SAN FRANCISCO — One night after flushing a four-run lead in Southern California, the Yankees were walking a slippery slope late Friday evening night against a Giants team headed for a miserable summer.
Another four-run advantage had been sliced to two because the Yankees failed to take advantage of a strong scoring chance in the seventh.
So, off to the ninth inning the Yankees went and it was there that their two best hitters, DJ LeMahieu and Luke Voit, helped release the pressure that was building and carry the visitors to a 7-3 victory in front of 34, 950 at Oracle Park.
LeMahieu doubled with one out against former Yankee Mark Melancon and Voit, who has gone from battling Greg Bird for a big league roster spot to hitting where Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton used to, crushed a two-run homer to center field, a place where it is very hard to get a ball out at night, to up the Yankees lead to 7-3.
“He is such an important player for us,’’ Aaron Boone said of Voit, who went 3-for-4, leads the Yankees in homers (eight) and RBIs (22) and has reached base in 37 straight games — which is second best for a Yankee since 2005. “He has become a premium hitter. I don’t think any of us are surprised. I think a lot of people were wondering if after last year could he come in and do this, but this is the kind of hitter we see him as. He has the ability to get on base and hit the ball out of the ballpark.’’
Two Yankees runs in the first inning off Madison Bumgarner via Gleyber Torres’ RBI double and the newly acquired Cameron Maybin’s run-producing single were followed in the third by Gio Urshela’s RBI single that made it 3-1. Voit doubled LeMahieu home from first in the fifth and Thairo Estrada singled in Austin Romine in the sixth for a 5-1 advantage.
James Paxton allowed a first-inning run and nothing across the following four innings, but needed Tommy Kahnle to put out an uprising in the sixth to keep the Giants from scoring more than two runs. Kahnle did that and Zack Britton recorded the first two outs of the seventh before walking three straight batters.
Enter Adam Ottavino, who caught Buster Posey looking with a vicious slider that stranded three.
“I knew I had to pitch more so I wasn’t excited,’’ said Ottavino, who worked a scoreless eighth and watched Voit flex his weight-room biceps in the ninth.
Aroldis Chapman recorded the final outs in a non-save situation.
“I try to do my job whether it’s third, fourth, fifth or sixth,’’ said Voit, who gives off an air of confidence that isn’t mixed with cockiness. “Get the job done.’’
With so many big names on the injured list, the 15-11 Yankees are doing exactly what Voit is doing. The win was their seventh in eight games as they roll onward with the likes of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Didi Gregorius, Aaron Hicks, Luis Severino and Dellin Betances on the IL.
Friday night’s outfield consisted of Estrada playing left for the first time in his life, Mike Tauchman in center and Maybin, who joined the club late Thursday night in Anaheim, in right.
“The credit goes to all the guys. They have embraced this next man up thing,’’ Boone said. “There are so many guys contributing.’’
None more than Voit, a player who they stole from the Cardinals last summer who simply needed a chance and is making the most of it.