MLB

Murphy’s first MLB homer propels Yankees past Angels

Vidal Nuno gave the Yankees a chance. John Ryan Murphy and the bullpen made sure it was enough.

Murphy provided his first major-league homer and drove in three runs to help the Yankees slide by the Angels 4-3 Saturday in front of a Yankee Stadium crowd of 40,908. Dellin Betances, Shawn Kelley, Matt Thornton and David Robertson combined for 4 ²/₃ shutout innings as the Yankees won for the fourth time in six games.

“Collectively, we did a great job,’’ said Betances, who copped his first big league victory.

The Grand Street Campus (Brooklyn) High School product was talking about the bullpen but could have been describing the entire team, which is the type of effort needed when Nuno gets the start.

“I kept us in the game. I had to battle today,’’ said Nuno, who allowed three runs, five hits, walked two and fanned four in 4 ¹/₃ innings.

A week ago, Nuno was forced into the rotation because a double-header necessitated a sixth starter. Saturday he was filling in for Ivan Nova who is done for the season because of Tommy John surgery.

In each game started by Nuno, the Yankees have won. Because of the chances he has provided and David Phelps being needed to start Tuesday for the suspended Michael Pineda, Nuno will remain in the rotation.

“I thought he did a pretty decent job and gave us a chance to win,’’ manager Joe Girardi said of the lefty who Mike Trout rocked a first-inning homer off of. “He will be back out there.’’

If Nuno gets the timely hitting Murphy provided and a bullpen performance the Yankees put on Saturday, similar results can be expected.

Murphy dresses in a clubhouse littered with All-Stars. With 22 big league games, the right-handed hitting catcher is strictly off the rack.

Yet his two-run single off Hector Santiago highlighted a three-run second inning that erased a 1-0 deficit and his leadoff homer to left in the fourth snapped a 3-3 tie.

“I need to be aggressive when I do play,’’ said the rookie Murphy, who has started three games this season since being promoted from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on April 15.

A one-run lead against a lineup that houses Trout, Albert Pujols and Yankee-killer Howie Kendrick in the two, three and four spots with four innings to go isn’t comfortable.

But Betances replaced Nuno in the fifth with Trout on first and balked him to second. He then retired Pujols and Kendrick and worked a scoreless sixth. When Collin Cowgill singled with one out in the seventh, Kelley surfaced and got two outs. Kelley surrendered two one-out singles in the eighth but escaped.

Enter Robertson, who was in a save situation for the first time since April 6. Trout singled with one out and was on first when Pujols hit a foul pop near the seats that Mark Teixeira would have caught had two fans not interfered with the first baseman’s glove and sightline.

“I said, ‘You have to be kidding me.’ I needed that out,’’ Robertson said.

After Trout swiped second, Robertson closed it out when Pujols lofted a 93-mph, full-count fastball to left. Robertson’s first three pitches missed to Kendrick, who entered the game with a career .357 (74-for-207) average against the Yankees. But at 3-2 Robertson whiffed Kendrick with a 92-mph fastball.

“We did what we do,’’ Robertson said of the bullpen. But like Betances, he could have been talking about Murphy and Nuno.