The Yankees started the season with six wins in eight games, setting offensive records in their wake.
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Try it freeBut they entered another miserable, cold and wet afternoon in The Bronx on Saturday losers of four of five, with a battered rotation, a slumping offense and another defeat away from falling to .500.
A strong start from Will Warren and a five-run fifth inning, though, gave them a boost in an 8-4 win over the Giants and the Yankees will look to win the series Sunday at the Stadium.
They had to survive another scare from closer Devin Williams, who allowed a pair of baserunners in the ninth, before retiring the heart of the Giants’ order.
With the day starting with news that yet another starter, Marcus Stroman, was headed to the IL with knee inflammation and an already taxed bullpen, Warren made it through five innings and gave up just two runs, courtesy of a second-run blast from ex-Met Wilmer Flores.
And the Yankees’ offense, which got off to a fast start, with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, added five more in the fifth, as the top half of the lineup beat up the Giants most of the afternoon.
Aaron Judge got the offense going in the first with a single up the middle with one out, a 115.2- MPH shot that was his hardest-hit ball of the young season.
Cody Bellinger followed with an opposite-field triple off the wall in left field that scored Judge for the game’s first run.
Hot-hitting Paul Goldschmidt then added another run with a sacrifice fly to right to score Bellinger and make it 2-0.
The lead didn’t last long, as the Giants answered in the second, sparked by Heliot Ramos’ ground rule double to open the inning. After LaMonte Wade Jr. lined out, Flores hit one out to right-center. The two-run homer, Flores’ sixth of the season, tied the game at 2-2.
The Yankees loaded the bases for Judge in the bottom of the inning with two outs thanks to singles by Austin Wells and Oswaldo Cabrera and a walk by Ben Rice.
But Judge grounded out to end the threat in a 30-pitch inning and keep the game tied.
A pair of nifty plays at first base by Goldschmidt helped Warren get through an easy fourth, as Warren retired 11 of the last 12 batters he faced following Flores’ homer before leaving after five innings and 91 pitches.
The Yankees took control with a five-run fifth, as the first five batters reached base- and scored- against Jordan Hicks.
Rice smoked a leadoff single to center to start the inning and Judge then hammered a 112-MPH rocket to left for another single.
Bellinger’s base hit to right-center scored Rice to put the Yankees up 3-2 and Goldschmidt’s ground rule double to right added another run.
Jazz Chisholm Jr., hitless in his previous 20 at-bats, walked to end Hicks’ day.
With the infield in against right-hander Randy Rodriguez, Anthony Volpe drove a ball to the warning track in right-center for a sacrifice fly.
Austin Wells struck out looking before Jasson Dominguez ended an 0-for-15 streak with a two-run single.
Fernando Cruz replaced Warren to start the sixth and gave up a single to Willy Adames. Jung Hoo Lee grounded to second, but Chisholm’s throwing error to second gave the Giants runners on first and second for Matt Chapman- who walked to load the bases.
Cruz managed to get the next two batters, but Flores got the Giants back in the game again with a two-run single, forcing Luke Weaver into the game.
Weaver got Sam Huff swinging to end the inning.
Rice’s fourth home run of the season to lead off the sixth off former Yankee IL regular Lou Trivino gave the Yankees more insurance.
Weaver kept the lead at four runs by fanning Chapman with runners on second and third to finish the seventh.
Mark Leiter Jr. pitched a scoreless eighth and Williams, coming off a rough outing in Detroit, finished it in the ninth.