Mike Clevinger struck out 10 in five scoreless innings to win his seventh straight decision, Mike Freeman hit a three-run homer and the Cleveland Indians gained a split of their four-game series against the host New York Yankees with an 8-4 victory Sunday afternoon.
Freeman, who started at third base as red-hot Jose Ramirez rested, hit his fourth homer of the season in the second and doubled twice.
Francisco Lindor barely cleared the fence with a solo drive and rookie Oscar Mercado accounted for Cleveland's final three runs with a double and a two-run homer in the eighth. The Indians scored 27 runs and hit 10 homers in their two wins at Yankee Stadium to improve to 44-21 since June 5.
The Indians had more than enough offense for Clevinger (8-2), who has not lost since lasting 1 2/3 innings in a 13-0 loss at Baltimore on June 28. Clevinger held the Yankees to three singles while working through some tough innings early on.
Clevinger ended a pair of two-on, two-out threats, first in the second by getting Mike Tauchman to line out to right fielder Yasiel Puig, and then in the third by striking out Gary Sanchez.
Clevinger recorded double-digit strikeouts for the fourth time this season. He threw 104 pitches.
DJ LeMahieu hit a two-run homer to get the Yankees on the board in the seventh and had an RBI single in the ninth. New York has not been shut out for 208 straight games and is tied with the Cincinnati Reds (April 3, 2000-May 23, 2001) for the third-longest streak in the majors since 1900.
Aaron Judge made it 8-4 with an RBI double off Brad Hand in the ninth but the game ended with a warning track fly ball by Gio Urshela with two on.
The Indians held a 1-0 lead in the second after Franmil Reyes scored on a ground ball by Greg Allen. Freeman made it 4-0 when he lined a 1-1 slider from CC Sabathia (5-7) over the right-center field fence.
Cleveland took a 5-0 lead in the fourth when Lindor homered off Nestor Cortes Jr. into the first row of the right field seats as Judge tried to make a leaping catch. The Yankees thought a fan interfered, but the original call stood following a 43-second review.
Mercado's sixth-inning double made it 6-0, and he extended the lead to 8-2 in the eighth by going deep against Luis Cessa.
Sabathia returned from missing 21 games with right knee inflammation and allowed four runs on four hits in three innings. He struck out five, walked three and threw 67 pitches.
The Yankees fell to 15-4 in their past 19 games. Unlike Saturday's game, nobody was ejected, though some players took issue with plate umpire Phil Cuzzi's strike zone at times.
--Field Level Media
