Paul Goldschmidt hit a three-run homer and Ryan McMahon and Ben Rice added solo blasts as the New York Yankees rolled to an easy 8-2 victory over the Athletics on Friday in West Sacramento, Calif.
Rice had three hits and two RBIs and Aaron Judge also drove in two runs as the Yankees stretched their winning streak to five games. New York has outscored its opponents 36-6 during that stretch.
Carlos Rodon (1-2) gave up one run and four hits over six innings for New York. He struck out three and walked two.
Nick Kurtz homered for the Athletics, who have been outscored 30-6 while losing four consecutive games. Rookie Henry Bolte had a career-best three hits while making his 15th major league appearance.
Athletics starter Luis Severino (2-6) gave up four unearned runs and three hits in the first inning before exiting due to right arm soreness. The former Yankees hurler was warming up for the second inning when he indicated there was a problem and was pulled after a brief talk with a trainer.
Severino dropped to 0-3 with a 9.88 ERA in four career starts against his former teammates.
The four-run first-inning uprising was set up by a throwing error by first baseman Kurtz.
After a balk moved Rice to second, Judge delivered an RBI single. Three batters later, Goldschmidt drilled a three-run homer.
Kurtz smacked a homer to center with one out in the bottom of the first to get the A’s on the board.
New York answered in the second as Jose Caballero hit a one-out double off Jose Suarez, moved to third on Trent Grisham’s single and scored on Rice’s base hit.
With two outs in the third, McMahon homered to right-center off Joel Kuhnel to make it 6-1.
New York added a run in the fourth as Grisham hit a one-out single, advanced to third on Rice’s double and scored on Judge’s infield out.
Rice blasted a homer to center off Scott Barlow on the second pitch of the seventh inning.
The Athletics added a ninth-inning tally on Zack Gelof’s one-out RBI single.
