BALTIMORE — That’s more like it.
The Yankees’ lineup showed some pop and Corey Kluber began to look like the pitcher the team had hoped he’d be when it signed him this offseason in a 5-1 win over Baltimore at Camden Yards on Tuesday.
Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Kyle Higashioka, playing in place of benched catcher Gary Sanchez, all homered in support of Kluber, who allowed just one run in 6 ²/₃ innings, in his best outing of the young season.
“Corey set the tone,’’ Aaron Boone said. “He threw the ball really well. He was in command most of the night and the offense did a lot of really good things.”
Kluber walked just one after struggling with his command in his first four starts, when he walked 11 in 15 innings.
“The goal was to be more aggressive in the strike zone,’’ Kluber said of his strategy in pitching with Higashioka behind the plate.
He did more than that. The right-hander didn’t give up a hit until Trey Mancini led off the bottom of the fourth with a double past a diving Gio Urshela at third.
Corey Kluber APBy then, the Yankees were up by four runs, so when Mancini scored from third on an infield single by Makiel Franco, they still led 4-1.
The right-hander had avoided damage in the second after walking Austin Hays and drilling Chance Sisco with one out by getting Ryan Mountcastle to hit into a double play.
His efficiency allowed Kluber to pitch into the seventh inning, something the Yankees need from some starters besides Gerrit Cole to protect what’s already been a heavily used relief corps.
“The bullpen has been unbelievable this year,’’ Kluber said. “They’ve had to cover more innings than we’d like so far. As much as we can lessen the burden, the better.”
Boone said he’d be more willing to raise their pitch counts after treating them carefully in the early going.
“Now we’re at that point where we’ve been a little bit cautious with both guys … and now they’re built up and ready to go,’’ Boone said. “If they’re rolling, I feel good about them being able to drive their pitch count up.”
Kluber left with two outs in the bottom of the seventh after giving up his second single of the inning and throwing 96 pitches. It was Kluber’s first win in over two years.
“I don’t spend too much time reflecting on that,’’ Kluber said of the milestone. “I’ve got a lot of those out of the way. I look now to get to the middle of the season and make improvements. I feel all that stuff’s in the rearview mirror for me.”
Jonathan Loaisiga got Mancini on a grounder to second for the final out of the inning.
The Yankees took the lead in the first after a leadoff double by DJ LeMahieu, a single from Judge that moved LeMahieu to third and a sacrifice fly from Urshela.
They added a run in the third when Judge drilled a homer to left, his fifth of the season.
In the fourth, Higashioka — who Boone said prior to the game would play more regularly thanks to Sanchez’s continued ineptitude at the plate — homered with one out.
LeMahieu scored again on a single by Urshela. But Stanton was thrown out at the plate thanks to an ill-advised send by third base coach Phil Nevin.
Baltimore starter Bruce Zimmerman lasted just two outs into the fourth inning, allowing nine hits and four runs.
Stanton’s blast to lead off the seventh made it 5-1.
“We showed what we can do,’’ Gleyber Torres said.







