Yankees grind out win over Angels to open rain-soaked doubleheader

On a day when the Yankees were slated to play (at least) 18 innings, they got it started with a slog of the first nine.

Between the soggy conditions and a grind of an outing for Luis Gil, it was not always pretty and certainly not efficient.

But the Yankees made it work in the first game of a doubleheader thanks to a hot-hitting top of their lineup that led the way to a 5-2 win over the Angels on Wednesday in The Bronx.

In conditions that felt more like April than August, Alex Verdugo, Aaron Judge and Austin Wells each chipped in two hits and an RBI as the Yankees (68-46) won for the eighth time in their past nine games.

Gil needed a career-high 107 pitches to make it through five innings, but he kept the Angels off the scoreboard by stranding seven runners on base.

The rookie right-hander, struggling with his grip in the rain, walked five batters but allowed just two hits and struck out six, making timely pitches when he had to.

Aaron Boone has mulled Juan Soto-Aaron Judge lineup change

“You understand you find yourself in a big-time competition and knowing we have a second game coming,” Gil said through an interpreter between games. “So for me it was important to give the best I have and take the game as long as I could out there.”

Nearly eight weeks after last having the best record in MLB (at 50-22), the Yankees reclaimed that title with their Game 1 win.

They did so on the back of an offense that has continued to produce, scoring at least four runs in a season-high 10 straight games (their longest streak since 2019) and recording at least nine hits a season-high 10 straight games (their longest streak since 2008).

While Judge (2-for-3, two walks) has been a constant, he has gotten help lately from the rest of the lineup. In Game 1, that included Verdugo (2-for-5, two doubles) out of the leadoff spot and Wells (2-for-4, walk) out of the cleanup spot.

Verdugo, before batting cleanup in the nightcap, was batting .286 with a .780 OPS over his previous 12 games.

The Yankees look like the Yankees again even after doubleheader split

Wells, on the bench to start Game 2, had reached base multiple times in 10 of his past 12 starts, batting .380 with a 1.030 OPS during that stretch.

“[Wells is] just looking like a real hitter, real middle-of-the-order hitter,” manager Aaron Boone said. “I think this is what he is, and it just took him a minute to get it. And now he’s getting regular, everyday at-bats — that probably has helped a little bit.”

Gil’s outing started with a 30-pitch first inning and a 25-pitch second, but in between, the Yankees gave him a lead to work with.

Verdugo led off the home first with a double against right-hander Davis Daniel, and one out later Judge drew a full-count walk.

Though the walk was not (fully) intentional, Wells made Daniel pay when he went the other way for a single that put the Yankees up 1-0.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR STARTING LINEUP NEWSLETTER

“If I was them, I’d be walking Judge, too,” Wells said. “I’m not taking it personal, but I look forward to the challenge. Having a guy on base and getting a hit with Judgey on base, I’ll take that every time.”

Then with two outs, Anthony Volpe extended his hit streak to 10 games by roping a double to left field to make it a 2-0.

Oswaldo Cabrera, whom Boone said before the doubleheader had “earned some opportunities,” crushed a solo home run in the third inning to extend the lead to 3-0.

After going 1-for-3 with a walk Wednesday, the utility man is now batting .302 with a .819 OPS over his past 18 games.

An RBI double from Verdugo and RBI single from Judge in the fourth made it 5-0 before Gil finished off his outing with his sharpest frame in the fifth.

“It was big for him to finish the way he did when it wasn’t easy,” Boone said. “Look up at the end and it was five shutout on a day it was a bit of a grind for him.”

For the latest in sports, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/sports/