Yankees slip by White Sox, stay 4 back of Jays
NEW YORK -- Chase Headley and Alex Rodriguez drove in runs with a pair of consecutive ground-rule doubles, Adam Warren combined with three relievers on a three-hitter and the Yankees posted a 2-1 victory over the White Sox on Saturday at Yankee Stadium.
The win reduced the Yankees' magic number to clinch a postseason berth to four. New York remains four games behind the Blue Jays in the chase for the American League East title with eight games remaining, and holds a 4 1/2-game over the Astros for the top AL Wild Card. The White Sox officially were eliminated from postseason contention and guaranteed a third straight losing season.
"These games are all going to be great preparation for October," said Rodriguez, who knocked in the deciding run facing Chicago starter John Danks, who scattered six hits over six innings, in the sixth inning. "We're going to be in a lot of tough games, a lot of tight games. We've been facing really good pitching and tonight was a good win."
Video: CWS@NYY: Girardi discusses Warren, bullpen
Warren recovered from a shaky first inning to complete six innings of one-run ball, picking up his seventh victory and his first since rejoining the rotation. Justin Wilson and Dellin Betances hurled scoreless innings to set up for closer Andrew Miller, who logged his 36th save in 38 chances.
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MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Double your pleasure: After being silenced by Danks through the first five innings, Headley and Rodriguez belted back-to-back ground-rule doubles in the sixth. Headley's deep drive to left-center brought home Jacoby Ellsbury, who singled and stole second base, while A-Rod's double was a hot shot down the third-base line that jumped into the seats behind the tarp.
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"They were able to put the bat on the ball and find some holes," Danks said. "I have to keep an eye on them over there, especially Ellsbury. He's pretty good. I tried to mix it up on him, do some different things, and he still had me read. A combination of putting the ball in play and doing some things on the bases. Got outpitched."
Video: CWS@NYY: Headley ties game with ground-rule double
No wasted time: By the time Warren threw 10 pitches on Saturday, the White Sox already had scored. Adam Eaton reached base for the 16th straight game, singling to lead off the game. After swiping second base, he came home on Jose Abreu's single to right. Eaton has 17 stolen bases, and Abreu has 97 RBIs.
Video: CWS@NYY: Abreu's RBI single puts White Sox up early
This one goes to 11: Warren seemed to be shaky in the first inning, but he righted himself by inducing Adam LaRoche to hit into an inning-ending double play, kicking off a string of 11 straight retired. Warren pitched into trouble in the fifth, briefly losing the strike zone and issuing three walks, but got Abreu to offer at a third strike to leave the bases loaded.
"After you walk that last guy, you're like, 'Really? I just walked everybody to get to probably their best hitter and one of the better hitters in the game,'" Warren said. "Really, just getting back to the game plan, I think, was the biggest thing, and not really who was at the plate." More >
Video: CWS@NYY: Warren allows just one run, strikes out four
There's no place like home: Danks has a 3.45 ERA over 14 starts at home, with one more coming Thursday. His work at Yankee Stadium leaves Danks with a 5.61 ERA on the road over 15 starts.
Video: CWS@NYY: Danks allows two runs in six solid frames
QUOTABLE
"I expected us to certainly be in the mix a little better. It's baseball. That's a lot of games you have to be good for a long time. Unfortunately, we weren't good enough." -- Danks, on the White Sox officially being eliminated from playoff contention
"We wish we could hit home runs every day. Obviously, that's not the case, and it's not going to be the case in October, so we have to figure how to be creative and score runs and try to get in scoring position as much as possible. Tonight, we did a good job of that." -- A-Rod
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Miller's ninth-inning strikeout of Trayce Thompson was No. 572 by a Yankees reliever this season, surpassing an American League record (571) set in 2014 by the Bombers. Miller added one more to that total with a game-ending whiff of LaRoche. The Major League record is 589 strikeouts, set by the 2012 Rockies.
Video: CWS@NYY: Miller strikes out LaRoche to end the game
TOTAL SHUTDOWN
The White Sox went 3-for-5 in the first inning and 0-for-24 with three walks after the first inning.
WHAT'S NEXT
White Sox: The final road start of the season goes to Erik Johnson (3-0, 3.52 ERA), as he takes the mound Sunday at Yankee Stadium at 12:05 p.m. CT. The International League's Most Valuable Pitcher made his Major League debut in the Bronx on Sept. 4, 2013, allowing five runs (three earned) over six innings.
Yankees: Luis Severino (4-3, 3.10 ERA) will make his 10th career start on Sunday afternoon, coming off a no-decision at Toronto in which he held the challenging Blue Jays to two runs and three hits over six innings. Severino has permitted three runs or fewer in all but one of his starts. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET.
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