Yankees at Giants
Gary Sanchez’s first career grand slam may still be airborne Sunday when the New York Yankees aim for a three-game sweep of the host San Francisco Giants. Sanchez delivered the key blow in Saturday’s 6-4 victory with a mammoth 467-foot blast as the Yankees won for the 10th time in their last 12 games.
Gio Urshela went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles while DJ LeMahieu continued to impress from the leadoff spot by reaching base three times and finishing with an RBI single and a stolen base. “He doesn’t chase. He controls the strike zone really well,” New York manager Aaron Boone told reporters. “He’s been a guy throughout his career that knows where the barrel of his bat is and has the ability to put it on the ball.” The Giants have lost six of their last nine but received a spark Saturday from Yangervis Solarte, who went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and could begin receiving more playing time over struggling second baseman Joe Panik. San Francisco outfielder Steven Duggar sat out the contest with a minor right wrist injury but is expected to return to the starting lineup on Sunday.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, YES (New York), NBCS Bay Area (San Francisco)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Domingo German (4-1, 1.75 ERA) vs. Giants RH Dereck Rodriguez (3-2, 3.54)
German recorded his third victory in four starts with another strong outing last Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels, allowing one unearned run on four hits and five strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings. “His numbers right now, he’s like a top five pitcher in baseball,” teammate Luke Voit told reporters. “He’s getting the job done, stepping up in big situations for us.” The 26-year-old native of the Dominican Republic is making his first appearance against San Francisco.
Rodriguez recorded his second straight victory last Sunday after holding Pittsburgh to two runs on three hits in 5 2/3 innings with a walk and four strikeouts. The 26-year-old son of Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez has posted an impressive 22-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio across five starts covering 28 innings. LeMahieu is hitless in five at-bats against Rodriguez, who is facing the Yankees for the first time.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Yankees are 8-4 on the road this season, outscoring opponents 76-60 while hitting 25 home runs.
2. Giants C Buster Posey is 10-for-29 with one homer and seven RBIs over his last nine games.
3. Voit saw his 13-game hitting streak come to an end Saturday, but the first baseman extended his on-base streak to a career-high 38 games after being hit by a pitch in the fifth inning.