Will Warren tossed 6 2/3 shutout innings to help the visiting New York Yankees to a 2-0 win over the Chicago Cubs on Friday afternoon in the opener of their three-game series.
Warren (8-5) allowed four hits, struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter in his best outing of the season. The third-year right-hander went 0-4 in his previous eight starts with a 7.59 ERA.
Amed Rosario and Spencer Jones homered for New York, which had lost two in a row.
Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga (7-9) had not allowed a run in his previous two outings, but surrendered two runs and four hits before exiting after 6 2/3 innings. He struck out six and didn’t walk a batter.
Pedro Ramirez posted two of the five hits for the Cubs, who had won three of four.
Imanaga retired the first 11 Yankees, capped by a diving catch by first baseman Michael Busch off the bat of Ben Rice.
Rosario then stepped to the plate for the second time in the game and belted a 1-0 sweeper over the fence in center for a 450-foot home run and a 1-0 lead.
The home run also ended Imanaga’s shutout streak at 16 2/3 innings.
Jones came up with two outs in the fifth and pulled a sinker into the stands in right center for another solo home run and a 2-0 lead.
Warren gave up a two-out double to No. 9 hitter Miguel Amaya in the third inning and then retired 12 in a row.
Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt made a diving stop on Busch’s hard grounder down the line for the second out in the seventh.
Alex Bregman and Ian Happ followed with singles, which gave the Cubs two base runners for the first time in the game and ended Warren’s day.
Paul Blackburn came out of the bullpen and got Nico Hoerner to hit a grounder up the middle that Anthony Volpe fielded and flipped to Jose Caballero covering second. Happ initially was ruled safe, but the Yankees challenged and the call was overturned.
Blackburn pitched a 1-2-3 eighth before David Bednar closed the ninth for his 23rd save.
