NEW YORK — Rookie Luis Gil battled command issues in cold conditions but pitched five scoreless innings of two-hit ball, Aaron Judge reached base three times and hit an RBI singleand the surging New York Yankees defeated the Los Angeles Angels 5-2 in the first game of a doubleheader on Wednesday.
Pitching in short sleeves in 65-degree conditions after pitching in 86-degree heat last week in Philadelphia, Gil (12-5) only allowed singles to Anthony Rendon and Jo Adell in the second inning and earned his third straight win.
“Definitely difficult these days,” Gil said through a translator. “I’m trying to locate all my pitches, the fastball, the slider and the changeup, but you have to understand that it happens and in the moment you have to find it within yourself.”
Gil walked five, but the Angels went 1-for-9 with baserunners against him. The right-hander threw his fifth scoreless game this season and first since June 4 against the Minnesota Twins.
Gil struck out six and threw a career-high 107 pitches, three more than his previous record set June 14 in Boston. Gil’s only 1-2-3 inning was the fifth and he put his hands in his gloves after Willie Calhoun flied out to end the inning.
“The fifth inning was probably his best inning,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I feel like he got into a certain rhythm there.”
“Very emotional moment right there,” Gil said of his final shift. “I think it was important for me to complete that inning, give our team the best chance possible and that’s exciting.”
It was also his major league-leading 14th start allowing one run or fewer this season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Gil’s 14 games allowing one run or less is tied with Stan Bahnsen (1968) for the second most by a rookie in Yankees history.
After being intentionally walked three times for the first time in his career on Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays, Judge walked and scored in New York’s first two innings, scored in the third and again in the fourth against José Marte for his best MLB performance. 104th RBI.
“We tried to work around it,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “That ball he hit for the base hit, it was supposed to be the ball up and away and see if he chased it. We weren’t going to give him anything to hit and Marte brought the ball back over the plate and that big boy didn’t miss.
Judge hit a 373-foot fly ball in the sixth and was intentionally walked for the 12th time this season with nobody and two outs in the eighth.
Judge reached base at least four times in the third consecutive game, joining Alfonso Soriano and Derek Jeter as the third Yankee since 1989 to achieve the feat.
Austin Wells had an RBI single off Angels rookie Davis Daniel (1-3) in the first after Judge drew his MLB-best 93rd walk. Anthony Volpe added an RBI double in the second and Oswaldo Cabrera scored the third as the Yankees won for the eighth time in nine games.
Alex Verdugo had an RBI double before Judge singled him home in the fourth.
Zach Neto hit a two-run home run for the Angels in the seventh off Jake Cousins. New York’s Clay Holmes shot 1-2-3 in the ninth for his 24th save in 33 chances.
Daniel allowed five runs and seven hits in 3 1/3 innings.
WEB GEM
On Wednesday, Neto took it over his shoulder in Cabrera. Cabrera hit a soft pop up that was taken to the center of the field and Neto completed the unbalanced play by falling to the ground.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Angels: 3B Luis Rengifo (right wrist inflammation) underwent season-ending wrist surgery on Tuesday and is expected to be ready for spring training.
NEXT:
Los Angeles RHP Carson Fulmer (0-2, 3.69 ERA) opposes New York rookie Will Warren (0-0, 6.75) in game two.
___
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
