New York Yankees Finish Off Sweep of Los Angeles Angels

By Kenneth Teape | Jun 7, 2015

6. 43. 2. 102. Final

New York Yankees finish off a sweep of the Los Angeles Angels for their sixth consecutive win

The New York Yankees were able to keep things rolling on Sunday, as they pushed their winning streak to six games and finished off a sweep of the Los Angeles Angels. This was the first time the Yankees have won six consecutive games since the 2013 season. It is also the first sweep of the Angels in the Bronx in a series of three games or more since 1995, as the Yankees have swept two consecutive series and are playing some of their best baseball of the season.

It certainly didn’t look like the game would end with a Yankees win at the start, as C.C. Sabathia got off to as rocky of a start as a pitcher could. Two of his first 11 pitches left the yard, as Mike Trout and Albert Pujols delivered back-to-back home runs in the first inning. For Pujols, it was his 535th home run of his career, pushing him past Jimmie Foxx and taking over sole possession of 17th place on the all-time home run leaders list.

Sabathia looked well on his way to another poor outing, as the Angels looked like they were going to end the Yankees winning streak. But, like the veteran he is, Sabathia bogged down and got things going after that. He would not surrender another run the rest of the game, as he kept the Yankees in it long enough for the offense to finally get going.

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Even with the two home runs surrendered in the first inning, this was arguably Sabathia’s strongest start of the season. It was the first time he didn’t allow six or more hits in a start this season, and the solo home runs were the only runs he gave up on the afternoon. He was also able to strike out seven Angels, and got a timely double play in the sixth inning to end an Angels threat.

That was all the work Sabathia would do in the afternoon though, as he was ejected by the home plate umpire for arguing balls and strikes while walking off the field. Regardless, Sabathia put forth a strong effort in this one, going six innings and allowing five hits, one walks and two earned runs to go with seven strikeouts. In the process, Sabathia eclipsed the 2,500 strikeout mark for his career, becoming the ninth left-handed pitcher to reach that plateau.

Sabathia looked like he would be a tough luck loser this afternoon though with how well C.J. Wilson was throwing opposite of him. Wilson entered the game with two consecutive poor outings, but looked like he was getting on track against the Yankees. He was rolling through four innings, as a Didi Gregorius groundout was the only run the Yankees scored.

Something happened then in the fifth inning, as Wilson lost his edge and the Yankees were able to get at him. Chris Young hit a leadoff home run, his seventh of the season and Wilson unraveled a bit from there. He was able to get Jose Pirela to ground out, but then allowed singles to John Ryan Murphy and Gregorius.

Jun 7, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Brett Gardner (11) hits a three run home run in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

The Angles then had a mound visit with Wilson to try and get him back on track, but it didn’t seem to work as Brett Gardner delivered the big blow, hitting a three-run home run to right field to put the Yankees ahead 5-2 and proved to be the deciding factor.

Pirela would add his first career home run later in the game in the seventh inning, pushing the Yankees lead to 6-2 and giving them some insurance. This was the ninth game of the season that the Yankees hit at least three home runs in a game, already matching their amount from all of last season.

That was just icing on the cake, as Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller continued their dominance, striking out five of the six batters they faced to lock down the win for the Yankees.

The Yankees will now take their six game winning streak into a quick two game series against the Washington Nationals. Tuesday’s matchup will be a fun one, as Masahiro Tanaka will take the mound and be opposed by Max Scherzer in what is one of the best pitching matchups baseball fans can see this season.

Next: Where are the Yankees in our MLB Power Rankings?

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