WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Something strange is happening in the Bronx Bombers’ road trip, and it has nothing to do with the minor league stadium they are playing in.
The Yankees are simply obliterating everything in their path.
New York rolled into Sutter Health Park on Friday night and did what it has been doing all week — scoring early, scoring often, and leaving opposing pitchers searching for answers. The Yankees knocked around ex-teammate Luis Severino in a painful first inning, got six quality frames from Carlos Rodon, and coasted to an 8-2 win over the Athletics. The victory was their fifth in a row.
It was also the latest example of a Yankees team that looks nothing like the slow-starting group that needed nearly three weeks to find its offensive identity.
Judge, Goldschmidt do the damage early
The Yankees did not give Severino time to settle. Ben Rice reached on a throwing error by Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz, then moved to second when Severino balked. Aaron Judge, given the green light with a 3-0 count, lined a single up the middle to make it 1-0.
Cody Bellinger singled to put two runners on with two outs. That set the stage for Paul Goldschmidt, who has quietly become one of the Yankees’ most reliable bats over the past month.
Goldschmidt worked the count to 1-2, then crushed a sweeper over the left-field wall for a three-run homer. Just like that, the Yankees had a 4-0 lead before the home crowd had settled into their seats.
It was Goldschmidt’s sixth home run of the season and another reminder of why the Yankees gave him extended playing time across the lineup.
Reflecting on his recent production, Paul Goldschmidt‘s numbers tell the story without embellishment. Over his last 23 games, he is batting .304 with a .952 OPS. With runners in scoring position this season, he is hitting .350 with 14 RBIs.
Severino allowed all four first-inning runs, though none were earned. The night ended for him even before the second inning began. While throwing warmup pitches on the mound, he visibly grimaced and called for manager Mark Kotsay and a trainer. The Athletics announced he left with right arm soreness, leaving their bullpen to handle the rest of the game.
It was the second straight start in which Severino gave up runs in the opening inning. In four career outings against his former team, he has now allowed 19 runs, just 15 of them earned, across 13 2/3 innings.
Rodon quietly delivers his best start of the year
While the offense grabbed the spotlight, Rodon quietly put together arguably his sharpest performance since returning from offseason elbow surgery.
He was not overpowering. He was not missing bats at an elite rate. What he was doing was attacking the strike zone with precision that the Athletics could not figure out.
Rodon threw first-pitch strikes to 18 of the 22 batters he faced, an 81.8% first-pitch strike rate. That number ranked among the highest of any start in his career. He scattered four hits and two walks across six innings, struck out three, and allowed just one run — a solo homer from Nick Kurtz that barely dented the scoreboard.
After giving up the Kurtz shot in the bottom of the first, Rodon locked in. He retired seven of the last eight batters he faced and finished with his season ERA dropping to 3.32. Before Friday, his longest outing of the season had been five innings. Manager Aaron Boone had spoken earlier in the week about hoping Rodon could push toward the sixth inning or beyond.
Carlos Rodon did exactly that, and the timing was ideal. His performance extended the Yankees’ streak of consecutive quality starts to six, dating back to Gerrit Cole’s scoreless return against the Rays the previous Friday. The Yankees’ starters own a 2.95 ERA this season — the lowest mark in the majors.
Rice, McMahon keep scoring board moving
The Yankees kept adding in the middle innings. After Severino’s departure, left-hander Jose Suarez took over and surrendered an RBI single to Rice in the second inning. Rice had doubled Jose Caballero to scoring position, then knocked him home to push the Yankees lead to 5-1.
In the third, Ryan McMahon launched a solo homer off right-hander Joel Kuhnel — his second home run in as many games and the 150th of his career. McMahon had gone 0-for-24 at one point earlier this month. Over his last seven games, he is 7-for-25 and finding his swing at the right time.
The Yankees tacked on a seventh run in the fourth when Judge hit a slow groundout that was still deep enough to bring home Trent Grisham from third.
Then in the seventh, Rice took center stage one more time. He drove a pitch from Scott Barlow to center field for his 17th home run of the season, tying Judge for the team lead. It was Rice’s third hit of the night. He fell a triple shy of the cycle.
Bullpen shuts door, A’s collapse continues
The Athletics mounted a brief threat in the seventh. Brent Headrick, who has been used in high-leverage situations, loaded the bases with one out after Rodon exited.
Aaron Boone turned to Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz. The right-hander got an inning-ending 1-2-3 double play to extinguish the rally. Cruz has now stranded 20 of 24 inherited runners this season, one of the more underrated bullpen numbers in the American League.
Paul Blackburn, a former Athletic, handled the final two innings and allowed one consolation run in the ninth on a Zack Gelof RBI single.
The A’s entered this homestand with some promise. They stood at 27-30 and still within reach in the AL West. But things unraveled fast against the Yankees. During this current four-game losing streak, they have been outscored 30-6. They have committed 15 errors over their last 17 games. Their starting pitchers have gone 0-9 with a 5.64 ERA over the last 13 games without a single win from the rotation.
The Yankees’ offense, meanwhile, has scored 36 runs during their five-game winning streak. The Yankees had previously gone through a 16-game stretch where they reached seven runs in a game just once. Over the last three games alone, New York has hit seven or more runs three times in a row.
What it means for the Yankees
New York improved to 35-22 with the win. The Yankees have now won five in a row after sweeping the Royals 26-4 in three games in Kansas City earlier in the week.
The offensive balance Boone sought all spring is showing up at last for the Yankees. Contributions came from the top, middle, and bottom of the order Friday. Goldschmidt, batting in a lineup spot that now includes right-handed pitching in the mix, delivered the blow that broke the game open. Rice, whose development has been one of the Yankees’ best stories this season, matched Judge’s power numbers with his 17th homer.
The Yankees’ rotation is already running at a historically efficient pace. Eight straight Yankees starters allowing two runs or fewer is not a coincidence. It is a system built on depth, precision, and trust in preparation.
The Yankees and Athletics continue their series Saturday night at 10:05 p.m. ET, with Ryan Weathers scheduled to face J.T. Ginn on the mound.
What do you think? Is the Yankees’ dominance without a flaw?
