Rodón dazzles, Yankees blank Rangers to complete sweep
NEW YORK (AP) — Carlos Rodón pitched six innings of two-hit ball for his fifth straight win, Aaron Judge went 0 for 3 to fall under .400 for the first time in more than a month and the surging New York Yankees earned a three-game series sweep with a 1-0 victory over the Texas Rangers on Thursday.
The Yankees earned their fourth straight victory overall and won for the 11th time in 14 games. New York joined the Detroit Tigers as the second American League team to reach 30 victories for the season.
Rodon (6-3) allowed a single to Josh Jung three batters in and a double to Sam Haggerty in the third. It was the fourth time in 11 starts this season the left-hander allowed two hits or fewer.
Rodón struck out eight while pitching in short sleeves as the game-time temperature was 50 degrees. It was the fifth time this season he pitched with a first-pitch temperature of 55 degrees or lower.
Rookie Jorbit Vivas hit his first career homer in the fifth off Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi (4-3). Judge ended the game at .396, the first time since April 21 his average dipped under .400.
Eovaldi allowed one run and five hits in six innings. Eovaldi struck out six, walked one and had a personal three-game winning streak stopped.
Mark Leiter Jr. stranded two runners in the seventh and Devin Williams pitched a perfect eighth to continue his turnaround. Luke Weaver pitched a perfect ninth for his seventh save.
Key stat
Rodón threw 38 sliders and the Rangers were 0-for-8 against the pitch.
Key moment
Vivas turned on a 94 mph fastball and blasted it into the right-field seats. The 360-foot homer capped a homestand where he saw 11 pitches and reached on a throwing error by Pete Alonso to start a six-run eighth inning in Sunday’s 8-2 win over the New York Mets.
Up next
Texas RHP Tyler Mahle (5-1, 1.47 ERA) opposes White Sox RHP Sean Burke (2-5, 4.69) in the opener of a three-game series in Chicago on Friday.
Yankees RHP Clarke Schmidt (1-1, 4.41) faces Colorado in the opener of a nine-game road trip Friday. The Rockies have not announced a starter.
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