NEW YORK — Michael Pineda is finally putting it together for the New York Yankees. Carlos Beltran and Starlin Castro, meanwhile, have provided consistent power all season.
Beltran and Castro homered for the second consecutive game, sending a resurgent Pineda and the Yankees past the Los Angeles Angels 6-3 on Tuesday night.
“If Pineda finds his rhythm, he’s going to be able to help us a lot,” Beltran said. “He’s a guy that has a lot of talent.”
Alex Rodriguez and Austin Romine each had an RBI single for New York, which has won seven in a row against the Angels at home. Los Angeles has dropped 13 of its last 16 at Yankee Stadium.
Pineda (3-6) threw 22 of 27 first-pitch strikes and tossed seven efficient innings in his longest start since July 4 last year at Tampa Bay. He gave up three runs and four hits, building on a solid performance last week in Detroit after struggling for much of the season.
“I changed the angle of my arm because the slider cuts better when I have a lower angle on my arm,” Pineda said through a translator. “That’s one of the adjustments that I made.”
Before the game, Yankees manager Joe Girardi mentioned it was important for Pineda to put together successive quality starts. With his past two outings, the enigmatic right-hander has quieted talk about him losing his spot in the rotation and perhaps getting sent to the minors.
“When push came to shove he threw some good sliders and got out of some jams. He had good velocity,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “When he needed to, he turned it up.”
Pineda said he was never concerned about a demotion and he’s been working hard on making adjustments and executing properly with pitching coach Larry Rothschild.
“To me, it’s all been about command,” Girardi said. “When Michael’s on, he can be really dominant. I’m hoping this can continue the roll for him.”
Andrew Miller worked a one-hit ninth for his seventh save and first since May 6 — three days before Aroldis Chapman took over the closer role when his suspension ended.
Dellin Betances struck out two in a perfect eighth after giving up runs in a career-worst four straight appearances.
“I wasn’t worried about him,” Girardi said.
Pineda’s only rough inning was the fifth, when Gregorio Petit hit an RBI single and Kole Calhoun connected for a two-run homer to the short porch in right field. After that, Pineda retired his final seven batters and was still throwing 97 mph in the seventh.
“One bad inning and he was able to stop it after that,” Girardi said. “That’s encouraging because that’s something that hasn’t happened this year.”
Beltran hit a two-run shot in the first for his 1,000th career extra-base hit. It came on the ninth pitch from ex-Yankee David Huff (0-1), who started in place of injured Nick Tropeano.
It was Beltran’s second straight at-bat with a homer after his three-run shot snapped an eighth-inning tie Monday night and powered New York to a 5-2 victory in the series opener. The 39-year-old Beltran leads the team with 15 homers.
Castro, who hit a tying homer in the seventh inning Monday, sliced an opposite-field drive off the right-field foul pole in the third.
Aaron Hicks doubled in the second and scored on Rob Refsnyder‘s sacrifice fly.
Huff allowed five runs and eight hits over 3 2/3 innings in his first major league outing since June 3, 2015. The 31-year-old lefty appeared in 41 games with the Yankees from 2013-14.
“It was tough those first two innings,” Huff said. “I think trying to get settled in was my biggest problem.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Angels: SS Andrelton Simmons was scheduled to play his second rehab game with Class A Inland Empire. He had two hits Monday and is expected to come off the disabled list this weekend. Simmons has been out since May 9 after having thumb surgery.
Yankees: CF Jacoby Ellsbury and C Brian McCann were rested against the left-hander. Ellsbury struck out as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning and stayed in the game in centre field.
WHO’S ON FIRST?
Girardi said he thinks 1B Mark Teixeira will be day to day whenever he’s able to return from a cartilage tear in his right knee. Teixeira is on the 15-day DL and the team hopes he is about three weeks from participating in full baseball activities. The slumping switch-hitter said he doesn’t want to have surgery, which would end his season. In the meantime, Refsnyder and Chris Parmelee will share time at first base. “It’s not an everyday situation for anyone at this point,” Girardi said, explaining it will be a daily decision. “I think those two guys can handle it for us, I really do.”
ROSTER MOVES
New York called up RHP Anthony Swarzak from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and optioned RHP Luis Cessa to its top farm club. LHP Tyler Olson was designated for assignment.
UP NEXT
Soft tosser Jered Weaver (5-4, 5.18 ERA) pitches for the Angels on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium against RHP Nathan Eovaldi (6-2, 4.09), one of the hardest-throwing starters in the majors. Weaver is 7-5 with a 5.83 ERA in 15 regular-season starts vs. New York, including 1-3 with an 8.71 ERA in five games at the current Yankee Stadium. Eovaldi is 6-0 with a 3.35 ERA in his last eight starts.
