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HOUSTON –– The first four innings were frustrating. The next five were futile.

Just when it looked like the Dodgers were emerging from their recent offensive slump, having won back-to-back games with 12 total runs the previous two days, the team came right back down to earth on Tuesday in a 2-1 loss to the Houston Astros, squandering a series of early chances before failing to generate much of anything late.

“Unfortunately right now, the offense is going through it,” veteran infielder Miguel Rojas said. “But we’re looking forward to continuing to make adjustments and be better in those situations when we have to deliver.”

The night’s biggest story, of course, was Shohei Ohtani.

For the third time in his last four pitching starts this year, the two-way star was given a one-way task, removed from the lineup as designated hitter to focus only on his duties atop the mound.

He responded by producing a seven-inning, two-run, eight-strikeout start –– making only two real mistakes on home runs given up to Christian Walker in the second and Branden Shewmake in the third (the first two long balls Ohtani had surrendered this year).

The problem: The Dodgers (22-14) watched their Ohtani-less lineup go back in the tank.

“It’s just sad that you couldn’t do it when Shohei threw the ball really well and he went deep in the game,” Rojas said. “It was up to us to get a big hit, and we win the game.”

The team squandered several golden chances to do so early on, leaving six men on base through the first four frames, including a wasted bases-loaded opportunity from Rojas with two outs in the fourth.

From there, things only got worse. Astros right-hander Peter Lambert retired nine of his final 10 batters to complete a scoreless seven-inning start; the first the Astros (15-22) have gotten all season from their league-worst pitching staff. 

The Houston bullpen gave up one run in the eighth on a Kyle Tucker RBI single, but did enough otherwise to keep the lead intact, saddling Ohtani with a losing decision despite his latest pitching gem.

“We as an offense need to find ways to score runs for him,” Rojas said, with Ohtani having received just two total runs of support in his last outings –– all of which have been Dodgers losses.

“It’s not because he’s not in the lineup that we’re not scoring runs,” Rojas added. “It’s really hard to do what he’s doing. He’s taking the ball every five or six days, and he’s doing what he’s supposed to do to win the game. So it’s on us. And we have plenty of hitters in this lineup that can get the job done.”

What it means

For as good as Ohtani has been as a pitcher –– finishing Tuesday with an MLB-best 0.97 ERA –– his inability to impact the offense remains a problem.

Ohtani was out of the lineup, after all, in part because of his current 0-for-17 skid as a hitter. Following a fifth-straight hitless performance Monday, manager Dave Roberts decided to change course and only have Ohtani pitch Tuesday.

The four-time MVP should be back in the lineup Wednesday, when the Dodgers will be trying to avoid a third-consecutive series loss. They could use more from his bat. Because right now, even his most dominant pitching starts aren’t enough to ensure a win.

Who’s hot

Fresh off winning National League Pitcher of the Month for March and April, Ohtani did continue his torrid start to the season on the mound, producing his longest pitching start since joining the Dodgers.

Not only did the right-hander go seven innings, but did so on only 89 pitches.

Walker tagged him for a mammoth home run in the second, blasting his 30th career long ball against the Dodgers to the stadium train tracks high above left field. But other than that, the only other damage Ohtani allowed was on Shewmake’s homer, which was a Crawford Box special that traveled only 337 feet to left.

“Unfortunately we couldn’t get him a win,” Roberts said. “But he did a nice job of preserving the bullpen, going deep in the game and giving us a good chance to win tomorrow.”

Who’s not

The Dodgers lineup, especially with the bases loaded.

The latest example came in Tuesday’s fourth inning, when Max Muncy, Andy Pages and Alex Freeland all got aboard with two outs against Lambert. With the Dodgers down 2-0, Miguel Rojas came up with a chance to flip the game.

Instead, he hit into a fielder’s choice, dropping the Dodgers’ team batting average to .212 this season in bases-loaded situations (sixth-worst in the majors). From their 38 such plate appearances, they’ve scored only 25 runs.

The Dodgers, of course, struggled in other situational opportunities Tuesday –– which were magnified by their seventh game in the last eight without a home run 

They went just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. They hit into their 32nd double-play of the season, second-most in the majors. And they saw one of their most trusted veteran bats in Rojas waste some of their best chances. His 0-for-4 included the bases-loaded out, the double-play grounder, and the final out of the game with the tying run on first.

“I had a lot of opportunities with runners on base right there,” Rojas said, “and I couldn’t get the job done tonight.”

Up next

Tyler Glasnow (3-0, 2.56 ERA) will face Lance McCullers Jr (2-2, 6.32 ERA) in the series finale on Wednesday afternoon. 

The Orioles’ five-game losing streak is over! They beat the Marlins 9-7 on Tuesday night in Miami, bringing an end to the ugly stretch of play that plagued them over the weekend. It was a game that was highlighted by impressive offensive performances, which covered up some questionable work on the mound.

The bats came out ready to wipe away their nightmare in New York. Gunnar Henderson laced the second pitch out of Sandy Alcantara’s hand for a single into right field. A fielder’s choice from Taylor Ward eliminated Henderson, but kept the pressure on Alcantara. Dylan Beavers followed with a a well-earned walk at the end of a 12-pitch at-bat. And then both runners came in to score on a Pete Alonso double into the left field corner, where old friend Kyle Stowers misplayed it to allow Alonso to scoot all the way to third. Samuel Basallo made it a 3-0 game with another two-bagger, this one a 111-mph laser.

Unfortunately, the O’s would need to score a few more because starter Chris Bassitt was not at the top of his game. The first two batters singled, putting runners on the corners with no outs. A wild pitch behind Otto Lopez scored Miami’s first run of the day. But that is all the damage that would be done in the opening inning as Bassitt bounced back to retire Lopez, strike out Stowers, and get Jakob Marsee to pop out.

The Marlins’ half of the second inning was just as ugly for Bassitt. He hit Connor Norby to open the inning, but was saved by Basallo gunning him down at second base on a steal attempt. After recording another out, Bassitt then loaded the bases by hitting Owen Caissie, walking Graham Pauley, and walking Xavier Edwards. That set the stage for Liam Hicks to single in Caissie and Pauley to tie the score at 3-3.

Credit the Baltimore lineup for fighting right back in the top of the third. Ward led off with a walk, then moved to third on another Alonso double. Basallo cashed in on the opportunity with a two-RBI flare into shallow right field to give the Orioles a 5-3 lead.

But yet again, Bassitt could not put together a shutdown inning. He got right back into trouble with a walk to Stowers to begin the bottom of the third. Connor Norby delivered a one-out single before Joe Mack knocked in Stowers on a base hit into left field, making in 5-4.

The O’s added two more crucial runs in the fifth inning. Basallo was responsible for the first one, yanking a perfectly-placed triple into right-center field, scoring Alonso from first base in the process. A few batters later, Colton Cowser hit a slow bouncer to Lopez, the Marlins shortstop. Lopez’s throw home beat Basallo, but the O’s catcher was able to sneak his toe just under the tag for the team’s seventh run of the day.

The two bullpens quieted the lineups for a little while before the seventh inning, when Hicks and Lopez hit back-to-back homers off of O’s reliever Anthony Nunez to draw within one run, 7-6.

The Marlins would knot the score at 7-7 in the eighth inning. With Andrew Kittredge on the mound, Mack singled and was then replaced by speedster Esteury Ruiz. That would prove too much for the Orioles to handle. Ruiz swiped second base, and then third base as well. On the attempt at third, Basallo double-clutched and then made an arrant throw towards the bag. It sailed into left field, allowing Ruiz to jog home as the tying run.

At this point, it felt like the Orioles were bound to lose. The offense had gone quiet since the fifth inning, the bullpen was wobbling, and the defense had just made a poorly-timed miscue. The sky was falling.

But not this time! The O’s bats came through in the clutch. Walks for Ward and Alonso put two runners on base with two outs ahead of Basallo’s spot in the lineup. Basallo, who was in the midst of a 3-for-4 game with four RBI. Could he put the finishing touches on an impressive showing? Well, his manager Craig Albernaz wasn’t interested in finding out. Instead, he called for the switch-hitting Adley Rutschman to face the left-handed Andrew Nardi on the mound. That would prove to a be a wise decision. Rutschman singled into left field, which allowed Ward to motor around third base and put the O’s up 8-7. Leody Taveras followed with a knock into right field, giving Alonso just enough time to rumble around the bases and score a crucial insurance run.

The bottom of the ninth inning was left to Rico Garcia, who had already recorded the final out of the eighth. He made quick work of the heart of the Miami lineup, retiring them 1-2-3 to close out the 9-7 win, ending the losing streak at five.

The Orioles’ lineup gets most of the credit for this win. While he may not be the player he used to be, Alcantara is still a good, veteran pitcher with a Cy Young Award in his trophy case. The Orioles handled him and the Marlins pitching staff with ease, collecting 10 hits and five walks on the day, and then going 5-for-13 with runners in scoring position. This was a performance to be proud of. Something may have finally clicked for Alonso. Basallo is looking like a Rookie of the Year candidate. Ward was an on-base machine yet again. And Rutschman came up clutch. Lots of good stuff to behold.

The pitching side of things was mixed bag. Bassitt was not good. He had seemingly no feel for his breaking pitches at all, missing the zone by a mile on several occasions. Over four innings he allowed four runs on six hits, three walks, and three strikeouts. His season ERA is up to 5.91. That is not the sort of starter the Orioles hoped to be getting when they signed him to a one-year deal.

The bullpen had some highs and lows. Garcia, Keegan Akin, and Grant Wolfram were good. Nunez struggled. Kittredge didn’t look particularly sharp. But it all worked out to a win. The fact they had to cover five innings isn’t ideal.

Hopefully Brandon Young can provided some length in game 2. He will get the start on Wednesday night in Miami, facing off against Eury Pérez. First pitch is 6:40 as the Orioles look to do the unthinkable and win two games in a row. Amazing stuff!

Most Birdland Player – May 5, 2026

Here are a few candidates for your MBP consideration on this Tuesday evening. Let us know your vote in the comments section:

• Taylor Ward: 1-for-3, two walks, three runs
• Samuel Basallo: 3-for-4, one run, four RBI
• Pete Alonso: 2-for-4, two walks, two doubles, four runs, two RBI
• Adley Rutschman: Pinch-hit RBI single in the ninth inning
• Rico Garcia: four-out save, two strikeouts

Blue Jays 3 Rays 4

The Jays were leading for most of the game, as if that’s any solace.

Tyler Rogers has been terrific for us, but a ground ball pitcher can have bad luck on occasion. His eighth went ground out, double (66 mph, not hit hard), Yandy Diaz ground ball single (harder hit, 88.5 mph, off Ernie Clements glove), Jake Fraley single (84.3 mph line drive ish) drove in the tying run and Ben Williamson single (ground ball, but hit hard, 103 mph) driving in the winning run.

That was it for Rogers, Louis Varland came in and closed the barn door now that the horse was long gone.

And the Jays went down without a hit in the top of ninth. Andrés Giménez ground out, Myles Straw, pinch hitting for Brandon Valenzuela (a lateral move at best) popped out and George Springer lined out.

We had nine hits, including another Kazuma Okamoto homer, (our only extra base hit) his 10th of the season. He and Giménez had two hits each.

We scored:

• One in the first: Okamoto’s homer.
• One in the second: One out singles from Daulton Varsho, Clement (bunt single), and Valenzuela scored the run. After that Brandon Yohendrick Piñangoput down a squeeze bunt, it wasn’t good, and Clement was out at the plate. Then Springer ground out to end the inning. There was some discussion of whether Valenzuela decided to bunt on his own. If he bunted on his own. If he did, he should be released. Players should never decide to squeeze on their own (but I’m pretty sure it was called from the dugout (dumb idea, John).
• One in the fifth: Giménez singled and stole second. Valenzuela walked. Springer hit into a double play, moving Giménez to third. Springer had a rough day. Yohendrick Piñango singled bringing in the run.

Valenzuela had a rough day, as well as the 0 for and the bunt, he blew two challenges, early in the game, so we couldn’t challenge anymore. When you waste the two challenges in the third inning (at times that really wouldn’t have changed the game), you’ve really messed up. I’d imagine he’ll be talked too, but Heineman was pulled from a game for a mistake that wasn’t as bad as that.

Kevin Gausman wasn’t his sharpest, but he allowed just one run in six innings. He gave up six hits, one walk with three walks.

Jeff Hoffman pitched a nice seventh. And we talked about the eighth earlier.

Jays of the Day: Gausman (.14 WPA), Hoffman (.11), Okamoto (.10) and Valenzuela (.09).

The Other Award: Rogers (-.58) and Springer (-.21). And I’m giving one to Valenzuela for the challenges and the bunt (-.04, but the bunt and the challenges…..).

Tomorrow, being a travel day, is an early game. A 1:00 pm start time. I’m sure the Jays can’t wait to get out of there. I can’t wait until they do as well. But please win.

I really don’t want to watch tomorrow.

Cincinnati Reds closer Emilio Pagan threw just one pitch in the Bottom of the 9th against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night, and it’s a pitch he’ll surely hope to forget.

Immediately after letting it fly to Cubs 2B Nico Hoerner, he reached for his left hamstring – the same left hamstring that had dogged him earlier in the 2026 season. This time, though, it was clear the injury was much more significant than when he was dealing with pain there back in April.

The trainers came out, and it was quickly determined that the cart was going to be needed to come drive him off the field as he couldn’t put any weight on it at all. Righty Jose Franco was summoned to replace him in the 2-2 game in the second game of this series between these two long-time National League Central rivals.

All the best to Emilio, who it looks like the Reds will be without for some time.

American League Central foes, pay close attention to the “objects in mirror may be closer than they appear” note in your rear view mirror. After a less-than-stellar April, the Kansas City Royals have won all five of their games in May and are now half a game out of first place. Kansas City’s efficient 5-3 victory against the Guardians marks the second consecutive win against Cleveland and ensures a series split an minimum.

The Royals got their first runs on the board extremely quickly. Maikel Garcia led off with a walk and a sassy little bat toss, and Bobby Witt Jr. followed that up with a line drive double. Though Vinnie Pasquantino hit a harmless infield popup, Salvador Perez knocked a line drive to right field to score Garcia and Witt. Royals lead, 2-0. Kansas City starting pitcher Stephen Kolek—throwing from the mound in place of Noah Cameron, who’s sidelined due to a back spasm—surely appreciated it.

After that, Carter Jensen struck out (as did Jac Caglianone). This would be a theme of the night.

Kansas City nearly scored again in the second inning, as an Isaac Collins single and Kyle Isbel walk put runners on first and second with one out and bring Garcia and Witt up to bat for the second time in two innings. Unfortunately, they couldn’t push a run across.

This loomed large two innings later. Kolek had largely trucked through the Guardians lineup, but Cleveland started to make some seriously hard contact in the fourth inning. Chase DeLauter led off with a single, after which Royals nemesis Kyle Manzardo singled. Rhys Hoskins then launched a line drive barely fair inside the left field foul pole for a three-run home run to put Cleveland ahead 3-2.

But that was really it for the Guardians offense against Kolek, who turned in a perfectly acceptable, even laudable, performance. Kolek pitched six full innings and didn’t walk anybody, striking out three and only giving up those three runs.

Cleveland wasn’t able to enjoy its meager lead very long. In the bottom of the same inning they scored three, the Royals roared back. Caglianone struck out (I told you, this was a theme), but then Collins notched his second hit of the night—a hustle double to the gap. Then, Cleveland starter Gavin Williams worked Michael Massey to a 1-2 count. Williams unleashed a pitch that was close but was called a ball, and the Guardians challenged. The ball stood, bringing the count even.

And the very next pitch, Massey turned into his alter ego MICHAEL MASHEY and crushed a no-doubter to right field for a two-run shot that put the Royals back on top, 4-3.

Once again, the Royals threatened in the fifth, but another Pasquantino popup and Salvy double play de-fanged the situation. And once again, a different Royals batter picked him up: Collins, whose solo home run in the sixth inning won someone $100 in the Sonic Slam Inning and gave the Royals some additional wiggle room. It was Collins’ third hit of the night.

Unfortunately, Collins wasn’t able to get a fourth at bat and chance for the cycle, because the rest of the game was relatively perfunctory. Lucas Erceg did walk a batter in the ninth, but it was with two outs and he managed to get a quick groundout. Lights Out Lucas did it again. Royals win, 5-3.

And that trend Jensen was on? He struck out four times, earning the ignominious (yet unofficial) ‘Golden Sombrero’ moniker. Fortunately him, tonight was Taco Tuesday Cinco de Mayo. Let’s just say that Jensen is a cultural ambassador and be pleased with it.

Quotes of the game

“Really good Major League pitcher.” – Matt Quatraro, on how he views Stephen Kolek

“That’ll be a great problem for us to have.” – Q again, on what will happen to the closer spot when Carlos Estevez returns

Look: there have been years in Royals history—multiple—many, even—where Kolek would have been the staff ace. But he’s the sixth pitcher. Quatraro was asked postgame what he thought of Kolek, who to date has delivered six solid starts for Kansas City dating back to last year. The Royals clearly like Kolek, and for good reason. I wonder if Cameron continues to scuffle if they will swap places eventually.

At the end of the presser, I asked Q the one burning question on my mind: what happens when Carlos Estevez is back? Will Erceg remain the closer? Quatraro thinks it’s a good problem to have, and didn’t give away the Royals’ thought process. On one hand, Erceg as a Wade Davis-type fireman might be the better usage of him. On the other, can the Royals really trust Estevez with the closer role when his underlying metrics are scary, to say the least?

Time will tell. We’ll figure it out later. For now, the Royals clubhouse bumps celebratory rap music as Kansas City continues to roll forward with momentum.

The Nationals got on the board first in this game. After a walk to Daylen Lile, Curtis Mead doubled to make it 2nd and 3rd with just one out. CJ Abrams hit a grounder to Luke Keaschall who tried to get Lile out at the plate, but Lile was too quick, putting them up 1-0.

The Twins answered back in the 2nd, though, as Brooks Lee hit a 2-run double with 2 outs to put the Twins in front 2-1.

After a 26 pitch 1st inning, Bradley allowed a walk to Nasim Nuñez and a single to José Tena. He retired the next 3 batters, but with his pitch count at 47 through two innings, it was looking like Taj might not have his best stuff tonight. From the 3rd inning on, though, Taj Bradley settled in. He made quick work of the Nationals batters in the 3rd and 4th innings, throwing just 18 pitches total. In the 5th, he gave up a double to Lile then an RBI single to Curtis Mead, but came back with a clean 6th inning to cap off his night.

In the 4th, the Twins nearly batted around on Cade Cavalli. After a single and two walks, Brooks Lee hit a grounder to Cavalli that he couldn’t handle, allowing a run to score. Then, after a Royce Lewis sac fly RBI, Trevor Larnach plated two more with a double, putting the Twins up 6-1.

In the top of the 8th, Byron Buxton got his first hit this season with runners in scoring position, a 3-run homer to left to put the final nail in the coffin. That’s his 11th of the year, all of those in his last 19 games. That puts him in some good company.

Brooks Lee would hit another RBI double in the 9th, pushing the score up to 11-3, our final tonight.

Studs:

Taj Bradley: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K

Brooks Lee: 3-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R

Luke Keaschall: 1-2, 3 BB, 2 R

Trevor Larnach: 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI

Byron Buxton: 1-6, HR, 3 RBI

Duds:

NO DUDS TWINS WIN!

Shohei Ohtani pitched his deepest into a game in three seasons, but got very little offensive support in the Dodgers’ 2-1 loss to the Houston Astros on Tuesday night at Daikin Park.

Ohtani was efficient on the mound with eight strikeouts and no walks. Not only did he record an out in the seventh inning for the first time with the Dodgers, he completed seven innings on only 89 pitches. It’s his longest pitching start since pitching a shutout on July 27, 2023 with the Angels.

Ohtani didn’t allow a home run in any of his first five starts this season. That streak ended on Tuesday with an expected source, as Christian Walker crushed a ball in the second inning, his 30th career home run in 95 games and 352 plate appearances against the Dodgers. Ohtani’s second home run allowed came shortly after, when Braden Shewmake hooked one just over the left field wall into the Crawford Boxes, akin to Alex Freeland’s home run for the Dodgers in Monday’s series opener.

Those were the only two runs against Ohtani, whose ERA skyrocketed up to 0.97. He leads the National League in ERA again, as he has after each of his six starts this season. And pitching seven innings means he’ll be on the leaderboard through Thursday, with Ohtani now at 37 innings, the Dodgers playing their 37th game on Wednesday before the off day.

Snapping their home run drought at six games with an eight-run effort on Monday was not the start of an offensive turnaround for the Dodgers, who have been held to two or fewer runs five times in their last seven games.

The Dodgers did not score in seven innings against former San Dimas High School pitcher Peter Lambert, who allowed 27 runs in 24 innings in seven previous career outings against them while with the Colorado Rockies. Lambert walked four and allowed three hits but none of those runners came home.

It took until the eighth inning, against the Astros bullpen, for the Dodgers to score their first run. Pinch-hitter Alex Call opened the frame with a double, and scored on a two-out single by Kyle Tucker. That tally snapped a string of 19 straight innings without a run by the Dodgers offense while Ohtani was in the game on the mound.

The Dodgers have scored eight total runs with Ohtani still in the game as a pitcher in his six starts, and 17 runs total in those starts, which goes a long way in explaining how the team has lost four of six games for their starting pitcher with the sub-1.00 ERA.

The original plan was for Ohtani to pull double duty on Tuesday, but during Monday’s game manager Dave Roberts made the change, opting to have Ohtani only pitch this game, as he works through another slump at the plate. Ohtani has pitched twice since his last hit, going 0-for-17 over his last five games hitting, though with six walks, a hit by pitch, and four strikeouts.

Trying to manage Ohtani’s two-way workload remains a nuanced challenge that the Dodgers are figuring out as they go. Roberts before Tuesday’s game was asked whether the team has weighed whether Ohtani’s greatest value is as a pitcher or as a hitter.

“I try not to get too far in the weeds on that, because it’s moot. He’s going to do both,” Roberts said, as shown on SportsNet LA. “He’s one of our best pitchers, he’s one of our best hitters.”

Ohtani continued to prove the former on Tuesday, and he’ll have a chance to turn things around at the plate on Wednesday, along with his lineup mates.

Tuesday particulars

Home runs: Christian Walker (9), Braden Shewmake (2)

WP — Peter Lambert (2-2): 7 IP, 3 hits, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts

LP — Shohei Ohtani (2-2): 7 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs, 8 strikeouts

Sv — Bryan King (3): 2 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 2 strikeouts

Up next

One more game remains on the road trip, with Tyler Glasnow pitching on his third straight afternoon getaway day on Wednesday (11:10 a.m. PT; SportsNet LA, MLB Network). Lance McCullers Jr. starts for Houston.

The Yankees were down 3-0 in the top of the first inning. There were runners on second and third with two out and a 3-2 count on Jake Burger. Struggling rookie pitcher Elmer Rodríguez was on the verge of being pulled as he neared 40 pitches. Before the Yanks even had a chance to bat, they were in danger of being out of it.

But so far, they haven’t quite been out of any game. Rodríguez got through the frame and made it to 4.2 innings in his second MLB start, giving the offense enough time to make up for leaving him out to dry in his debut. Home runs by Ryan McMahon and Jazz Chisholm Jr., along with a pair of RBI doubles by Cody Bellinger, gave Jacob deGrom his worst outing of the season as the Yankees opened this three-game set in The Bronx with a 7-4 win — their 15th in the last 17 games since splitting that strange mid-April series against the Angels.

Rodríguez’s primary pain point from his debut last week in Texas was his very inconsistent command, and that reared its ugly head early with a pair of walks to Evan Carter and Corey Seager to start the game. A single by Josh Jung and a long sacrifice fly by Joc Pederson put the Rangers on the board early, and they’d tack on with Ezequiel Duran’s RBI single and a spiked slider that got away for a wild pitch to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead.

After getting shut out and giving Rodríguez no margin for error in his last start, the Yankees jumped all over deGrom. Aaron Judge snuck a one-out double into the right field corner and scored one pitch later on a scorched RBI double by Cody Bellinger that once again teased us all by hitting the very top of the right-field wall, getting a run back immediately.

Aside from a Carter double with one out, Rodríguez worked a clean second inning, which allowed his offense to get back to work. Paul Goldschmidt, making a rare start against a righty because of Ben Rice’s hand injury, ripped a leadoff single to set up Ryan McMahon. The much-maligned third baseman is slowly heating up as the season goes along, and he deposited his third home run of the year into the short porch in right field to tie the game at three.

The Rangers were able to get baserunners against Rodríguez, but he did a great job at preventing damage while filling up the strike zone. After two relatively quiet innings, he looked to be rolling through the fifth when a pair of soft-hit singles put two on with two out before Jake Burger drew a walk to end his outing.

With the bases loaded and two out, Brent Headrick entered to strike out the pinch-hitting Sam Haggerty, ending the inning.

This will probably be the last we’ll see of Rodríguez for a bit with Carlos Rodón due back for his next start, but Elmer showed real poise in this one despite a worse line than his debut. To rebound after that unmitigated disaster in the first to being a hair away from getting through five solid innings is admirable, and he left with a no-decision.

deGrom really started to settle in after the McMahon home run, only walking Bellinger in the third before retiring 10 consecutive batters to get through 5.2 innings. Then he served up a 1-0 fastball to Jazz Chisholm Jr. that was crushed into the right-field bleachers to make it 4-3, Yankees.

Tim Hill was next out of the bullpen to pitch the seventh, and for once, he wasn’t an automatic ground-ball machine. A long single by Jung and blooper by Yankees legend Kyle Higashioka suddenly put two on with one out, prompting Aaron Boone to come out of the dugout and make the move for Fernando Cruz, whose splitter looked filthy as ever as he retired the next two batters to get out of trouble.

Some insurance would be appreciated, and Skip Schumaker’s decision-making after the seventh-inning stretch opened the door for it. Another good piece of hitting by McMahon and a bunt single by Caballero put two on with one out against a laboring deGrom, who was finally pulled for Jalen Beeks.

After he got Grisham to fly out, Schumaker took advantage of an open base to intentionally walk Judge, but was quickly punished for his misdeeds by the baseball gods, as Bellinger ripped a two-run double over the head of Burger to make it 6-3 after seven. That’s six runs charged to deGrom in 6.1 innings. Not too shabby.

Cruz stayed on to start the eighth and plunked Danny Jansen with one out. After looking great through three batters, he suddenly stopped throwing the splitter and fell behind the next two hitters, allowing a single before walking Carter to bring up Seager with the bases loaded. Boone called on David Bednar to escape a perilous jam, which he did by striking out Seager and inducing a quick pop-up out of the red-hot Jung.

The Yankees scored more insurance against MLB’s No. 1 bullpen, as Goldschmidt got an at-bat against the lefty Tyler Alexander and didn’t let the opportunity go to waste, smacking an 0-1 changeup into the right-field seats for his second home run of the season to make it 7-3.

Bednar came back out to finish off a five-out save, and he did his job, aside from a mostly-meaningless triple by Duran that wound up leading to a run. He’s now tied for the AL lead with 10 saves on the year. The Yankees’ 25-11 record is tied with the Braves for the best in baseball, though Atlanta is playing out in Seattle at the moment.

The Yankees will look to push this winning streak to six games and lock up another series victory tomorrow at 7:05 pm on Amazon Prime Video. To do so, Will Warren and company will have to beat the only pitcher to hand the Yanks a loss within the last week: old frenemy Nathan Eovaldi.

Box Score

On a night when they were short in the bullpen and facing one of the game’s tougher pitchers, the Yankees fell behind by three runs in the top of the first inning. 

Ho hum. 

That proved to be little more than a bump in the road as a humming Yankees lineup came back to crack Jacob deGrom for six runs on the way to their fifth straight win, 7-4 over the Rangers on Tuesday in The Bronx. 

Ryan McMahon tied the game 3-3 in the second inning with a two-run shot before Jazz Chisholm Jr. gave the Yankees (25-11) the lead for good with a solo blast in the sixth, sending them to their 15th win in the last 17 games. 

“Every time someone goes up to the plate, we expect them to get a hit,” said Chisholm, who has hit all four of his home runs this season in his last 12 games. “Every time a pitcher gets called into a game, we expect them to get out of every jam. The positivity in the clubhouse right now is just super crazy. 

“Everybody’s on a real high horse right now and we just want to ride it out as long as we can.” 

Just about everything has been clicking lately for Aaron Boone’s club, from the rotation and bullpen to the offense and defense. On Tuesday, the highlight may have been the bullpen picking each other up throughout the night to keep the Rangers (16-19) in check, with Brent Headrick, Fernando Cruz and David Bednar (five-out save) combining to inherit eight runners and strand all of them — only the second time the Yankees have accomplished that feat in the expansion era. 

“I think they’re just better than everyone thinks,” Boone said of his bullpen that is gaining confidence and becoming a tight-knit group with each passing game. 

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That standout effort came on a night when rookie Elmer Rodríguez, making his second career start and his last (for now) with Carlos Rodón set to return from the IL the next turn through, put the Yankees in a 3-0 hole in the first inning while throwing 37 pitches.

The right-hander battled more command issues with four walks, the same number he had in his debut, but again settled in to give his team a fighting chance before being optioned back to Triple-A after the game.

“Unbelievable game,” Boone said. “In the first there, we’re short in the pen and you’re just thinking of ways you hopefully can finish the game. Credit to Elmer for picking himself up and giving us 4 ²/₃ after a rough start. And then so many good at-bats to pull us back and take the lead. Then the pen did a great job of just handing it off to one another. That’s a really good one right there.” 

Cody Bellinger created some breathing room late with a two-run double in the seventh — his second double of the night, this one coming left-on-left after the Rangers had intentionally walked Aaron Judge to load the bases with two outs — and Paul Goldschmidt, starting for the injured Ben Rice, added a solo shot in the eighth. 

“It’s a really special group and up and down the lineup, there’s no breaks,” Bednar said. 

McMahon and Chisholm had been two of the coldest Yankees hitters through the first few weeks of the season, but both have begun to heat up to give the lineup even more depth. 

McMahon, who went 2-for-4, tied the game in the second inning after an eight-pitch battle with deGrom ended in his third home run of the season. He is now batting .304 (14-for-46) with an .877 OPS over his last 17 games after hitting .119 (5-for-42) with a .379 OPS through his first 17 games. 

Chisholm, who put the Yankees ahead 4-3 with a 413-foot shot in the sixth — flush with a bat flip that went nearly as far — has taken off after starting the season without a homer in his first 23 games, batting .173 with a .498 OPS through April 22.

In 12 games since then, he has hit 13-for-45 (.289) with a .908 OPS and four home runs. 

“It’s something we talked about in spring — it can’t just be one or two guys,” Goldschmidt said. “It can’t just be one way we beat teams. We got to be able to do it in all different ways, and we’ve done a good job so far. But there’s a long way to go, too.”