Paul Goldschmidt hits two homers to lift Yankees to series-clinching 4-2 win over Tigers

The Yankees (48-31) protected their lead atop the AL East standings with a 4-2 win in the rubber match in their three-game road series against the Detroit Tigers (34-46).

Left-handed pitcher Ryan Weathers made his second straight quality start for the Yanks, pitching six full innings and allowing just one earned run.

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Here are the takeaways….

-First baseman Paul Goldschmidt led off for the Yankees tonight, and opened the scoring immediately with a solo shot to left field on the fifth pitch he saw from Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. HIs very next at-bat, with nobody on base in the third inning, Goldschmidt blasted a 427-foot moonshot to make the score 2-1 Yankees. This was the first multi-homer game for Goldschmidt as a Yankee, and the 28th game of his career with two dingers, tying Jose Ramirez for 10th place on the active player leaderboard for this feat. It’s no surprise that Aaron Judge is the active MLB leader in this statistic, with 47 multi-homer games.

-Right fielder Jasson Dominguez had a bit of a roller coaster of a game tonight in Detroit. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Dominguez booted a single hit in his direction, and Detroit’s two baserunners each moved up a base – to second and third – as a result, before a sacrifice fly drove in a runner to tie up the game, 2-2. However, the switch-hitting slugger made up for his mistake a couple of innings later, batting as a righty in the sixth inning and crushing a Skubal changeup for a two-run home run. With the score 4-2, Skubal exited the game for the Tigers having largely dominated, allowing just four hits and walking zero while striking out nine Yankees batters. However, three of those four hits allowed were long balls which accounted for four earned runs, and the Tigers training staff will keep an eye on the health of their reigning back-to-back AL Cy Young winner, as he was in visible discomfort on the mound with a possible groin issue midway through his start.

-Following a masterful performance in his last start against the Chicago White Sox, when he struck out eight batters through 6.1 innings, Ryan Weathers kept it rolling tonight in Detroit. The southpaw lowered his ERA to 3.95 with six full innings of solid pitching, striking out six Tigers batters and walking just two, allowing one earned run in the process. Weathers, who was acquired via trade this past offseason from the Miami Marlins, has been an unheralded cog of the Yankees rotation all season as a reliable “back end” starter, and is seemingly finding his groove in his first season in the Bronx.

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-Utility man Max Schuemann manned center field for the Yanks tonight, his first start at that position with the organization. Schuemann was acquired via trade from the Athletics a few weeks after Weathers’ arrival, and Weathers might owe him a steak dinner after Schuemann made two web gems in the fifth inning with men on base. Schuemann has long been known for his defensive prowess and positional versatility, and he showcased both tonight to record crucial outs when it seemed like the effectiveness of New York’s starter was deteriorating.

-The Yankees relied on three relievers – Camil Doval, Fernando Cruz, and David Bednar – to handle some high-leverage work on a night when their offense couldn’t get going. Cruz struck out four of the five batters he faced, before handing the ball to Bednar, who promptly picked up his 16th save of the season.

Game MVP: Paul Goldschmidt

The Yankees simply don’t win this game tonight without Goldschmidt’s bat. The 38-year-old continues to age like the finest of wines, and is currently penning a memorable Yankees chapter of his Cooperstown-bound career.

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Highlights