Four-run fourth lifts the Yankees past the A’s 5-1

Source: FanGraphsThe Yankees have now won four in a row. Masahiro Tanaka threw seven brilliant innings and the offense scored enough runs to let the three elite bullpen arms rest. They are now only two games under .500, and they escaped the cellar of the AL East (the Blue Jays are now in the fifth place). It’s the weekend so let’s recap the 5-1 win bullet point style.

• The top of fourth: The Yankee lineup went mostly quiet against rookie LHP Sean Manaea the first time around, but they were less merciful the second. The Yankees not only scored four but also worked the opposing starter hard in the top of the fourth. Manaea had thrown 33 pitches in the first three innings. He then threw 32 in the fourth. Carlos Beltran got it going with an RBI single with bases loaded, then Aaron Hicks hit a sac fly to bring another one in, and then Rob Refsnyder hit a 2 RBI double after a 10-pitch battle for the decisive blow.
• Tanaka Time: Tanaka got into two bases loaded jams but only allowed one run when it was all said and done. In seven innings he allowed one run while walking two and striking out four. Just by the eye test, his stuff didn’t seem especially nasty nor his command that sharp. The overall line would have looked worse had he faced a better lineup. However, Tanaka did go out and got the job done, which is pretty much the priority. His recorded improved to 2-0 after the win today. Yes, 2-0 after 9 starts. I don’t think you see that often. His seven no-decisions lead the majors among all starters.
• One more in the seventh: The Yankees had a 4-1 lead heading into the top of the seventh, which would set up for a Dellin Betances-Andrew Miller-Aroldis Chapman sequence had Joe Girardi decided not to use Tanaka for the bottom of the frame. Starlin Castro had a different idea. With Ronald Torreyes on first with two outs, Castro drilled a first pitch changeup down the line to bring home a run, giving the Yankees a 5-1 lead. Castro had been relatively quiet for the most of this road trip but he had a nice three-hit day today.
• Nick B. Goode: No one’s gonna confuse Nick Goody for one of the elite three arms of the Yankee bullpen, but he’s handled himself pretty well in 7 appearances with the team this season. After tossing two scoreless innings to close out the game, Goody now has a 1.64 ERA in 11.0 IP. He’s also striking guys out (9.82 K/9) while limiting walks and homers (0.82 per 9 IP on both) so that’s cool too. Hopefully he keeps it up and becomes another useful bullpen asset for the team.

Here’s today’s box score, video highlights, and updated standings. The Yankees will look for a series sweep tomorrow with Michael Pineda on the mound against Jesse Hahn for the A’s.