CLEVELAND -- There have been flashes of brilliance over Domingo German's first dozen big league starts, leaving the Yankees enthused about his future as a big league contributor. There has also been enough inconsistency to prompt pause, so starting pitching remains the main concern for a club that expects to make a deep postseason run.
Michael Brantley and Jose Ramirez each drove home a pair of runs as German was thumped for six runs in four-plus innings, creating an early deficit that the Yankees were unable to slug out of. Cleveland held on for a 6-5 victory on Friday evening at Progressive Field for its first win over New York in five tries this year.
"You want to be consistent. That's what you look for," German said through an interpreter. "You have a good outing and a bad one, and in between what you want is to be consistent, especially at this level of baseball. That's what you are always trying to accomplish."
Shane Bieber limited the Yankees to three runs through seven-plus innings, but New York threatened in the eighth as Tyler Wade doubled, advanced on a passed ball and scored on Brett Gardner's groundout. But the rally fizzled into a double play, as Neil Ramirez struck out Aaron Hicks on a 3-2 pitch and Aaron Judge was thrown out stealing, leaving Giancarlo Stanton in the on-deck circle.

Stanton homered to open the ninth against Cody Allen, who coaxed a double play from Miguel Andujar and a popout from pinch-hitter Didi Gregorius for his 19th save.
"[Yan] Gomes behind the plate made a great throw, a perfect throw. [Francisco] Lindor made a great tag," Judge said. "We weren't able to get it done. Especially when Stanton comes up the next inning and hits a home run like that, it's tough, but those are gambles. You've got to take those gambles. We took a risk, and I was out."
Two walks, a steal and a wild pitch set up Cleveland's first-inning run on a Ramirez groundout, a lead that swelled to four by the second inning. Gomes roped a run-scoring double and Brantley connected for a two-run double off German, who fell to 0-3 with a 7.98 ERA in six road starts this season.
"He just couldn't find his fastball there the first couple of innings," manager Aaron Boone said. "To his credit, he righted the ship a little bit and got into a little bit of a rhythm. We were real close to probably having to get him out of there in the second inning. He just really didn't have any kind of feel for his fastball."

New York answered in the fifth inning with three runs off Bieber, scoring on a Neil Walker double, a wild pitch and Gardner's sac fly.

German battled but couldn't limit the damage. In the bottom of the fifth, Ramirez tripled home a run off the 25-year-old, who permitted five hits with four walks and six strikeouts. Yonder Alonso singled in another run, off Jonathan Holder, that was charged to German.
"When you're facing a team like they have and you're not locating, you make it hard on yourself," German said.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Boone acknowledged that the decision to have Judge run in the eighth inning was ripe for second-guessing, though it was no gut call. He was armed with several factors that pointed the percentages in the Yanks' favor, particularly Neil Ramirez's slow move to home plate and Hicks' ability to make contact.
"It was a close call for me, but I was also betting on if Ramirez came into the zone that we'd put the ball into play," Boone said. "Anything out of the zone, coupled with him being slow to the plate, I figured that we'd have the bag and have another guy in scoring position there. Obviously, it didn't work out."

SOUND SMART
Wade went 2-for-3 with a single, a double and run scored. Nine of his 11 hits this season have come on the road, and he is batting .462 on this current road trip.
HE SAID IT
"It looked like Stanton was swinging three bats on deck. That was a big play." -- Indians manager Terry Francona, on the double play in the eighth inning
UP NEXT
Left-hander Carsten Sabathia (6-4, 3.34 ERA) will be on the hill for his 18th start of the season on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. ET as the Yankees and Indians meet for the third game of their four-game set. Sabathia last pitched on July 9, taking the loss in the first game of a doubleheader at Baltimore. He blanked the Tribe over six innings in a May 4 gem. Right-hander Mike Clevinger (7-4, 3.34) draws the start for Cleveland.