Clutch Yankees out for sweep of Nats, who search for answers

The New York Yankees will go for the series sweep against the Washington Nationals on Sunday as the teams close out the first half and enter the All-Star break.

After losing 11 of 13 games, the Yankees have won three straight, the last two coming via dramatic late-inning comebacks against the struggling Nationals bullpen.

On Friday night, the Yankees hit two home runs in a three-run ninth and won 5-3. Saturday, they smacked three homers in a four-run eighth and beat the Nationals 4-2.

In the finale, New York turns to right-hander Will Warren (7-4, 4.15 ERA), who will be opposed by Washington right-hander Cade Cavalli (5-4, 3.88).

The Yankees are 12-6 overall in Warren's starts this season but have lost his last four as he has pitched to a 6.53 ERA and given up six home runs in that stretch. In his last start, Warren allowed six runs on seven hits (three of them homers) in four innings of a 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.

Warren gave up back-to-back homers to Hunter Feduccia and Yandy Diaz in a four-run fourth inning.

"I didn't do a good job of landing my offspeed early, so they were selling out to the fastball," Warren said.

The 27-year-old Warren has never faced the Nationals.

Cavalli returns after a five-game suspension for his part in a bench-clearing scuffle against the Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 30. That day, he tossed seven strong innings, striking out a career-high 13 while allowing one unearned run and picking up the win. Last time out on July 5, he lasted just 2 1/3 innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates and gave up four runs (three earned).

Cavalli threw just 63 pitches and told Nats Journal he was feeling light-headed on a hot, humid Sunday afternoon.

"It was just a really weird feeling that I was having," he said. "But it's no excuse for how I threw the ball. I wanted to go out there and compete for my guys and not have the physical strain of how I was feeling affect anything."

Cavalli lost his only previous start against New York, allowing eight runs (seven earned) in 2 1/3 innings last August.

After lefty-lefty matchups failed on Friday, Nationals manager Blake Butera went righty-lefty on Saturday with similar negative results. Right-handed relievers Orlando Ribalta and Clayton Beeter combined to surrender home runs to left-handed batters Ryan McMahon and Trent Grisham as well as righty Paul Goldschmidt.

"I'm searching right now," Butera said. "I talked about it after last night's game, obviously reevaluating what we're doing. And today, you saw we had a little different approach there at the end. Wanted to give our best relievers a shot to help us win the game. And it didn't go our way."

James Wood had three hits including a homer for Washington, and Curtis Mead had a homer and a single.

New York was shut out for seven innings by a trio of Washington pitchers before striking in the eighth.

"Just some really good winning at-bats when we needed it," manager Aaron Boone said. "(We) were held down. One of those days a little similar to (Friday) night, where we got some opportunities and can't cash in, but a lot of big at-bats late."

--Field Level Media