Yankees, Guardians bring worn-down bullpens into series finale

Terrific work by the bullpen has allowed the New York Yankees to win the first two games of their road series against the American League Central-leading Cleveland Guardians.

Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon (1-2, 2.88 ERA) will be counted on to give the team some length in the finale Wednesday afternoon, when he starts against Cleveland left-hander Parker Messick (6-2, 2.40).

New York used seven relievers in a 7-5, 10-inning win on Monday, then needed five more to cover the final five scoreless frames in a 3-2 victory on Tuesday. Starters Will Warren and Gerrit Cole were limited to 8 1/3 total innings due to high pitch counts.

Closer David Bednar worked the final 1 2/3 innings in the series opener, and Fernando Cruz earned a five-out save in the second contest. Cruz was the only New York reliever not to pitch in the first game.

"Just tremendous," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "Everybody is really doing their job really well with Cruzer coming up big for five outs. We knew we wanted the ball in his hands going through the heart of their lineup, and he did, too."

Paul Blackburn, Jake Bird, Camilo Doval and Tim Hill saw action on back-to-back nights as New York's bullpen yielded just two runs over 10 2/3 innings. Doval picked up the win on Tuesday when Jazz Chisholm Jr. belted a tiebreaking homer off Tim Herrin in the eighth.

"He's a good pitcher and he doesn't really miss his spots, so for him to do it there, I had a sigh of relief," Chisholm said of Herrin. "Cruz and Bird and Blackburn and Tim, those are dawgs out there. We expect them to be great, like they did."

The Yankees own an AL-high 40 victories and are 10-4 since May 24, moving them into a tie for fourth place overall in the majors. They are percentage points behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the best record in the AL East and the league.

Rodon has been masterful for most of his career against Cleveland, going 10-5 with a 2.54 ERA in 24 games (22 starts). He pitched six innings of one-run ball in a no-decision against the Guardians at Yankee Stadium on Thursday.

The Guardians will be counting on Messick to reverse an ongoing trend that has seen them lose five of six games and fall to 17-16 at home. Colin Holderman, Shawn Armstrong and Herrin will not be available after pitching two straight nights.

Herrin, a left-hander, typically works between one-third of an inning and one inning, but he was extended to 1 1/3 and gave up Chisholm's towering drive to right field. Cleveland used five relievers for five total innings on Monday and four for four on Tuesday, yielding a total of four runs (three earned) over the two contests.

"We can't just empty the 'pen, especially when we emptied it last night," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said following the latest defeat. "Timmy was really efficient that first inning, so he was going back out for two more hitters and just hung a 3-2 slider to Chisholm."

Messick, an impressive rookie, will pitch against New York for the first time. He is 5-1 with a 2.44 ERA in 10 career home starts. Messick recorded winning records in March, April and May but lost his June debut to the host Texas Rangers on Friday, allowing three runs in 5 2/3 innings.

The Guardians and Yankees, two of just five AL teams with winning records, will square off for the sixth time in a nine-day span. New York is 3-2 entering the finale of the season series.

--Field Level Media