. Santana then flied to left, Markakis lined to left and Suzuki hit one hard to right, but Judge tracked it down.
Next, the Yankees face an 11-game road trip beginning on Friday in Toronto and they will almost certainly be without Torres for the duration.
The presence of Drury, Neil Walker and perhaps a callup of Tyler Wade from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre should soften the blow.
“I think the wise thing is to do this now,’’ Boone said of the DL stint. “I think Gleyber wants to take a couple days and work through it, but I think he also understands this is the best thing for him and for us.”




