MIAMI — There’s nothing like a trip to south Florida to reset.
That’s just what the Yankees did the last three days in Miami, where they finished off a sweep of the Marlins on Sunday with a 3-1 win, thanks to more inspired play by Anthony Rizzo, and they’ll return to The Bronx on Monday looking to make that long-anticipated run in the AL East.
Rizzo drove in the Yankees’ first run with a game-tying single in the eighth and started a 3-6-3 double play to end the bottom of the inning, as the Yankees finished off a sweep of the reeling Marlins at loanDepot Park.
They’ve won five of six, despite the offense still not firing on all cylinders.
Jordan Montgomery gave up just one run in five innings and Clay Holmes, Joely Rodriguez, Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman combined to throw four scoreless to finish the game.
The Yankees’ lineup was shut down for seven innings by Sandy Alcantara before they were given new life in the eighth.
Brett Gardner opened the inning with a single to center off Anthony Bass. Pinch-hitter DJ LeMahieu struck out and Giancarlo Stanton — also pinch-hitting — grounded to third. But Bryan Anderson bludgeoned the play, dropping the routine chopper twice and throwing the ball away for an error that allowed Stanton to reach first and Gardner to advance to third.
Rizzo tied the game with a single to left off Richard Bleier, and Aaron Judge followed with a single to left of his own to score Stanton from second, as the Yankees took a 2-1 lead.
Rizzo was thrown out trying to get to third for the second out and Joey Gallo struck out.
Britton came on in the eighth. With one on and one out, the lefty got a hard grounder to first from Jazz Chisholm and Rizzo turned it into an inning-ending double play.
The Yankees tacked on another run in the ninth, courtesy of some laughable defensive play by Miami. With Gleyber Torres on first and two out, Gardner hit a slow roller that second baseman Chisolm mishandled. Chisholm then tried to throw Torres out at third, but no one was covering the base and Torres scored on the play.
It made up for a slow start, as Alcantara retired the first seven Yankees he faced before Tyler Wade walked in the third.
The Yankees didn’t get their first hit of the afternoon until Judge opened the fourth with a ground ball through the right side of the infield.
Alcantara continued to dominate the Yankees through seven shutout innings.
After throwing a combined 10 ²/₃ shutout innings against the Red Sox and Rays in his previous two outings — and entering the game with a 14 ²/₃ scoreless streak overall — Montgomery got off to a rough start Sunday.
Miguel Rojas led off the bottom of the first with a double to left. He moved to third on an infield hit by Jazz Chisholm and scored on an Anderson groundout.
Montgomery left after 81 pitches, replaced by pinch-hitter Greg Allen to lead off the sixth.
