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| Lynn: 7 1/3IP, 2H, 0ER, 9K |
After losing four straight in Boston, the Yankees were in dire need of a win and a solid pitching performance. They got both thanks to recently-acquired Lance Lynn, who is likely to replace the underperforming Sonny Gray in the New York rotation.
In his first start in pinstripes, Lynn worked a gem, allowing just two hits over 7 1/3 innings, blanking the White Sox in a 7-0 romp.
Lynn, who's had a .500 season or better every year since 2011, struck out nine and walked one. At one point, he set down 19 straight White Sox batters. The Yankees struck for two in the fourth, two in the fifth and three in the eighth inning. A.J. Cole mopped up the final 1 2/3 innings.
Lynn played for the Cardinals through 2017 and was traded to the Twins during the off-season. The Yankees picked him up prior to the trading deadline. In two appearances, Lynn has pitched 11 2/3 innings, allowed seven hits, no runs, one walk and fanned 14.
The win left the Yankees nine games behind the Red Sox in the East division, but hold the top spot in the wild card, three up on Oakland and five better than Seattle. The Yanks, A's, and Mariners are the only teams with a legitimate wild card chance.
Game two in Chicago is Tuesday at 8:10 pm EDT.
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| Freeland: 7 IP, 2H, 0 ER |
The National League is where it's at this season.
Eight teams are within 7 1/2 games of each other in the wild card race, four within 3 1/2, and that does not include the three division leaders - the Phillies, Cubs, and Diamondbacks.
As far as those division leaders are concerned, they each could become a wild card contestant or be completely eliminated from post-season contention over the next eight weeks. The Phillies are a game up on the Braves in the East. The Cubs lead Milwaukee by 1 1/2 in the Central, and the Dodgers, in the West, are just 1/2-game better than Arizona.
Which brings us to the Rockies, two games behind in the West and two behind Atlanta in the race for the second wild card.
The Pirates - also one of the wild card contenders - opened a series in Denver with the Rockies and got blanked, 2-0, at the hand of Kyle Freeland, who shut the swashbucklers down on two hits over seven innings.
Freeland (10-7) threw 102 pitches, walked three, fanned five, and didn't allow a hit after the third inning. The Rockies scratched out two runs in the fifth, more than enough for the Colorado lefty. Seughwan Oh and Wade Davis worked perfect eighth and ninth innings for the win.
Pittsburgh will try to even the series when they take the field on Tuesday. Game time is 8:40 pm EDT.
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