When the Yankees batted for the first time Friday night against Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman, they were already in a four-run hole because of Lance Lynn’s shaky beginning.
Thanks to Didi Gregorius’ RBI triple and a run-scoring double from Miguel Andujar, the Yankees cut the deficit in half and sent a message to the Jays.
“That set the tone for us,’’ Giancarlo Stanton said of the two first-inning runs. “Get punched and punch right back.’’
After scoring six runs in the previous three games and two in the past two the Yankees crawled out of the early ditch to post a rain-shortened 7-5 victory that was witnessed by a wet Yankee Stadium crowd of 42,121.
Walker hit a three-run homer off Stroman in the fourth that put the Yankees up, 5-4. Lynn gave a run back in the fifth when he was replaced by Chad Green with no outs and a runner on first. The Yankees inched ahead, 6-5, on Gleyber Torres’ ground out that scored Aaron Hicks and Stanton’s monstrous homer that landed above the Yankees’ bullpen in right-center made it 7-5 in the seventh.
Play was halted after Hicks fanned for the first out in the seventh and the game was called following a rain delay of one hour and 25-minutes.
“It was a great answer. Stroman comes out and retires the first two hitters,’’ manager Aaron Boone said of the two-run first inning. “Aaron has a great at-bat and works a walk. Didi grinds out an at-bat and Miggy finishes it off and we’re right back in the game.
“Tonight we were able to get a couple of those big hits to throw those crooked numbers up there.’’
After going 1-for-20 with runners in scoring positions in their two previous games, the Yankees were 2-for-5 in the clutch with the biggest blow being Walker’s seventh homer of the season.
“Walk came up huge for us,’’ Stanton said of the switch-hitting infielder who has started in right field for the past seven games because Stanton is nursing a left hamstring problem. “Not an ideal start, but we were able to get the win.’’
The victory raised the Yankees’ record to 76-46 but didn’t cut into the Red Sox lead in the AL East which remained at 10 ½ lengths after they beat the Rays. The Yankees started the evening three games ahead of the A’s in the chase for the top AL wild-card spot.
Stroman went four innings and gave up five runs and six hits. His ERA rose from 5.03 to 5.27. The Stadium hasn’t been kind to Stroman who has been knocked out of the game before the end of the sixth inning in each of his seven starts in The Bronx since the start of the 2015 season.
The four-run deficit was the second largest the Yankees had to overcome this season and Lynn shouldered the blame.
“It just wasn’t good. I have to be better,’’ said Lynn, who allowed one run in 16 ²/₃ innings as a Yankee before giving up five runs and six hits in five-plus innings. “Frustrating is the best way to put it. Next time I will be better.’’
Green took over for Lynn and didn’t allow Devon Travis, the runner he inherited, to score. Green, who improved to 6-2, then retired the Blue Jays in the sixth. David Robertson worked a clean seventh which gave him a third save and Dellin Betances, who was throwing in the bullpen, never got into the game because of the rain.