NEW YORK (AP) — Jameson Taillon earned his first win in exactly two years, Aaron Judge had three hits and three RBIs, and the New York Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers 6-4 on Saturday.
Gleyber Torres also drove in three runs as the Yankees won for the sixth time in seven games and improved to 13-14.
In a big league season when hitting is in short supply, 11 of the 18 batters in the starting lineups for the Tigers and Yankees finished the game hitting .198 or below. Detroit began the day with a majors-worst .199 team batting average — former Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera went 0 for 5 and fell to .125, one of the five Tigers under .200.
Taillon (1-2) allowed one run, three hits and struck out eight over five innings. The Yankees had lost in each of his four previous starts.
Taillon’s previous win came on May 1, 2019, for Pittsburgh in his last outing before having Tommy John surgery. The Pirates traded him to the Yankees before this season.
Spencer Turnbull (1-2) gave up four runs and five hits in five innings. The Tigers lost their fourth in a row and dropped to an MLB-worst 8-20.
Judge followed Friday night’s two-homer, five-RBI performance by breaking a 1-all tie in the fifth inning with a line drive double off Turnbull to left field that scored DJ LeMahieu.
Turnbull lost control in the sixth inning when he hit Aaron Hicks to open the frame and then walked Gary Sánchez and Clint Frazier before reliever José Cisnero replaced him.
Cisnero retired Brett Gardner on a pop out and struck out LeMahieu. Judge fell behind 0-1 in the count and drove the following pitch to right field for a two-run single that made it 4-1. Rougned Odor then walked and Torres’ two-run single chased Cisnero.
Taillon retired seven straight hitters before Jeimer Calendario’s two-out homer in the fourth tied it at 1. Taillon issued consecutive two-out walks in the fifth but escaped unscathed by striking out Cabrera.
Detroit cut the deficit 6-3 in the seventh inning on Jonathan Schoop’s two-out two-run single.
Niko Goodrum got the Tigers closer with a solo homer to right to make it 6-4.
Aroldis Chapman pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save in as many chances.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Tigers: LHP Matthew Boyd (left knee tendinitis) will miss his next scheduled start Tuesday in Boston, but possibly could be back on the mound next weekend at home against the Minnesota Twins. Boyd was pulled out of Thursday’s start against the Chicago White Sox in the second inning. Manager A.J. Hinch said before Saturday’s game that Boyd is slated to play catch Sunday before the club makes a decision.
Yankees: RHP Darren O’Day was placed on the 10-day injury list due to a strained right rotator cuff. Manager Aaron Boone expects the reliever, who has a 3.00 ERA in 10 appearances, to be out for several weeks.
EASY WAY OUT
Taillon got an unlikely assist in the fifth inning with Detroit threatening to take the lead when Goodrum attempted to advance to third on JaCoby Jones’ hard-hit grounder to the left side of the infield. The ball took a hard bounce, however, and struck Goodrum in the leg for the second out of the inning. Jones was credited with a hit.
UP NEXT
Yankees RHP Corey Kluber (1-2, 4.15) will face Detroit RHP José Ureña (1-3, 3.77 ERA) to close out the three-game set Sunday. Kluber will attempt to win his 100th career game. He lasted a season-high 6 2/3 innings his last start Tuesday in Baltimore, picking up his first victory of the season.
