Yanks blank A's, reach halfway mark with MLB's best run differential

NEW YORK -- The Yankees reached the official halfway point of their season on Friday, and as handshakes wrapped and the postgame music pulsed through the clubhouse, various voices in uniform provided a range of assessments: “a rollercoaster,” “incomplete,” and “pretty good.”

June certainly hasn’t been their finest month, but the big picture remains promising: still standing atop the American League East after their latest victory, a 3-0 win over the Athletics on Friday evening at Yankee Stadium. More importantly, there is a sense that the best is yet to come.

"When we play Yankee baseball the way we’re supposed to, there’s not anybody that can beat us,” said rookie right-hander Will Warren, who tossed five scoreless innings to pick up his fifth win.

New York (47-34) returned to 13 games over .500 with the victory, supported by a Jazz Chisholm Jr. home run and run-scoring singles by Cody Bellinger and DJ LeMahieu.

For all the recent warts -- baserunning gaffes, fielding lapses, struggles with runners in scoring position, bullpen meltdowns -- this was one of their cleanest contests in weeks.

A few timely hits, no runs allowed: their ninth shutout is tied with Cleveland for the most in the AL, and their +113 run differential is still tops in the Majors.

"I feel like we could be better,” Chisholm said. “I feel like we’re a better team than we’ve shown. We’ve definitely [had] some hiccups, and we definitely learned from it.”

Warren’s outing came as the Yankees’ pitching pipeline sits under the spotlight this weekend. The Athletics’ starting pitcher for each game of the series features a pinstriped alum: Mitch Spence, JP Sears and Luis Severino.

In outdueling Spence, a 10th-round pick of the Bombers in the 2019 MLB Draft who was lost to the A’s in the 2023 Rule 5 Draft, Warren overcame a 36-pitch first inning that featured three walks and prompted early bullpen activity.

"He was probably two hitters away from being out of the game,” manager Aaron Boone said. “I thought his body language was good; I knew he was frustrated, but he just continued to stay after it. I think he knows that if he can get back in the zone, he’s got the confidence that he’s got the stuff to get right out of that.”

Spence was knocked for three runs (two earned) over five innings, including Chisholm’s second homer in as many games, clocking a 91.8 mph cutter for a second-inning solo shot to the second deck in right field.

"I definitely knew it was gone as soon as I hit it,” Chisholm said. “It felt good. It was exactly what I was looking for.”

The Yanks’ second run came across in the third inning after the A’s elected to intentionally walk Aaron Judge, setting up a two-on, two-out opportunity for Bellinger, who lashed a cutter into center field for a run-scoring single.

Chisholm said he considered the move “really disrespectful,” though Bellinger called the A’s decision “understandable.”

"I mean, he’s the best hitter on the planet,” Bellinger said of Judge. “So for me, just in the at-bat, what’s my plan and how can I execute in this situation?”

LeMahieu nicked Spence’s pitching hand with a run-scoring single in the fourth, and though the Yanks managed only one run from a bases-loaded chance, Warren made it hold up with what Chisholm described as “heart and grit.” The right-hander permitted only two hits in a 100-pitch effort, striking out seven while walking four.

"I fell behind and allowed the free passes, but then I hammered down,” Warren said. “I was just going to let them put the ball in play, and let our defense play behind me.”

Friday’s win bobbed the Yanks back to .500 for June (12-12), and though Judge has recently acknowledged that the team was “not playing that great,” Bellinger remains confident they’re built for the long haul.

"A baseball season is full of ups and downs, and you’re going to have good and bad moments,” Bellinger said. “But we’ve handled both well. I really like where we’re at. I love this group of guys, and I love competing with every single one of these guys.”

So does Chisholm, who leaves no question about their shared focus beyond the next 81 games.

"I feel like in the future, around the playoffs and in October, we’re going to learn from the mistakes that we’ve had so far,” Chisholm said. “It’s going to help us build.”