Rodón Dominates for 7 Innings, Williams Closes Tight Ninth as Yankees Edge Angels 3-2

Carlos Rodón fired seven scoreless innings and Devin Williams escaped a tense ninth-inning jam as the New York Yankees held off the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 on Tuesday night for their seventh consecutive series victory.

Rodón (7-3) was in command from the start, limiting the Angels to five hits while striking out 10 without issuing a walk. He has now won three straight starts and leads the majors with the lowest opponent batting average (.164) among qualified pitchers.

Ben Rice and Oswald Peraza both homered, and Anthony Volpe added an RBI single to power the Yankees’ offense. New York has now won four straight games, eight of its last nine, and 15 of its last 19 to extend its lead over Tampa Bay to seven games atop the AL East.

The Angels, meanwhile, were blanked for 16 straight innings in the series before finally breaking through in the ninth against Williams, who had not recorded a save since April 17. Williams lost his role as closer earlier this season after a rough start to his Yankees tenure.

On his 30th birthday, Yoán Moncada homered off Williams to open the ninth. Taylor Ward and Luis Rengifo then followed with singles, putting runners at the corners with one out. Jo Adell brought in Ward on a fielder’s choice, but Williams managed to retire Logan O’Hoppe on a foul popup to end the game and earn his fifth save.

Tyler Anderson (2-2) was solid for the Angels, giving up just five hits and one unearned run over six innings. But the Halos’ offense continued to sputter, managing only five total runs over a four-game losing skid after previously winning eight straight.

Key Moment

Rodón capped off his dominant night by freezing Chris Taylor on a fastball low in the zone for his 10th strikeout, stranding a runner in scoring position with his 105th and final pitch.

Key Stat

Peraza has tallied three extra-base hits in his last five games after recording just two in the previous month and a half.

Up Next

Yusei Kikuchi (1-4, 3.17 ERA) takes the mound for the Angels in Wednesday’s series finale. The Yankees will counter with Clarke Schmidt (1-2, 4.58 ERA).