Indeed, Taillon did not pitch well. He went 5 1/3rd innings, alowing 5 runs on 9 hits, albeit with only 1 walk.
It was the kind of start that would lead you to think, "At least Brian Cashman has assembled a Yankee lineup strong enough to outscore that." Except, usually, it isn't strong enough to do that.
But a funny thing happened on the way to defeat: The lineup was strong enough this time. Smart enough, too.
Gary Sanchez hit a home run in the 1st inning. Then came the 2nd inning. With 1 out, Gio Urshela drew a walk. Miguel Andujar singled, sending Urshela to 3rd. Brett Gardner hit a drive that hooked foul into the left field seats, where it was caught by Scott Schebler. He should have let it drop into the stands, because Urshela tagged up and scored. Yes, smart baserunning by the Yankees. Ah yes, I remember it well. Then DJ LeMahieu singled home Andujar. Then Aaron Judge hit a home run. 5-2 Yankees.
Shohei Ohtani, the Angels' pitching and slugging star, hit a home run to make it 5-3 in the 3rd. But Andujar led off the 4th with a home run. This was afollowed by a walk by Brett Gardner. After flyouts by LeMahieu and Judge, Sanchez doubled Gardner home. Giancarlo Stanton drew a walk. (Yes, he did.) Luke Voit doubled Sanchez home. Gleyber Torres singled Stanton and Voit home. 10-3 Yankees.
Ohtani hit another homer in the 5th, but an Andujar double capped the scoring in the 6th. Between them, Nestor Cortes and Albert Abreu pitched 2 2/3rds scoreless innings, allowing just 1 hit and 1 walk. Yankees 11, Angels 5. WP: Taillon (3-4). No Save. LP: Andrew Heaney (4-6).
The Yankees had dented the Angels' halos. It was the 1st time the Yankees have scored double digits in a game since April 30. That's too long.
The series continues tonight. Ohtani will be pitching for the Angels this time, while Domingo German toes the rubber for the Pinstripes. Let's show the baseball world what the Yankees can do to Ohtani, this season's golden story so far.