Yankees 7, Tigers 3: Offense breaks out, backs up Luis Severino

After a tough loss yesterday, the Yankees find themselves back in the win column. The offense, which had been lethargic of late, broke out in a big way. Combine that with some gritty pitching performances and you have a nice little win. It all came together on Monday night as the Yankees topped the Tigers by a score of 7 - 3.

From early on it was clear that Luis Severino didn’t have it all tonight. He labored as soon as he stepped on the mound. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning, but it took over 30 pitches to do so. Severino appeared to regain some composure, tossing scoreless frames in the second and third. Things started to look good for the Yankees right-hander.

Then came the fourth inning, when the Tigers pushed a run across. After picking up two outs, Severino allowed a single to Mikie Mahtook. The next batter, James McCann, then launched a two-strike pitch to right field. Aaron Judge attempted a diving catch but came short. McCann picked up a RBI double to put Detroit ahead 1 - 0. Severino escaped the jam, but not some damage was done.

After allowing the run, Severino labored through one more scoreless inning. It was a tough outing for him, but he managed to get through it. He bent but he didn’t break. Part of his success came from the quality of his stuff. Severino’s slider looked especially vicious tonight, and he went to it frequently.

All told, Severino allowed one run over five innings. He struck out eight and walked three. Not his best outing, but it lowered his season ERA to 2.98. Even when he’s not great this year, Severino’s been pretty good.

The Yankees, on the other hand, spent the night tattooing Michael Fulmer. but had little to show for it. That is, until the floodgates opened in the bottom of the fourth. With no outs and the bases loaded, Chase Headley turned on fastball and drove it to right field for a two-RBI double. Todd Frazier followed with a single, plating another two runs. Just like that, the Yankees were on top 4 - 1.

The Bombers didn’t stop there, either. The very next inning, Judge teed off on a hanging changeup. He deposited the pitch into the left field seats for his 34th home run on the season. It also extended the Yankees’ lead to 5 - 1. For those ready to write Judge off, take a look at the chart on this solo shot. He’s close to being back.

Fulmer narrowly avoided further damage in the sixth. After allowing another base hit to Headley, he forced Todd Frazier to fly out to right field. Frazier flirted with the short porch, but Jim Adduci stole the would-be home run. Fulmer wouldn’t be so lucky in the next inning though, as he allowed another run on a Clint Frazier triple. All told, Fulmer surrendered six runs (five earned) over six plus innings. I’ll consider that payback for the Rookie of the Year win last year.

A few leftovers on the night: The Yankees bullpen combined to allow just two runs over four innings. That was some strong work from the relief corps tonight. There was also a maddeningly dumb game of beanball that happened throughout the game. Mahtook was hit twice during the game. He even took an errant Tommy Kahnle pitch to the helmet. Fulmer retaliated in the bottom of the seventh, hitting Jacoby Ellsbury in the side, and both sides were warned. Let’s hope that’s all out of everyone’s system.

Tomorrow’s matchup features a pair of veterans, with CC Sabathia against Anibal Sanchez. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM.

Box Score