Yankees Over Mariners, Judge Homers

Anthony Volpe, Greg Allen and Isiah Kiner-Falefa took care of the heavy lifting early. Aaron Judge provided the final punch. 

Judge homered for the third time in two games, Volpe and Allen also went deep and the New York Yankees stretched their winning streak to four with a 10-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

The Yankees moved a season-high 11 games over .500, and have posted 20 runs and 30 hits in the first two games of the series against one of the American League’s top pitching staffs. 

“Everybody’s chipping in right now and everybody’s passing the baton, and good things are happening when you’re not afraid to pass it to the next guy,” Kiner-Falefa said. 

Judge hit a towering fly ball on the first pitch of the seventh inning from reliever Darren McCaughan that carried just enough to clear the fence in left-center field, even if it would not have been a homer at Yankee Stadium.

While Judge hitting another homer will get the headlines, it was Volpe’s long ball that broke open the game. With two outs in the third inning, Seattle starter Logan Gilbert caught too much of the plate with a 1-2 slider and Volpe drove the pitch 413 feet for a three-run shot and a 6-0 lead. It was Volpe’s eighth homer of the season and snapped a 2-for-22 slide for the rookie.

Mets Beat Phillies 4-1

A couple of weeks ago, Mets manager Buck Showalter asked a few veterans to step into a meeting. The team had just called up Mark Vientos, a big-swinging righty without a true position, and there surely would be fewer at-bats to go around.

The group did not include any complainers. Mark Canha told his manager he just wanted to win.

A couple of weeks later, Canha — whose playing time has dipped, if not dived, amid a slow start and a crowded clubhouse — ensured a Mets victory.

The previously struggling outfielder blasted his first home run since May 3 and drove in all of the Mets’ runs in a 4-1 win over the Phillies at Citi Field.

The Mets (29-27) assured themselves of winning the series over their division rival before the finale Thursday and have bounced back after a  2-4 road trip.

They only needed two hits Tuesday — a home run from Francisco Lindor and an RBI single from Eduardo Escobar — to win the series opener, and they only needed one lively bat a night later.