Athletics swept as Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton flex muscle for Yankees

The haves and the have-nots completed a three-game series Wednesday and it played true to form.

The Athletics were swept out of New York, losing 5-3 to the Yankees as pitcher Cole Irvin paid for mistakes to sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

Judge, the 6-foot-7, 280-pound center fielder, hit his league-leading 29th home run in the first inning, a two-run shot, and Giancarlo Stanton, the 6-foot-6, 250 pound designated hitter, hit a three-run homer in the third. It was the 19th homer for Stanton.

Other than that, Irvin pitched well, completing seven innings and giving up no other runs to a Yankees team that improved to 56-20 and has the best record in baseball. The Athletics, at 25-52 and the worst record in the majors, scored three times in the first inning and then went dormant against starter Jameson Taillon (9-3) and the Yankees bullpen of Lucas Luetge, Miguel Castro and Clay Holmes. Holmes pitched the ninth for his 14th save.

Irvin (2-6) threw a career-high 103 pitches, paying dearly for a grooved 3-2 change-up to Judge on an eight-pitch at-bat and a  two-out 1-2 high change-up that Stanton hit out to right.

The A’s had an encouraging start, with Stephen Piscotty’s two-run double and an RBI single by Elvis Andrus accounting for three runs, all with none out.

But the A’s couldn’t add on — they’re 29th in the majors with 51 home runs — and the Yankees added to their major league leading total (126).

Taillon was done after five innings, giving up the three first-inning runs and nothing else. The A’s made him work for it — Taillon threw 105 pitches but left five runners on base in the second and third innings before giving way to Luetge in the sixth.