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A-Rod, Yankees resume set versus Angels

Jun 6, 2015 - 2:05 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - As much as they don't want to admit it, the New York Yankees need to have Alex Rodriguez in the lineup and it is paying dividends.

As the Yankees prepare to play the middle game of a three-game set against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim tonight in the Bronx, they find themselves all alone at the top of the American League East standings, following their thrilling 8-7 victory over the Angels on Friday.

With Mark Teixeira connecting on his 17th home run of the season and Rodriguez having his first four-hit game since 2011, the Bombers still had to withstand a six-run, ninth-inning barrage by the visitors in order to hold on for the win.

"That would be a really hard one to swallow, if we lose that game," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of the close call in the end.

Rodriguez's fifth-inning RBI single marked the 1,997th RBI of his career, surpassing Barry Bonds for second place all time. Still 300 RBI behind Henry Aaron for the all-time record, Rodriguez also scored the 1,950th run of his career in the seventh frame, moving him ahead of Stan Musial for eighth place on that list.

As if all that were not enough for the embattled star, he is now just nine hits shy of reaching 3,000, which would put him in even more elite company, even though his numbers continue to be tainted following a PED scandal that had him suspended all of last season.

While Rodriguez garnered much of the attention, Stephen Drew made a significant impact for the hosts as he connected on a pair of home runs.

"I thought the guys swung the bats really well," Rodriguez said. "For me, the story is Stephen Drew and Teixeira with a big home run. Stephen's going to be big for us coming down the stretch."

Yankees starter Nathan Eovaldi picked up his fifth win, allowing just one run on four hits and four walks, fanning four, over 5 1/3 innings. The bullpen nearly gave it away before Dellin Betances was credited with his second save of the campaign.

Jered Weaver suffered the loss for the Angels, dropping him to 4-5, as he permitted seven runs on nine hits and struck out only two in 5 2/3 innings.

Kole Calhoun accounted for three of the nine hits for the visitors, scoring twice, while David Freeze knocked in a pair during the club's third straight setback.

Struggling to find a winning edge, Adam Warren takes another shot at victory when he clashes with the Angels on Saturday. The right-hander has won only once since the second week of May, a triumph over Kansas City.

More recently Warren's offense let him down in a 3-0 setback to Oakland on the road last weekend. In that outing he surrendered just two runs on six hits and a walk, striking out four over seven innings of action.

Now in his third full seasons with the Yankees, Warren has a career mark of 1-0 without having given up a single earned run in a combined 4 1/3 innings over the course of three appearances.

Getting the call for the visitors will be Garrett Richards, hoping to break the trend of alternating wins and losses over the last five outings. On Monday the California native notched his fifth victory in a 7-3 triumph over Tampa Bay at home.

Richards made it through six innings earlier in the week, permitting three runs on six hits and three walks, while fanning four.

The right-hander has a career mark of 0-2 with a 4.29 ERA in four previous meetings with New York.