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Green, Teixeira Help Yankees Avoid Sweep (Highlights)

By
Emmanuel Berbari
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The New York Yankees avoided a sweep in San Diego behind a strong performance from Chad Green and a much needed jolt from the offense.

  • New York Yankees: 6 (40-41)
  • San Diego Padres: 3 (35-47)
  • Interleague, FINAL, Box Score
  • Petco Park, San Diego, CA

The New York Yankees were not going to let the Padres sweep them out of town, it was as simple as that. Chad Green was superb in a spot start, Didi Gregorius went deep again, and Mark Teixeira blasted two homers as the Bombers left San Diego with a much better taste in their mouth.

It all started with Green, who proved that he deserves a spot in the big league rotation by allowing one run while striking out eight over six innings of work.

Gregorius broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth, rocketing a solo shot to right to match his home run total from a year ago (9). Keep in mind, it is only June.

While Didi put the Yanks in front, Teixeira provided the finishing touches. Insurance was added in the eighth inning when the 36-year-old hit a high drive for his 400th career home run to extend the lead to 3-1.

In the following frame, after Brett Gardner singled in a run, Tex knocked a two-run blast to right-center for his second home run of the game and made it a 6-1 advantage.

While the Padres cut it to 6-3 when Alex Dickerson hit a two-run shot in the bottom half of the ninth, Aroldis Chapman came on the shut the door.

Milestone & More

Mark Teixeira became just the fifth switch-hitter in MLB history to reach 400 career home runs with his towering shot in the eighth inning. However, he did not stop there.

A more impressive, majestic ninth inning two-run shot gave the Yankees loads of more comfort.

The Yankees have to hope that getting the 400 monkey off the back of Tex will help him go on a power surge, which he tends to do when he gets in a groove offensively. He can be a tremendous help to the middle of the lineup if he can find his power stroke.

Taking Advantage

Chad Green got a second chance at a spot start this afternoon and absolutely seized the opportunity, putting up numbers that resembled the work he was doing at Triple-A Scranton.

The 25-year-old right-hander picked up his first big league win, allowing a mere three hits and one run while striking out eight over six strong frames. He featured a live arm with stellar secondary offerings.

Following up his 1.54 ERA in the minors with a display of this caliber makes it nearly impossible for the Yanks to deny him another start. He can become quite the asset for a struggling starting rotation as the season progresses.

Turning Point

Dellin Betances relieved Chad Green in one-run ballgame in the seventh with hopes to keep the Padres in check. However, quickly putting runners on first and second with nobody out was the flame-thrower.

That was when he went to work to keep the Yanks in front. After Dickerson bunted into a force out, Betances fanned Derek Norris and Ryan Schimpf sequentially to end the threat.

The escape helped keep Green and the Yankees in line for a win in the series finale.

What’s Next?

The New York Yankees will continue this 10-game road trip tomorrow afternoon when they visit the Chicago White Sox on Independence Day.

CC Sabathia (5-5, 3.17 ERA) will take the ball for New York opposing James Shields (3-9, 5.85 ERA).

First pitch will commence at 2:10 pm ET from U.S. Cellular Field. The game can be seen on YES and heard on WFAN 660/101.9 FM. Stay tuned to ESNY for an in-depth pregame with all you need to know ahead of the series opener.

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