Resilient Gil guides Yanks to Game 1 win vs. Halos

NEW YORK -- There was steady rain throughout the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader between the Yankees and Angels at Yankee Stadium, but right-hander Luis Gil pitched long enough to help New York to a 5-2 victory.

It wasn’t Gil’s best game by any means. The Halos made him work throughout his five scoreless innings, as evidenced by Gil throwing 55 pitches in the first two innings and departing after throwing 107 pitches through five. His best inning was arguably his last, when he retired the side in order on 16 pitches in the fifth.

Gil, who had thrown 92 pitches entering the fifth, knew he had a short leash and would be taken out of the game if he made any mistakes.

“At that moment, I didn’t have many pitches left going into the fifth inning, so I just wanted to get to the best that I had at that particular moment of the game,” Gil said via interpreter Marlon Abreu. “Pitching that inning would be big for our bullpen.”

Gil acknowledged that the weather made it difficult to locate all three of his pitches (four-seam fastball, changeup and slider).

“You have to understand that it happens. You have to find it within you to be the best out there,” Gil said. “You understand that you find yourself in big-time competition and know we have a second game coming.”

The Yankees gave Gil plenty of run support to win his team-high-tying 12th game of the season. They scored two quick runs in the first off right-hander Davis Daniel, with Alex Verdugo scoring the first run on an RBI single by Austin Wells, while Aaron Judge came home on an RBI double by Anthony Volpe.

While everybody is talking about Judge and Juan Soto carrying the Yankees' lineup, Wells has been plenty reliable at the plate of late. Since July 21, he's 19-for-51 (.373) with two homers and nine RBIs. Wells is doing most of that damage as the cleanup hitter behind Judge.

“He doesn't change anything. He continues to have good at-bats, and [it was] more of the same today,” manager Aaron Boone said about Wells. “He is just looking like a real middle-of-the-order hitter, and it’s exciting to see him string these quality at-bats [together].”

Oswaldo Cabrera hasn’t seen a lot of playing time since the team acquired Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Marlins, but Boone gave him a start at second base, and Cabrera came through with a solo homer in the second inning.

By the fourth inning, New York had extended its lead to 5-0. Verdugo's second hit of the day, a double to right-center field, brought in Ben Rice, while Judge drove in the fifth run with a single to left that scored Verdugo.

With the victory, the Yankees improved their record to 68-46 and sat one game ahead of the Orioles in the American League East heading into the nightcap.