Yankees get the 2-1 victory over the Cubs

José Caballero supplied the only offense the Yankees needed, while Gerrit Cole and the New York bullpen shut down the Chicago Cubs in a 2-1 victory Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Caballero broke a scoreless tie in the third inning, driving a two-run homer to center field after Ryan McMahon reached base. It was Caballero’s 11th home run of the season and accounted for both Yankees runs.

Chicago responded in the fourth. Seiya Suzuki reached on a hit and scored when Michael Busch lined an RBI single to right field, cutting New York’s advantage to one. The Cubs would get no closer.

Cole protected the lead with a composed performance, allowing one run on four hits across 5⅔ innings. He struck out five, walked three and improved his record to 5-5 while lowering his ERA to 3.42.

The Yankees’ bullpen was nearly flawless. Brent Headrick retired all four batters he faced and recorded three strikeouts. Paul Blackburn and David Bednar then completed the victory without surrendering a hit. Bednar worked the final 1⅓ innings to earn his 24th save.

New York managed only five hits and went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position, but Caballero made his opportunity count. He finished 2-for-3 and was the only Yankee with multiple hits. McMahon, Amed Rosario and Jasson Domínguez collected the team’s other three.

Cubs starter Colin Rea pitched well despite taking the loss, allowing two runs and three hits over six innings while striking out seven. Chicago finished with four hits and stranded eight runners.

The victory improved the Yankees to 63-49 and left the Cubs with the same record. New York now returns to Yankee Stadium, where it will open a series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday.

For a team playing without several important contributors, Sunday’s narrow win offered an encouraging formula: timely power, effective starting pitching and a bullpen capable of protecting the smallest of leads.