Yanks Sweep Redbirds for 7 in a Row

Michael Pineda took the mound for the Yankees in last night's ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game, at Yankee Stadium in the finale of a 3-game weekend Interleague series with the St. Louis Cardinals, and he cruised enough for Joe Girardi to let him pitch 7 full innings. He allowed just 2 runs on 6 hits and a walk, with 6 strikeouts. Not spectacular, but (cliche alert) a quality start by just about anybody's definition.

The Cards took the lead in the top of the 2nd, but the Yankees struck right back, as Aaron Judge tripled home Chase Headley, and Greg Bird put his horrible start at the plate well behind him with a 444-foot home run into the right-center field bleachers, his 1st dinger of the season.

Aaron Hicks added a homer in the 5th, his 3rd. The Cards closed to 4-2 in the 7th, but the Yankees unloaded for 5 runs in the 8th. The Yankees loaded the bases, and then Austin Romine doubled home Headley and Judge, Ronald Torreyes hit a ground rule double that brought home Bird and Romine, and Hicks hit a sacrifice fly that got Torreyes home from 3rd following a groundout.

Dellin Betances pitched a scoreless 8th. Bryan Mitchell was a little shaky in the 9th, allowing a run, but closed it out. Yankees 9, Cardinals 3. WP: Pineda (2-1), looking very strong in his last 2 starts. No save. LP: Adam Wainwright (0-3).

Sweep complete. Winning streak, following a 1-4 start: 7.

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So, 2 weeks into the 26-week Major League Baseball regular season, here are the standings in the American League Eastern Division: The Yankees are 8-4, leaving them half a game, 1 in the loss column, behind the Baltimore Orioles, who have the best record in MLB at 8-3. The Boston Red Sox are 1 game behind the O's, 2 in the loss column. The Tampa Bay Rays are 3 1/2 back, 5 in the loss column. And the Toronto Blue Jays have the worst record in MLB, 2-10, and are 6 1/2 back, 7 in the loss column. The Yanks and Jays have a game in hand on the O's, 2 games in hand on the Sox, and 3 games in hand on the Rays.

The Chicago White Sox come in for 3 games. Here are the projected pitching matchups:

* Tonight, 7:05: Jordan Montgomery vs. Derek Holland.
* Tomorrow, 7:05: Luis Severino vs. Miguel Gonzalez.
* Wednesday, 7:05: Masahiro Tanaka vs. Dylan Covey.