Yankees Complete Doubleheader Sweep In Kansas City

The Yankees took the 1st game of a rain-forced doubleheader with the Royals in Kansas City, and went after the 2nd game with gusto. They fell behind 1-0 after the 1st inning, with reliever Chad Green acting as an "opener," but broke the game wide open in the 2nd.

Kendrys Morales led off with a single, Clint Frazier drew a walk, and Gio Urshela singled to load the bases with nobody out. Austin Romine singled home Morales and Frazier, and Urshela got to 3rd. Cameron Maybin doubled home Romine and Urshela. DJ LeMahieu singled home Maybin.

So that was 5 runs in the inning. As it turned out, the Yankees would need all of them, and 1 more. Cliche Alert: Walks can kill you. Frazier drew another walk in the 3rd. After Urshela flew out, Romine and Maybin singled, and that got Frazier home with what turned out to be the decisive run. But with the score 6-1 Yankees, nobody figured on that at the time.

Rookie Chance Adams was sent out for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th innings, and he wasn't much better than Green, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits, although he gave up just 1 walk. Nevertheless, the Yankees made him the pitcher of record, since Green couldn't get the win because he started, but did not go 5 innings. Jonathan Holder pitched a perfect 6th, Tommy Kahnle a perfect 7th, and Zack Britton a scoreless 8th.

The Royals got a run back in the 3rd, and 2 in the 4th, to make it 6-4. But, as I said, the Yankee bullpen held through the 8th. In the 9th, Aroldis Chapman once again made things a little too interesting. He got the 1st out, then walked a batter. That run meant nothing, but he tried to pick him off anyway, and threw it far enough away that the runner could get to 3rd base. A sacrifice fly got him home. Finally, Chapman got serious, and ended the game with a strikeout.

Yankees 6, Royals 5. WP: Adams (1-0, his 1st major league win). SV: Chapman (14). LP: Jorge Lopez (0-6). The Yankees have now won 6 straight games, and lead the AL East by 3 games over the Tampa Bay Rays, 2 in the loss column.

The series concludes this afternoon. Having survived both a doubleheader and the slot in the starting rotation that should never have gone to Chad Green, the Yankees send Domingo German to the hill today, against Danny Duffy for the Royals.

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