The Yankees opened Tuesday night having lost four in a row and in last place in the AL East with an offense that was in the dumps.
So when they fell behind by two runs with Gerrit Cole on the mound, it seemed things might get even worse.
But they tied it in the sixth, with the help of an Anthony Volpe homer, and took the lead for good thanks to an unlikely source, Willie Calhoun, an inning later in a 4-2 victory over Cleveland in The Bronx.
Calhoun, signed to a minor league deal in the offseason and part of what’s been a wildly unproductive outfield group, hit a solo shot to right with one out in the seventh to make it 3-2.
The win got the Yankees back above .500 (16-15) and was just their third victory in their past 10 games.
“It’s been a little bit of a challenge,’’ Aaron Boone said of the Yankees’ recent struggles that sent them to the bottom of the AL East.
Anthony Volpe (right) celebrates with Anthony Rizzo after hitting a solo homer in the sixth inning of the Yankees’ 4-2 comeback win over the Guardians. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post
After the Yankees’ bullpen did them in during Monday’s loss, Ron Marinaccio, Wandy Peralta and Michael King pitched three scoreless innings in relief Tuesday.
The Yankees remained in the cellar even with the win but with reason for optimism, as they got Harrison Bader into the lineup for the first time all season, which Boone hopes is the start of them getting healthier.
Though Cole was far from his best, he gave up just two runs over six innings, as the Yankees improved to 7-0 in his starts this year. And he again avoided giving up any home runs. He’s yet to give up any after allowing a career-high 33 a year ago.
Cole had difficulty with his command early, and though he struck out four in the first two innings, he couldn’t avoid trouble in the third, when he gave up a pair of runs.
The rally started with back-to-back hard-hit singles by Amed Rosario and Jose Ramirez with one out. Josh Naylor then smacked an RBI double to right for the game’s first run. Cole then walked Josh Bell to load the bases. He got Gimenez on a soft grounder to first that scored Ramirez to make it 2-0.
Willie Calhoun belts the go-ahead solo homer in the seventh inning of the Yankees’ win. APThe Yankees got just a two-out single from Anthony Rizzo in the first off right-hander Tanner Bibee, in just his second major league start, until Volpe hit an opposite-field homer with one out in the bottom of the sixth to make it 2-1.
“That was definitely a little energy boost,’’ Boone said of Volpe’s third homer of the year.
Gleyber Torres followed with a double to right to knock Bibee out of the game. Rizzo tied the game with an RBI single off Bibee’s replacement, James Karinchak.
Gerrit Cole, who allowed two runs in six innings, picked up the no-decision. Corey Sipkin for the NY PostCalhoun gave the Yankees their first lead with one out in the seventh, taking Karinchak deep to right on an 0-2 pitch for his first home run of the season. Calhoun hit 21 home runs for Texas in 2019 but hasn’t done much since. He’s found a way into the lineup because of a rash of injuries to the Yankees outfield.
Calhoun called the blast “special.”
“[Volpe] was a good jolt for us, and Willie finished it off,’’ Cole said. “He’s grinding.”
“We know that’s in there,’’ Boone said of Calhoun. “He’s getting some opportunities.”
Marinaccio ended up getting two outs in the seventh and Peralta the next two outs — with an assist from Volpe, who made a terrific scoop of a Peralta throw to second on a force play — before King picked up the save by pitching the final 1 ²/₃ innings, striking out three.
