MIAMI _ On a night the Yankees' offense didn't have much, the pitching staff did.
Barely.
Miguel Andujar's sacrifice fly in the 12th lifted the Yankees to an ugly 2-1 victory over the Marlins at Marlins Stadium, a game in which both teams consistently failed with runners aboard and Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman left with an apparent injury. After the game, Aaron Boone said Chapman will undergo an MRI Wednesday and be evaluated further.
"It's a huge concern," Boone said, "because he's a huge part of our club. We're going through a tough stretch and we've had a lot of guys go down."
The Yankees (79-46), winners of four straight, did climb within eight games of the Red Sox, who have lost three straight, in the AL East.
The Marlins (50-77) played up to, or down to, their record, going 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranding 10.
Brought on to protect the 2-1 lead, Chapman, who has been battling left knee tendinitis most of the season, walked Isaac Galloway. After missing with his first pitch to Rafael Ortega, Chapman signaled to the dugout and was removed for Tommy Kahnle, who picked up his first save of the season and the fourth of his career. Kyle Higashioka threw out Galloway trying to steal for the final out.
Twice in the late going, Yankees relievers staved off defeat.
Chad Green escaped a first-and-third, none-out jam in the ninth and A.J. Cole turned in an even better trick in the 11th, escaping a base-loaded, none-out situation.
That set up the 12th against righty Javy Guerra. Higashioka opened the inning with a single and Brett Gardner walked. After Giancarlo Stanton struck out, Aaron Hicks was hit by a pitch, and Andujar's sacrifice fly to left brought in the go-ahead run.
Masahiro Tanaka, after losing two in a row for the first time this season, allowed one run and four hits in six strong innings. His one mistake was a flat, first-pitch splitter in the fifth that Austin Dean hit out for a home run that tied it at 1.
Zach Britton pitched a perfect seventh and Dellin Betances did the same in the eighth. After Green's Houdini act in the ninth, Jonathan Holder pitched a scoreless 10th. Aaron Boone then went with Cole, who has struggled of late, over Chapman or David Robertson.
Brian Anderson walked to start the 11th and Derek Dietrich singled to right, putting runners at the corners for former Yankee Starlin Castro, who was intentionally walked to load the bases. But Yadiel Rivera grounded into a 6-2 force to bring up JT Riddle, who struck out. Magneuris Sierra fouled to third for the final out.
Marlins right-hander Pablo Lopez allowed one run and seven hits in six innings, his outing and Tanaka's long forgotten.
Stanton, playing his first game in the place he called home for eight years before being traded last offseason, received a loud, sustained ovation in the first inning from a crowd that seemed about 70-30 Yankees fans. The right fielder tipped his cap and tapped his chest in appreciation before stepping in. Stanton then lasered a single to left, making him 22 for his last 61. Aaron Hicks followed with a shot but right at the first baseman, Dietrich, who turned it into an unassisted double play.
Andujar led off the fourth with single, and after Greg Bird popped out, a suddenly resurgent Gleyber Torres lined a single to left, giving the rookie eight hits in his last 17 at-bats. Neil Walker, in a 3-for-19 skid, stung an RBI single to right, making it 1-0.
The Yankees stranded Stanton in the fifth after a leadoff double, an absolute seed that missed by a couple of feet of giving the slugger his 300th homer. Hicks, Andujar and Bird failed to get him in. The Yankees stranded seven through the first five innings and were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position to that point.
The Marlins tied it in the fifth when Dean jumped on a first-pitch splitter and send it to left-center for his second homer. That gave Tanaka 23 homers allowed in 21 starts this season.
