CC Sabathia threw six innings of two-run ball and the Yankees completed a weekend sweep of the Angels, 6-2, today at Yankee Stadium.
Sabathia Good Again: The veteran left-hander surrendered back-to-back solo homers to Mike Trout and Albert Pujols in the first, but settled in from there en route to his third win of the season. He allowed just five hits while striking out seven, helping him earn his first W in the Bronx since September of 2013.
A Loud Comeback: Down 2-1 heading into the fifth, the Yankees were looking to stage a rally with the bottom of their order due up -- a feat they would accomplish perfectly with a four-spot off C.J. Wilson. The struggling Chris Young began the onslaught with a solo shot to left, followed shortly by a big three-run blast from Brett Gardner to break the tie.
Pirela's Milestone Day: Rookie second baseman Jose Pirela clubbed his first career home run, a solo bomb to left-center, in the seventh -- stretching the Yankees' lead to four and knocking Wilson out of the game. Pirela -- who went 2-for-3 on his productive afternoon -- also doubled to start off the third, scoring later in the inning when Didi Gregorius grounded to second.
Bullpen Stays Effective: It seems to be a pretty common belief that Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller are two of baseball's best relievers, but just in case you need more convincing, the duo made sure to dominate this one's final stages. Indeed, the so-called "Twin Towers" retired all six men they faced in the contest's last two innings -- impressively striking out five to maintain their All-Star numbers.
Too Many Choice Words: After inducing a clutch inning-ending double play in the sixth, Sabathia confronted home plate umpire Dan Bellino about the latter's strike zone -- quickly resulting in a heated argument and an ejection of Sabathia. Sabathia was apparently upset that an earlier 1-1 pitch to Kole Calhoun had been ruled a ball, though nothing ultimately came of L.A.'s threat.
Next Up: The Yankees will take another off-day tomorrow, resuming this homestand on Monday with the first of two against the Nationals. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET, with Masahiro Tanaka (3-1, 2.76 ERA) opposing Max Scherzer (6-4, 1.85 ERA).