Brandon Woodruff struck out 10 in eight stellar innings to remain unbeaten at home this season, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the New York Yankees 4-1 on Saturday night.
Milwaukee (78-67) won for the seventh time in nine games and did not need to come back from a five-run deficit this time thanks to Woodruff (11-4) and some early offense off New York’s Jameson Taillon (13-5).
Willy Adames hit a three-run homer after driving in four runs in Friday’s 7-6 comeback win. Christian Yelich scored on Adames’ homer and also hit an RBI double for the Brewers, who entered the game 1 1/2 games behind the San Diego Padres for the National League’s third wild-card spot.
Josh Donaldson homered for the Yankees (87-58), who lost for the fourth time in 12 games. Aaron Judge remained at 57 homers but reached base twice to extend his on-base streak to 17 games.
Woodruff improved to 6-1 in 15 starts since returning from the injured list June 28 due to a sprained right ankle and Raynaud’s syndrome affecting his pitching fingers.
The right-hander held the Yankees to five hits, notched his 16th career double-digit strikeout game and second in a row. He matched a career high by completing eight innings for the fourth time in his career and kept the Yankees hitless in eight at-bats with runners in scoring position.
Woodruff was particularly effective against Giancarlo Stanton, whom he struck out four times. Stanton struck out three times with a runner on, including both instances when Judge reached.
Devin Williams followed Woodruff’s outstanding performance by striking out two in the ninth for his 13th save in 14 chances.
Taillon allowed four runs on four hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked two in his first outing against Milwaukee since 2018.
Woodruff stranded a runner in each of his first three innings and the Brewers took a 3-0 lead when Adames blasted Taillon’s first-pitch sinker into the left field seats with one out in the third. It was Adames’ 30th homer, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Robin Yount (1982) for most homers by a Milwaukee shortstop in a season.
After Donaldson opened the fourth by hitting a 1-0 fastball to left, the Brewers went up 4-1 in the fifth when Garrett Mitchell singled and scored on Yelich’s double to the right field corner.
–Field Level Media
