Yankees at Indians
The New York Yankees signed DJ LeMahieu to a two-year, $24 million contract during the offseason as an utilityman, but the former National League batting champion had other ideas. LeMahieu carries an 11-game hitting streak - his second of the season - into Friday's opener of a three-game series against the Indians in Cleveland.
LeMahieu is batting .320 with three home runs and 15 RBIs during his streak and leads baseball by hitting .491 with runners in scoring position this season while driving in 31 runs in such situations. First-place New York snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-2 victory at Toronto on Thursday as LeMahieu went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Aaron Hicks belted a three-run homer. Cleveland failed in its bid to make up serious ground on Minnesota by dropping the three-game series finale 5-4 on Thursday after winning the first two and sits 10 1/2 games behind the first-place Twins in the American League Central. The Yankees' Domingo German on Friday tries to become the majors' first 10-game winner and opposes rookie Zach Plesac, who has been effective in his two career starts.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network; YES (New York), STO, WKYC 3 (Cleveland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Domingo German (9-1, 3.66 ERA) vs. Indians RH Zach Plesac (0-1, 1.46)
German's ERA rose 1.06 after receiving no-decisions in his last two turns, allowing a combined 10 runs and 15 hits (five homers) in 8 2/3 innings against Boston and at Kansas City. Despite his recent woes, the 26-year-old Dominican native boasts a 1.11 WHIP and .215 batting average against with 71 strikeouts in 64 frames this season. German faced Cleveland twice last season, allowing six runs in a 6-5 road loss, and earning a no-decision after pitching six no-hit innings in New York's 7-4 victory at Yankee Stadium.
Plesac was a tough-luck loser after yielding one run (homer) and four hits while striking out seven in seven innings of a 2-0 loss to the White Sox in Chicago on Sunday. "It's a shame we didn't score because he pitched a great game," Indians manager Terry Francona told reporters about Plesac, who is the nephew of ex-major league pitcher Dan Plesac. The 24-year-old Indiana native received a no-decision in his big-league debut after yielding one run and four hits in 5 1/3 innings of Cleveland's 7-5 victory at Boston on May 28.
WALK-OFFS
1. New York SS Gleyber Torres (shoulder) did not play Thursday but was available off the bench.
2. The Indians lowered their major league-leading bullpen ERA to 3.26 with a pair of scoreless innings Thursday.
3. The Yankees have not been shut out for 143 straight games - the longest active streak in the majors. The club record is 308 set from 1931-33.