Yankees’ Clint Frazier pounds Braves in easy win | Rapid reaction

NEW YORK — Aaron Judge, who?

With the Yankees’ best player out hurt, Clint Frazier took over — in right field, and during the Yankees’ whole 6-3 win over the Braves at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night.

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Frazier hit a solo shot, a double and a single in his first major-league game of the season. He also scored twice. Judge watched from the dugout, resting what manager Aaron Boone called earlier in the day “lower-body tightness,” discomfort in the 28-year-old’s hips, calves and hamstrings.

The Yankees don’t know when Judge will return. When asked if it could be Friday against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, Boone said, ‘I hope so.”

If Frazier can keep this up — or anything like it — Judge’s absence won’t hurt nearly as bad. The Yankees are also missing slugger Giancarlo Stanton (left hamstring strain), who isn’t expected to return for a month.

Frazier’s debut — he was called up Monday — overshadowed a couple other positives for the Yankees. DJ LeMahieu continued his domination, going 4-for-5 with a triple and an RBI to boost his batting average to .431. Gary Sanchez, who was in a 1-for-12 skid, hit a solo homer in the second inning — just before Frazier went deep. It was the first time the Yankees went back-to-back this season. Luke Voit doubled.

Zack Britton got the two-out save. He improved to 7-for-7 in save tries.

What it means

The win was the Yankees’ second in a row and they improved to 12-6 atop the American League East. The Braves lost their third straight and fell to 11-9.

The Yankees will be off Thursday before hosting the Red Sox for a three-game set starting Friday.

Tanaka decent

Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka took a step back from his strong five-inning, one-run outing in a loss at the Rays.

Tanaka lasted just four innings, throwing 69 pitches. He gave up two runs, both of them on Johan Camargo’s second-inning home run to the second deck in right field.

He threw mostly sliders (13) and got six swings and misses with it. He only forced one swing and miss out of 12 splitters.

The more you know

The Yankees got another two runs in the fourth when Aaron Hicks doubled home LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres singled in Hicks. RBI knocks from LeMahieu and Voit in the sixth made it 6-2 Yankees.

Brett Gardner looked lost at points at the plate, missing badly on some swings. He struck out twice in was hitless in three at-bats. He was hitting .171. Aaron Hicks walked twice and make a spectacular leaping catch against the wall in the first inning to rob Travis d’Arnaud of at least a double.

Jonathan Holder surrendered a ninth-inning run, necessitating Britton’s appearance.

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Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.

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