Yankees down White Sox for eighth straight win
NEW YORK -- Jordan Montgomery took a shutout into the seventh inning, and Matt Holliday and Aaron Judge hit long home runs as the New York Yankees ran their winning streak to eight games with a 7-4 victory over Chicago White Sox on Monday night.
Montgomery (1-0) allowed a three-run home run to Yolmer Sanchez in the seventh among seven hits in six-plus innings. Possessing better fastball command than in his major league debut Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays, Montgomery threw first-pitch strikes to 19 hitters but appeared to tire in the seventh.
The left-hander threw 88 pitches and helped the Yankees win eight straight for the first time since June 8-18, 2012.
Holliday hit a 459-foot home run in a five-run third off Derek Holland (1-2), and Judge knocked the left-hander out with a 385-foot home run in the fifth.
Holliday's second home run and Judge's fourth helped the Yankees (9-4) to their best 13-game start since 2010. New York also improved to 7-0 at home for the first time since 1998.
Judge added an RBI infield single, and Chase Headley had a run-scoring double.
Judge's home run turned out to be valuable insurance as Sanchez made it 7-3 with his three-run shot off Montgomery. An RBI double by Kevan Smith off Adam Warren cut the lead to 7-4 with one out in the ninth.
Aroldis Chapman allowed a hit but needed just one pitch to get Tim Anderson to hit into a game-ending double play. Chapman notched his fourth save.
Five days after taking a no-hitter into the sixth at Cleveland, Holland was rocked for seven runs (six earned) and 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings. He fell to 1-7 lifetime against the Yankees.
The Yankees sent nine men to the plate in the third and took a 5-0 lead.
Following infield hits by Pete Kozma and Jacoby Ellsbury, Holliday drove a full-count fastball over the visiting bullpen and into the left-field seats for a 3-0 lead.
After a double by Starlin Castro, Headley hit an RBI double down the left-field line, and he took third when Melky Cabrera misplayed the ball for an error.
Judge then hit a ball to the hole at shortstop and beat out Tim Anderson's throw for an infield single as Headley scored.
Judge made it 7-0 in the fifth inning when he launched a 3-1 curveball into the visiting bullpen beyond the left-center field wall and ended Holland's night.
NOTES: Chicago 3B Todd Frazier (stomach flu) missed his second consecutive game. Manager Rick Renteria said Frazier was feeling better and was able to hold down food. ... Before the game White Sox, LHP Jose Quintana addressed offseason trade speculation about him coming to the Yankees by saying: "I heard a lot of rumors, but rumors are rumors, and I don't pay attention. I hear about a lot of things, but if you are a player, you don't have control over that." ... Yankees SS Didi Gregorius (strained right shoulder) still remains on target to start rehab games this week, though manager Joe Girardi did not know the exact date. ... The Yankees traded RHP Johnny Barbato to the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash considerations or a player to be named.