CHICAGO (AP) - Lance Lynn was sound asleep while the rest of the New York Yankees hopped on a flight to Chicago after perhaps their most difficult loss of the season.
With his new team in desperate need of a lift, he delivered.
Lynn pitched two-hit ball into the eighth inning in his first start with New York, and the Yankees rebounded from their tough weekend in Boston by beating the White Sox 7-0 on Monday night.
“Obviously, Lance Lynn, huge pick-me-up,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He was terrific.”
Lynn provided a big boost for New York after it dropped a season-high five straight games, including a four-game sweep by the major league-leading Red Sox. The series concluded with Aroldis Chapman blowing a save opportunity in a 10-inning loss at Fenway Park late Sunday.
Lynn (8-8), who was sent ahead to Chicago to get some rest, watched the end of the game before calling it a night.
“I went to bed knowing that I need to show up today,” he said.
With his two-seam and four-seam fastballs filling up the strike zone, Lynn retired 19 in a row before Nicky Delmonico led off the eighth with a single to right. The veteran right-hander was acquired in a trade with Minnesota on July 30 and tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings in relief in his Yankees debut before replacing Sonny Gray in New York’s rotation.
After Tim Anderson flied out, A.J. Cole finished the three-hitter for the AL wild-card leaders.
The White Sox had won a season-high four straight. Adam Engel robbed Greg Bird of a potential three-run homer with an outstanding leaping catch over the wall in center in the fourth, but Chicago was shut out for the 10th time this year.
Manager Rick Renteria sent infielder Matt Davidson out to the mound for the ninth, and he struck out Giancarlo Stanton while pitching a scoreless inning for the third time this season.
“Yeah, I’m enjoying it, it’s fun,” Davidson said.
Dylan Covey (4-8) was charged with four runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. The right-hander dropped to 1-6 in his last seven starts.
“I actually thought he didn’t throw that bad, to be honest,” Renteria said. “They put some good swings on some pitches. He obviously gave us some length.”
Covey retired his first 10 batters before Stanton walked with one out in the fourth. Didi Gregorius, Aaron Hicks and Gleyber Torres followed with three straight hits, producing two runs.
The Yankees added two more in the fifth, and then broke it open with three runs in the eighth against Thyago Vieira. Torres hit his 18th homer with one out, and Neil Walker added a two-run shot.
WORTH NOTING
The Yankees improved to 51-9 when they score first, and a major league-best 43-6 when their starter pitches at least six innings. They also improved to 17-5 against the AL Central this year.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: LHP J.A. Happ is on track to start Thursday against Texas after being sidelined by hand, foot and mouth disease. Happ is no longer contagious, according to Boone.
White Sox: INF/OF Leury Garcia was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain. Garcia got hurt during Sunday’s 8-7 victory at Tampa Bay. C Dustin Garneau was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte, C Kevan Smith was activated from the paternity list, and outfielder Ryan LaMarre was brought up from Charlotte.
UP NEXT
Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia (6-4, 3.59 ERA) and White Sox right-hander Reynaldo Lopez (4-9, 4.47 ERA) pitch Tuesday night. The 38-year-old Sabathia is 19-6 with a 3.78 ERA in 35 career starts versus the White Sox. Lopez is winless in his last five starts, but he pitched five-hit ball into the eighth inning in a no-decision against Kansas City on Thursday.
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Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap
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