Indians 4, Yankees 3
NEW YORK -- Shortstop Francisco Lindor hit a tiebreaking home run with one out in the top of the eighth inning as the Cleveland Indians blew a two-run lead before getting a 4-3 victory over the New York Yankees on Sunday.
The Indians beat the Yankees for the fifth time in their last six visits to New York and did so despite going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Their inability to get big hits nearly cost them when Bryan Shaw allowed a game-tying, two-run bloop double to right fielder Carlos Beltran in the seventh.
Instead Shaw (2-2) was credited with the win when Lindor drove a full-count fastball from Dellin Betances with one out in the eighth over the right-field fence. It was Lindor's seventh home run and second in as many games. It also was the third home allowed in 66 innings by Betances (6-3), who had not allowed a home run to a left-handed hitter until Sunday.
First baseman Carlos Santana also slugged a two-run home run for the Indians, who received an interesting outing from right-hander Trevor Bauer.
Bauer held the Yankees to an unearned run and two hits over 6 1/3 innings, doing so in spite of a season-high six walks. His final walk was to second baseman Stephen Drew in the seventh, and it set up an encounter with pinch hitter Alex Rodriguez.
Bauer won the encounter by getting Rodriguez to strike out swinging on a 95 mph fastball and ended his outing at 109 pitches.
Bauer was replaced by Kyle Crockett, who allowed a double to center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury and struck out left fielder Brett Gardner, before being replaced by Shaw. Shaw fell behind Beltran, who blooped a 2-1 pitch down the right-field line, driving in two runs.
Shaw rebounded and recorded the first two outs of the eighth. Cody Allen fanned Drew for the final out of the eighth and truck out two in the ninth for his 26th save in 29 opportunities.
Beltran's hit came four innings after Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia exited with right knee pain. Sabathia allowed two runs and four hits over 2 2/3 innings, leaving the game after striking out catcher Yan Gomes.
Cleveland took a 2-0 lead with two outs in the first when Santana sent a 1-1 fastball into the left-field seats. It was his 15th home run but first off a left-handed pitcher this season.
Ellsbury scored an unearned run from third when Gomes made a throwing error trying to throw out Gardner on a stolen base attempt.
Cleveland's third run came on a bases-loaded walk by center fielder Abraham Almonte with two outs in the fifth. The Indians left the bases loaded when right fielder Jerry Sands lined out.
NOTES: New York left 1B Mark Teixeira and DH Alex Rodriguez out of the starting lineup for the second consecutive game. Teixeira missed his sixth straight with a bruised right lower leg, though he played catch on the field and took batting practice for the first time since fouling a ball of his leg Monday. ... Rodriguez, who has five hits in his last 40 at-bats entering Sunday, came into Sunday's game as a pinch hitter and struck out. ... Cleveland 2B Jason Kipnis was left out of the starting lineup for the first time since returning from the DL Wednesday. Although Kipnis and LF Michael Brantley entered Sunday a combined 2-for-19 off LHP CC Sabathia, manager Terry Francona did not want to have both off on the same day. Kipnis entered Sunday's game as a pinch hitter and went 0-for-1. ... The Yankees retired the number of former LHP Andy Pettitte and gave him a plaque in Monument Park.