Take 3 From the White Sox and Call Me In the Morning

After their worst regular-season series in memory, a 4-game debacle at Fenway Park, the Yankees went out to Chicago to play the White Sox, who are having an awful season.

The South Siders turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. New acquisition Lance Lynn pitched beautifully, going 7 1/3rd innings, allowing no runs, 2 hits, 1 walk, and striking out 9. The Yankees backed up him with 2 runs in the 4th inning, 2 more in the 5th, and 3 in the 8th thanks to home runs by Gleyber Torres and Neil Walker.

A.J. Cole finished what turned out to be a 3-hit shutout. WP: Lynn (8-8). No save. LP: Dylan Covey (4-8).

The Tuesday night game was a bit tougher. CC Sabathia got into the 6th inning, allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 3 hits, striking out 12. And then Aaron Boone turned to Joe Girardi's binder, and played musical chairs with the bullpen: Chad Green got the last out in the 6th, David Robertson pitched a perfect 7th, Dellin Betances struck out the side in a perfect 8th, and Jonathan Holder pitched a perfect 9th. But except for a Miguel Andujar homer leading off the top of the 7th, the Yankees couldn't score, either.

So it went to extra innings. In the top of the 10th, Brett Gardner drew a walk, and Giancarlo Stanton hit a home run, to make it 3-1 New York. And then this turned into a game that turned the Yankee season as we know it on its head. Zach Britton blew the save by hitting Omar Navarez with a pitcher and giving up a homer to Jose Abreu.

It turned out to be Sonny Gray, who can't seem to beat anybody but the Baltimore Orioles, who was the winning pitcher. He pitched a perfect 11th inning, and worked in and out of trouble in the 12th. With 1 out in the top of the 13th, Didi Gregorius drew a walk, Luke Voit single, and Andujar singled Didi home. Gray went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 13th, and it was over.

Yankees 4, White Sox 3. WP: Gray (9-8). No save. LP: Luis Avilan (2-1).

Luis Severino got into immediate trouble in the Wednesday night game, allowing 2 runs in the 1st inning. But the Yankees not only bailed him out, they blew up the jail.

Cliche alert: Walks can kill you,, especially the leadoff variety. Torres led off the top of the 2nd with a walk. Andujar struck out, but Walker singled, Austin Romine singled Torres home, and Shane Robinson singled Walker home. Gardner was hit by a pitch. Bases loaded. And Stanton hit a screamer down the right field line for a grand slam. 6-2 Yankees.

Aaron Hicks added a home run in the 5th, which the White Sox answered, but other than that Severino cruised until the 7th. Green pitched a scoreless 8th, Holder a scoreless 9th. Yankees 7, White Sox 3. WP: Severino (15-5). A 3-game sweep with no saves, and I have no idea how long it's been since the Yankees did that. LP: Lucas Giolito (7-9).