Rodón's strong 6 pushes Yanks' win streak to 5

WEST SACRAMENTO -- Eventually, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before Friday’s road series opener against the Athletics, left-hander Carlos Rodón would be able to reach at least the sixth inning of a start, and perhaps even the seventh.

Not even Boone could foresee how soon that day would come.

In just his fourth big league start since undergoing offseason surgery to remove a bone spur from his pitching elbow, Rodón turned in six innings of one-run ball, pacing the Yankees in an 8-2 victory over the Athletics at Sutter Health Park.

The southpaw, whose previous start of five innings on May 21 had been his longest of the season, shook off a first-inning solo home run from Nick Kurtz and kept the A’s scoreless from there. Rodón allowed just four hits and two walks, striking out three, as he lowered his season ERA to 3.32 and continued a strong stretch from the Yankees’ starting rotation.

Rodón found success by attacking the zone, firing 18 first-pitch strikes to the 22 batters he faced. His 81.8% first-pitch strike rate was his fourth-highest rate in any career start. He didn’t get many swings and misses, though, inducing just three whiffs on 44 total swings and just one whiff on 24 swings against his four-seam fastball.

Still, his outing marked the sixth consecutive quality start from a Yankees pitcher, dating back to Gerrit Cole’s scoreless season debut last Friday against the Rays. New York’s starters have a 2.95 ERA, the best mark in the Major Leagues.

Rodón was backed by a four-run first inning from the Yankees’ offense, featuring a two-out, three-run homer by Paul Goldschmidt. Ryan McMahon and Ben Rice added solo dingers as the Yankees won their fifth straight game.