KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After the Yankees put another player on the injured list, they went out and won another game.
Despite making three errors — after committing a season-high four in Tuesday’s loss — the Yankees beat the Royals, 5-2, on a day in which the heat index soared well over 100 degrees at Kauffman Stadium.
“A lot of good things happened today,’’ Aaron Boone said. “Overall, though, we didn’t play very well. We were fortunate to come out of here with a win. We need to play a little better than that.”
For the ultra-positive Boone, those were harsh words, but the results remain solid, even after right-hander Clay Holmes became the latest Yankee to be shelved, placed on the COVID-IL Wednesday.
“We’re kind of waiting to get to full strength,’’ Aaron Judge said. “After the trade deadline, when we made some big moves and were moving in the right direction, it was like, ‘Let’s get it rolling.’ And once again, we were hit with a couple things. This team is resilient. We’re always in the fight. It doesn’t matter who goes down. We’ve seen that over the last couple series.”
The Yankees scored three runs in the first and used six pitchers to win their seventh game in the last nine, as they battle for a playoff spot with 20 players shelved.
“There’s so much talent in that room,’’ said Tyler Wade, who had two hits, a walk, a run scored and a stolen base. “Our intensity right now and focus is in a good spot.’’
And once again, it didn’t come easily, as the Royals brought the potential tying run to the plate with one out in the bottom of the ninth thanks to a hit by pitch and an error before the struggling Zack Britton got pinch-hitter Carlos Santana to hit into a game-ending double play.
DJ LeMahieu led off the game with a walk and the Yankees loaded the bases with a lined single to center by Judge and a Joey Gallo walk.
Luke Voit came through with a two-run single to right and Rougned Odor drove in another run with a single to left to make it 3-0.
Lucas Luetge, used as an opener, gave a run back in the bottom of the inning, as the pesky Whit Merrifield singled to start the inning, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch before scoring on a Salvador Perez groundout.
Wade sparked a two-run fourth with a leadoff double, scoring on a LeMahieu single. And LeMahieu came around to score on another hit by Judge.
Albert Abreu pitched well in relief of Luetge, allowing just a run in 2 ¹/₃ innings.
Left-hander Joely Rodriguez finished the fifth before Chad Green tossed two scoreless innings, striking out three.
Jonathan Loaisiga pitched the eighth and Britton, in the midst of his worst stretch in years, closed it in the ninth for his first save of the season.
“I think we kind of embraced it as a bullpen,’’ Green said of the bullpen game with the Yankees scrambling for starters.
The Yankees would rather not be dealing with the vast array of injuries and COVID cases, but they’re making the best of the situation, according to Luetge, who made his first career start on Wednesday and has pitched well after not appearing in the majors since 2015 prior to this year.
“If anything, it’s given guys opportunities they might not have had in different positions,’’ Luetge said. “It gave us a spark, the younger players coming up here with energy. It makes the older guys feel young again.”
Just in time for the “Field of Dreams” Game in Iowa against the White Sox on Thursday.