Didi Gregorius, Bullpen Lead Yankees To 5-4 Win Over Indians

Didi Gregorius scored a solo homer in the fifth inning, and three New York pitchers — Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman — shut down the Cleveland Indians over 3 2/3 combined innings to lead the Yankees to a 5-4 victory at Progressive Field on Thursday night.

Didi Gregorius, Bullpen Lead Yankees To 5-4 Win Over Indians

“I hadn’t used them in three days, and that’s why I asked them to get us 11 outs tonight,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said following the win in the opener of a four-game weekend series in Cleveland. “My hope was that [Ivan] Nova could get us through six, and we turn it over to them. I felt like I had to make a change. I’ll continue to stick to my rules, because their future is important to us.”

The American League Central-leading Indians (51-34) have recently become known for late-inning heroics at home, where they boast a 25-14 record with four walk-off wins this year, but were ultimately unable to hold off the Yankees on Thursday. The loss was also the Indians’ second straight at home after winning 13 consecutive games at Progressive Field.

“You know going in that they’re some of the best in the league,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “That doesn’t mean you’re not going to win. I thought we had some really good at-bats, but it’s certainly challenging. Any team, when you get down late, it’s hard, but those two guys at the end are pretty special.”

Some drama occurred late in the game, however. In the bottom of the ninth, with two outs and two runners aboard, Indians center fielder Tyler Naquin hit an infield chopper and was called safe, loading the bases. The game ended, however, when a Yankees challenge resulted in an overturned call. Following a replay review that lasted about two minutes, it was ruled that Chapman reached first just ahead of Naquin, thus ending the game on a 3-4-1 putout and boos from the crowd.

“It was a big win,” Chapman said. “But we still have three more games in the series. We want to try to win the series. We get a break after that, and hopefully in the second half, we can play better baseball.”

Francona said his team had a strong feeling Naquin was out, but that they ‘braced’ for the decision and hoped for the best, anyway.

“We kind of knew [Naquin was out],” Francona said. “[Bench coach Brad Mills] checked. You’d like to be able to hit, but when you know that it’s probably going to go against you, you kind of brace for it.”

After a two-game losing streak, Nova (6-6) earned the win–his first road victory since June 3, against Baltimore– after allowing four runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings against Cleveland. The right-hander ended with six strikeouts and no walks. Naquin and second baseman Jason Kipnis each homered off Nova in the third, and Nova gave up another pair in the sixth.

Indians starting righty Trevor Bauer (7-3) allowed five runs in 5 2/3 innings. The Yankees pounded out five runs off Bauer between the fifth and sixth frames, including a solo home run to right field from Gregorius– the veteran shortstop’s career-high 10th of the season– that opened scoring for New York in the fifth and cut the Indians’ lead to 2-1.

According to Statcast™, Gregorius’ solo shot traveled an estimated 399 feet with an exit velocity of 103 mph. Chase Headley, , Rob Refsnyder and Jacoby Ellsbury each drove in runs in the sixth.

Bauer cruised through the first four innings, limiting the Yankees to a 1-for-13 showing in that span.

Yankees (42-43, 4th in AL East) right-hander Chad Green (1-1, 4.09 ERA) will start in Game 2 of the series in Cleveland on Friday night. He earned another shot after an impressive spot start, in which he allowed one run off three hits to the Padres. He recorded eight strikeouts and did not walk a batter across six innings to earn the win on Sunday.

All-Star righty Corey Kluber (8-8, 3.79 ERA) will take the mound for the Indians. While Kluber labored last time out (five runs allowed in 3 1/3 innings on Sunday in Toronto), he had a 2.19 ERA with two complete games in five outings in June.

PHOTO: CLEVELAND, OH – JULY 7: Didi Gregorius #18 of the New York Yankees rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on July 7, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)