Yankees thwart Cubs' threats late to take series

Jose Caballero's two-run homer and 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball from starting pitcher Gerrit Cole led the visiting New York Yankees to a 2-1 win over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday afternoon.

Cole (5-5) worked around four hits and three walks, striking out five, as New York took the third and decisive game of the weekend series. The Yankees won 2-0 on Friday before dropping Saturday's matchup 5-2.

Caballero's 11th homer of the season, hit off Cubs starter Colin Rea in the third inning, was all New York needed offensively to secure the win.

Rea (8-8) struck out seven and allowed just four baserunners in six-plus innings, but he was the hard-luck loser as the Chicago offense went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Five of those strikeouts for Rea came against the first six hitters he faced, but he got into trouble in the third. After Ryan McMahon poked a leadoff single, Caballero hit a 408-foot homer to center.

Michael Busch cut the lead in half with an RBI single in the fourth. His hit scored Seiya Suzuki, who led off the inning with a double that marked Chicago's only extra-base hit of the game.

Pete Crow-Armstrong walked and Suzuki singled to start the sixth. After Cole walked Ian Happ with two outs to load the bases, Brent Headrick was called upon to relieve. Headrick got Nico Hoerner to fly out to center to end the threat.

Headrick stayed on and struck out the side in the seventh.

Crow-Armstrong and Busch drew walks off Paul Blackburn in the eighth, but closer David Bednar came in with two outs and forced Happ into an inning-ending flyout.

Pedro Ramirez walked and stole second with one out in the ninth, but Bednar got Dansby Swanson to ground out and struck out pinch hitter Michael Conforto to earn his 24th save.