A six-run lead after four innings gave the Yankees hope Domingo German could carry them through the middle frames, because they were without four prominent members of the best bullpen in baseball.
German didn’t dominate those four innings, but he also didn’t give up a run to the Braves. However, by the time the fifth inning was complete Tuesday evening, A.J. Cole joined the bullpen band by leaving the bases loaded after the visitors scored three runs off German on back-to-back homers by Ender Inciarte and Ozzie Albies.
He doesn’t reside in the elite neighborhood where Chad Green, Jonathan Holder, Dellin Betances, David Robertson and Aroldis Chapman do, but for one night, Cole was as big a reason as anybody for the Yankees beating the Braves, 8-5, in front of a Yankee Stadium crowd of 45,448.
Acquired from the Nationals for cash on April 23, Cole hadn’t pitched since June 19 due to a strained neck muscle that landed him on the disabled list, but not only did he leave the bases loaded in the fifth, the 26-year-old right-hander worked a perfect sixth.
Domingo German couldn’t get through five innings.Paul J. Bereswill“He has had a lot of time between outings since he has been here,’’ Aaron Boone said of the former starter who is still learning the nuances of relieving. “He has really come through and he delivered again tonight. He has rose to the occasion a number of times.’’
The victory upped the Yankees’ record to 55-28 and moved them to four percentage points of the AL East-leading Red Sox, who improved to 58-29 by slamming the Nationals.
Aaron Hicks hit a two-run homer in the first. Kyle Higashioka hammered a solo homer in the second and Giancarlo Stanton’s two-run homer in the eighth provided Chapman, working in a third straight game, a three-run cushion to post his 24th save.
“I like to show my team I can be there for them,’’ said Cole, who copped the win and is 2-0 with a 0.61 ERA in eight relief outings as a Yankee.
The 6-3 lead Cole turned over to Adam Warren turned into 6-5 when Nick Markakis hit a two-run homer just out of Stanton’s reach in right field in the seventh. Stanton slammed into the wall attempting to make the catch. He was examined by assistant trainer Tim Lentych and remained in the game to go to the wall and catch Kurt Suzuki’s fly ball for the second out. The final out of the inning was Robert Acuna Jr.’s fly to center that Hicks caught on the warning track.
“I hit it pretty hard but it wasn’t too bad,’’ said Stanton, who explained his shoulder took the brunt of the collision with the padded wall.
When Johan Camargo and Dansby Swanson singled with one out in the eighth off Warren, Boone called for struggling lefty Chasen Shreve to face the left-handed hitting Inciarte. He struck him out on a splitter and watched Albies’ grounder to third turn into the final out by Miguel Andujar.
“Get ahead and focus on the [catcher’s] glove and not the situation,’’ Shreve said.
Because Green and Holder each worked two innings Monday night and Robertson, Betances and Chapman threw one inning each Sunday and Monday, Boone opted to put Robertson and Chapman in dry dock. But Chapman told Boone and pitching coach Larry Rothschild before the game he was ready to go.
Chapman blew Freddie Freeman away with a 102 mph fastball for the first out, got Markakis to swing through an 88 mph slider for the second and watched Suzuki’s fly ball to right field die on the warning track for the final out.
Chapman got the save and Shreve recorded two big outs. But if Cole hadn’t taken control the game in the fifth inning, there might have not been big outs for Shreve to get or a need to summon Chapman.
