Judge's 28th HR helps bring end to Yankees' slump

NEW YORK -- You could sense the air leaking out of Yankee Stadium in the first inning on Saturday night, a feeling of “Oh, no” creeping into the building as Marcus Stroman whirled to watch Marcell Ozuna’s home run sail over the right-field wall. The Yankees hadn’t led at any point during a three-game losing streak, and this seemed like it could be more of the same.

Not on Aaron Judge’s watch. The captain restored order with his Major League-leading 28th home run, with what Stroman described as a “huge momentum shifter” highlighting a three-RBI performance as the Bombers snapped their skid with an 8-3 victory over the Braves.

“It’s just one game, but that’s what we’ve got to do,” Judge said. “Anytime you hit a couple of tough skids right there, you understand it’s a long season, but every game matters. We’ve been through it before, year after year, where you’re counting down days in September and trying to figure out what’s going to happen.”

Judge’s two-run blast off Charlie Morton served as the ideal response for a Yankees team that has scuffled of late both in producing runs and keeping them off the board, having permitted a staggering 32 runs during this rough patch.

“Judge has been on another historic run; [Juan] Soto has been on a historic run,” Stroman said. “I’m just very thankful. It’s a momentum shift; gives me a boost and kicks me into gear to let me know I need to be doing a little bit more, because they’re doing their part.”

On a night when the Yankees feared they may have lost Giancarlo Stanton to a left hamstring injury, Judge is seemingly healthy and continuing to rake, having homered twice since being hit in the left hand on Tuesday by the Orioles’ Albert Suárez.

Since May 1, Judge is batting .369 (59-for-160) with 16 doubles, one triple, 22 homers and 52 RBIs -- numbers that could fit right alongside his production from 2022, when he shattered Roger Maris’ 61-year-old single-season American League home run record of 61.

“It’s tough to say. Each year is so different,” Judge said. “I’m just trying to take it one day at a time, do what I can for the team and get on base, especially with the lineup we have.”

Could Judge make a run at his own AL record of 62 -- and perhaps beyond?

“I wouldn’t put a ceiling on anything that Aaron Judge could do,” said manager Aaron Boone, who was ejected for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Derek Thomas in the seventh inning.

Stroman made the advantage hold up, keeping the Atlanta offense quiet until Travis d’Arnaud’s two-run homer with two outs in the seventh, which marked the Braves’ first hit of any kind since the second inning. The right-hander allowed three hits and two walks over 6 2/3 innings, improving to 7-3 with a 3.15 ERA in 16 starts.

“I felt pretty in control from the start,” Stroman said. “Even after the homer, I felt pretty settled. I knew I didn’t make the pitch I wanted to, so I wasn’t necessarily mad about it. I felt pretty settled all night; I felt calm. I had a lot of confidence in [Austin] Wells behind the dish. I didn’t shake him one time all night.”

Oswaldo Cabrera broke the game open with a two-run single in the sixth, a frame that also saw Judge work a bases-loaded walk. Trent Grisham, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter in Stanton’s place in the sixth, hit a solo homer in the seventh.

“I thought Cabrera’s at-bat was the dagger,” Boone said. “A lot of good at-bats from everyone. A good, bounce-back victory.”

Yet the club’s enthusiasm was tempered because of Stanton, who departed with tightness in his left hamstring, having grimaced as he scored on Gleyber Torres’ double in the fourth.

Though Boone said Stanton “seemed to be in good spirits,” he appeared to walk with a slight limp as he exited the clubhouse and is scheduled to undergo imaging on Sunday.

Stanton had enjoyed a relatively healthy season to this point, playing in 69 of the Yanks’ first 79 games while batting .246 with 18 homers and 45 RBIs. He missed 43 games last season with a left hamstring strain sustained in April.

“He’s been such a force for this offense,” Judge said. “Hitting the homers, coming up clutch with guys on base. That’s a big part of his game. Hopefully, we get some good news.”