Yankees 4, Diamondbacks 2: Strong outing from Nathan Eovaldi helps Yankees avoid sweep

On the offensive end, this game wasn't the prettiest for the Yankees. They got 11 hits, but managed just four runs. On the pitching end, things went pretty well. Nathan Eovaldi allowed just one hit in his six innings, and it was a semi-fluky one at that. After that hit, he retired the next 18 batters he faced. The Yankees then turned it over to the bullpen, who closed out a 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

The Yankees started the game in about the best way possible. Jacoby Ellsbury led off the game with a walk. He immediately came around to score when Brett Gardner homered to right. That gave the Yankees an early 2-0 lead.

Arizona got one of those runs back in the bottom of the first. Jean Segura led off the inning with a double, after his grounder hit off the second base bag and flew away from the Yankees' infielders. After Phil Gosselin's ground out moved Segura to third, Paul Goldschmidt then grounded one to Chase Headley. Headley threw to first to get the out, allowing the run to score. However, he probably would have easily gotten the out at home had he choose to throw there. He didn't, and it was now 2-1.

After that, the Yankees continued to put runners on against Shelby Miller, but they couldn't add another run. They finally pushed another across in the sixth inning. With one out in the inning, Headley picked up a single. After Eovaldi bunted him over, Ellsbury reached base for the third time that night with a single. Ellsbury's single drove home Headley, giving the Yankees a 3-1 lead.

After pitching a scoreless sixth, Eovaldi didn't come back out for the seventh. Eovaldi was only at 85 pitches and had only allowed one hit, but Joe Girardi elected to go with the bullpen to end the losing streak. That nearly backfired when Dellin Betances walked the first two batters he faced. Jake Lamb then worked the count full versus Betances with still no one out. However, Dellin then resumed being Dellin and got out of the inning, striking out two.

The Diamondbacks couldn't take advantage against Betances, but they did have some success against Andrew Miller. Chris Owings led off the bottom of the eighth with a home run off Miller. That cut the Yankees' lead to just one run. Miller came back and retired the next three hitters after that.

The Yankees picked up an insurance run in the top of the ninth thanks to a little bit of luck. With one out, Ellsbury walked, reaching base for the fifth time in the game. After Gardner singled, a Dustin Ackley ground out moved them both into scoring position. Arizona then opted to intentionally walk Brian McCann to get to Mark Teixeira. Luckily for the Yankees, Diamondbacks' reliever Evan Marshall threw a wild pitch during Teixeira's at bat. That allowed Ellsbury to score, making it 4-2.

The first two members of the Yankees' bullpen big three had some troubles, but the third one didn't. Aroldis Chapman made quick work of the Diamondbacks in the ninth. The Yankees avoided a sweep in the desert with a 4-2 win.

From here, the Yankees will head up to Oakland to take on the Athletics in a series starting tomorrow. Ivan Nova will get the start in the series opener.

Box score.