The Yankees entered Sunday with an MLB-worst 6.62 ERA in July, including 16 runs conceded across their previous two games against the Atlanta Braves. Despite boasting a league-high 90 runs scored this month, New York came in with a 6-8 record.
But with an opportunity to clinch a road series for the first time since early June, the Yankees’ staff delivered.
Marcus Stroman went six innings, allowing only one score on a Matt Olson home run, in the longest start of his campaign. New York (55-44) beat Atlanta, 4-2, at Truist Park to give Stroman his second victory of 2025.
The 34-year-old missed over two months due to left knee inflammation, but has given up just seven earned runs over 21 innings since returning at the end of June. With Clarke Schmidt missing the rest of the season due to a torn UCL in his right elbow, Stroman’s recent success has positioned him as the team’s third-best starter.
The former Blue Jay, Met, and Cub recorded seven outs via groundballs, primarily throwing his sinker and splitter. The latter induced a double play off Olson’s bat in the third frame — the only time the Braves put a runner in scoring position against Stroman.
The righty had allowed seven runs across two starts on the road, both of which he failed to capitalize on an early lead in. New York, which came in with a major league-leading .892 OPS in the first inning, gave him rapid support again.
Aaron Judge blasted a cutter for his 36th home run of the season and 351st of his career, tying him with Alex Rodriguez for sixth-most in Yankees history. Giancarlo Stanton laced a single to the opposite field before Jazz Chisholm Jr. pushed a bunt and Paul Goldschmidt blooped a single into center field, extending the early edge.
Goldschmidt entered hitting over .150 points worse against righties, but the 37-year-old reached twice against Grant Holmes. Stanton singled in all three of his at-bats against the starter, coming off a game where he reached base four times.
Holmes entered with a 2.77 ERA at Truist Park and largely kept New York at bay despite conceding seven hits. The 29-year-old’s only blemish outside of the first frame came when he hit Jorbit Vivas, a .173 hitter this season, with the bases loaded in the sixth.
Ian Hamilton and Tim Hill each notched scoreless innings before Devin Williams let up a round-tripper to Ronald Acuña Jr., just the second the closer has allowed this season. Still, he sealed his 14th save and the Yankees finished with fewer than four runs given up on the road for the first time since Jun. 25.
New York’s pitching resurgence faces a major test next against Toronto, which ranks second in the American League in runs scored during July. The Blue Jays, who carry a three-game lead over the Yankees in the AL East, scored 36 times amid a four-game sweep of New York a few weeks ago.
