Aaron Judge homers, Marcus Stroman goes six strong in Yankees' 4-2 win over Braves

The Yankees wrapped up their first post-All-Star break series on a high note, defeating the Braves, 4-2, on Sunday afternoon at Truist Park.

Here are the takeaways…

— It didn't take long for the Yankees to inflict damage on Braves starter Grant Holmes. With one out in the first inning, Aaron Judge clobbered a cutter that landed in the right-center seats for a solo home run. It was the captain's 36th blast of the season, which tied him for sixth on the franchise's all-time homers list (351) with Alex Rodriguez. Then, with two outs, the Yankees produced three straight singles, and Paul Goldschmidt bumped their lead to 2-0 with a knock to center that brought home Giancarlo Stanton.

— With a taxed bullpen, the Yankees desperately needed length from Marcus Stroman, and much to their delight, he completed the task. While the veteran right-hander had to earn outs with prolonged battles — he needed 65 pitches to complete the first four innings — Stroman held the Braves scoreless through five by inducing three strikeouts, six groundouts, and five flyouts.

— Stroman's lone blemish came during the sixth inning, when Matt Olson demolished a cutter that landed well beyond the bleachers in right. Overall, he delivered a high-quality start, producing six frames of one-run ball (five hits) with four punchouts across 95 pitches. His season ERA now sits at 5.64, and he hasn't allowed more than three runs in four straight outings since coming off the injured list.

— Before the shutout effort from Stroman was lost in the sixth, the Yankees increased their lead to 3-0 in the top half of the frame. A leadoff single from Stanton sparked a bases-loaded rally off Holmes, who regrettably forced in a run by plunking No. 9 hitter Jorbit Vivas with two outs and an 0-1 count. Holmes avoided further trouble, producing a quality start (three runs on seven hits and three walks) only on paper.

— Dane Dunning took over for Holmes in the seventh, but he couldn't keep the Yankees in check. After a leadoff walk to Judge and a pair of flyouts to right, Chisholm sliced a double to left-center that pushed their lead back to three, 4-1. The seventh and eighth innings belonged to Yankees relievers Ian Hamilton and Tim Hill, who retired six of a combined seven batters with two strikeouts.

— Devin Williams was tasked with closing out the ninth, and for a second straight game, he allowed a run. This time, Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. cut the Yankees' lead to two with a mammoth leadoff homer to center that traveled 456 feet. But the early mistake didn't faze Williams, as he won an eight-pitch bout via a strikeout and then induced a pop up and groundout to retire three straight batters and earn his 14th save this season.

Game MVP: Marcus Stroman

Stroman was challenged from start to finish, and forced to empty the tank while battling harsh summer temperatures. But the heat didn't impact his performance. He provided six strong innings that the Yankees demanded.

Highlights

What's next

The Yankees (55-44) will continue their six-game road trip north of the border on Monday, with the first of three games against the division-rival Blue Jays. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m.

LHP Carlos Rodón (10-6, 3.08 ERA) is slated to take the mound, opposite RHP Kevin Gausman (6-7, 4.19 ERA).

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