Giancarlo Stanton’s late homer separates Yankees in win over Braves | Rapid reaction

Giancarlo Stanton blasted a two-run shot in the eighth inning to give the Yankees much-needed breathing room in a 8-5 win over the Braves at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night.

NEW YORK — A day after the Yankees got a taste of their own medicine, Giancarlo Stanton spit it back in the Braves’ faces.

Stanton’s two-run home run barely squeaked over the right-field wall — a Yankee Stadium cheap shot, if there ever was one — to give the Yankees breathing room in the eighth inning of a 8-5 win Tuesday night.

On Monday, the Braves beat the Yankees on an 11th-inning homer that barely made it past the wall and nicked off the tip of 6-foot-8 right fielder Aaron Judge’s outstretched glove.

What it means

The win improved the Yankees to 55-28. The Braves dropped to 49-35.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox beat the Nationals, keeping Boston 1 1/2 games ahead of manager Aaron Boone’s club atop the American League East.

The Yankees are now 39-5 when they score first and 32-13 at home.

Aroldis Chapman, working his third straight night, nailed down his 24th save. He capped a contest that saw the Yankees charge out to a 6-0 lead before starting pitcher Domingo German and reliever Adam Warren let the Braves back in it.

Stanton’s homer came off Braves reliever Evan Phillips’ fastball in a 1-0 count. It scored Aaron Judge.

Made it close

Atlanta rushed back to within a run in the seventh when the usually reliable reliever Warren hung a fastball to Nick Markakis, who ripped a line-drive home run just over the right-field short porch.

The ball was just out of reach of right fielder Stanton — Judge was at designated hitter — and it traveled a bit faster than Stanton could run. It was 6-5, Yankees.

Suzuki nearly tied it in the next at-bat. He crushed a line drive to nearly the same spot as Markakis, but it didn’t get enough air, and Stanton made a leaping catch just before the wall for the out.

The Braves weren’t done. Immediately after that, Acuna hit a fly ball to the center field warning track for the inning’s final out.

The Yankees had to hold their breath again in the eighth. Warren put runners on first and second and Boone — lacking options with a spent bullpen — went to lefty Chasen Shreve, who had been terrible for about the past month.

But Shreve came through, striking out Inciarte and getting Albies to ground out.

Decent Domingo

German was mostly good — except for the one rough inning that has continually haunted him this year.

German went 4 1/3 innings. They were scoreless before, with a 6-0 lead, he gave up a two-run home run to Ender Inciarte to right field. Then, on the very next pitch, Ozzie Albies crushed a solo shot. Suddenly, it was 6-3 Yankees and German was on the ropes.

German would surrender two more hits in a row before A.J. Cole, in his first appearance since going on the disabled list June 27, ended the threat but made the Yankees nervous.

After striking out Kurt Suzuki right away, Ronald Acuna Jr. singled to load the bases. Then Cole got behind Tyler Flowers, 3-1, before fighting back to strke him out swinging with a slider in eight pitches.

German finished with six strikeouts and three walks with six hits in 82 pitches. The Yankees would have appreciated much more length from German, considered they needed to use five relievers in Monday’s loss.

An early lead

Aaron Hicks crushed a two-run homer in the first, his fourth homer in three games. On Sunday, the center fielder had his first career three home run game. That put the Yankees up for good.

In the second, Higashioka hit a solo shot deep into the bottom row in left field. It was his second career hit — and his second career homer. He recorded his other home run Sunday when he snapped an 0-for-22 streak to start his career.

An all-over-the-place Braves starter Sean Newcomb didn’t make it out of the third inning. He walked the bases loaded and then walked Brandon Drury — starting at first base over Greg Bird — to bring home Judge and make it 4-0 Yankees. 

That walk got Newcomb out of the game. Reliever Luike Jackson then immediately walked Higashioka on five pitches, scoring Hicks and pushing the Yankees ahead five runs.

Brett Gardner was the sixth run. He doubled to start the fourth, then moved to third on a wild pitch. Another wild pitch — which skipped to the far left of catcher Tyler Flowers — and Gardner sprinted home, scoring with a head-first slide that proved unnecessary because there wasn’t even a throw.

NEXT

Wednesday: Yankees lefty CC Sabathia (5-3, 3.02 ERA) vs. Braves righty Julio Teheran (6-5, 4.21 ERA) at 1:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.