The Yankees’ offense certainly didn’t distinguish itself Friday night, managing only four hits against an A’s pitching staff that came into the day with the second-worst team ERA (5.45) in baseball.
On this night, it didn’t matter.
Rookie righthander Will Warren shoved aside an erratic 36-pitch opening frame to threw a terrific five innings, and with stellar work from the bullpen and just enough offense, the Yankees beat the A’s, 3-0, in front of 46,192 at the Stadium.
After Warren allowed two hits and four walks in a 100-pitch outing in which he struck out seven, Tim Hill, Fernando Cruz, Luke Weaver and Devin Williams took it from there, allowing one hit in four innings. Williams earned his 11th save in 12 chances.
Warren (5-4, 4.37), who came into the night with a 2.50 ERA in his previous three starts, has allowed three or fewer earned runs in 13 of his 17 starts.
The Yankees (47-34) had a mostly quiet night at the plate, though Jazz Chisholm Jr. did hit his 12th homer of the season and second in as many games, a second-deck shot in the second inning off righthander Mitch Spence. Cody Bellinger went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Spence (2-3, 3.82), a former draft pick of the Yankees whom they lost in the Rule 5 draft before the 2024 season, allowed three runs (two earned), three hits and four walks in five innings. He struck out five.
Warren’s first inning might have been his oddest of the season as he walked three and struck out three.
Warren walked leadoff man Lawrence Butler on six pitches before striking out Jacob Wilson swinging at a 94-mph sinker and Brent Rooker looking at a 93-mph sinker. Warren walked Nick Kurtz, earning a visit from pitching coach Matt Blake, and then Tyler Soderstrom to load the bases. After falling behind Gio Urshela 2-and-1, Warren, with Allan Winans warming in the bullpen, struck out the former Yankee looking at a 95-mph sinker.
After the Yankees went down in order in the bottom half, Warren struck out two in a 1-2-3, 11-pitch second.
With one out in the bottom half, Chisholm struck, blasting a first-pitch, 92-mph cutter 377 feet into the first row of seats in the second deck in right, making it 1-0. The homer made Chisholm 23-for-67 (.343) with four homers and 13 RBIs in his last 19 games.
The Yankees increased their lead in the third. Anthony Volpe led off with a walk and went to second on DJ LeMahieu’s groundout to second. After Trent Grisham struck out, Aaron Judge was intentionally walked for an MLB-leading 18th time. Bellinger, down 0-and-2, singled up the middle on a 91-mph cutter to make it 2-0.
The Yankees gave Warren a slightly bigger cushion in the bottom of the fourth. Paul Goldschmidt reached with one out on a catcher’s interference call on Willie MacIver and Ben Rice and Volpe worked back-to-back walks to load the bases. LeMahieu banged a grounder up the middle that glanced off Spence, resulting in an RBI single that made it 3-0. Spence kept it there, striking out Grisham and Judge to leave the bases loaded.
MacIver doubled to start the fifth and Warren walked No. 9 hitter Max Schueman, but he struck out Butler swinging at a 91-mph fastball, got Wilson to fly to left and retired Rooker on a grounder to third.
Hill replaced Warren for the sixth and the first two batters reached when Kurtz singled and Soderstrom hit a sharp grounder to third that Chisholm misplayed for an error, but Urshela hit into a 4-6-3 double play and Hill struck out JJ Bleday looking.
Erik Boland started in Newsday’s sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.