NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees saw the composure in Luis Severino during spring training.

How it would translate to a major league setting, especially in the midst of a tight pennant race was the great unknown.

On a day when the Yankees did not see Severino's best stuff, he pitched six innings and received some early run support during a 6-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Saturday at Yankee Stadium.

"I think since I met him in spring training, I saw something different in him and that is his presence," New York right fielder Carlos Beltran said. "He's just a guy, he walks around the clubhouse, he doesn't walk around with his head down like he's afraid. He's up for the challenge and in spring training I said this guy is going to be good because sometimes you got to be like that.

"You got to fake it sometimes, especially when you play in a city like New York where the expectations are going to be high, especially him being a prospect in the organization. Since he joined the club, he has embraced the whole thing and it's been good to watch, and it's going to get better because the guy has good stuff."

In his fourth career start, the 21-year-old gave up a one-out home run to shortstop Francisco Lindor two batters into the game.

Severino (1-2) also gave up singles to right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall in the fourth and Lindor in the fifth but also worked around four walks, equaling his season-high in 23 combined starts in the minors and majors this season.

"I think you want to see how they compete and if they can make the adjustments and find a way to get through it, when you don't have your best stuff, and he did a good job," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "This is a club that had seen him before and was familiar with him and he did a good job."

Said Severino, through an interpreter: "Sometimes you don't have your best pitches. So you got to go out and give the best you have."

Severino made it through 107 pitches by holding the Indians to one hit in eight at-bats with men on base.

His most notable escape came in the sixth when he gave up consecutive two-out walks to Chisenhall and center fielder Abraham Almonte on lengthy at-bats before getting catcher Roberto Perez on a forceout.

"I knew I had to get that guy out to get out of that inning," Severino said.

When Severino's outing finished, New York held a 5-1 lead and the support was provided after the Yankees scored one run in two of his starts.

The Yankees struggled against right-handers Josh Tomlin and Carlos Carrasco in the previous two games. They also struggled against Danny Salazar (11-7) last week in Cleveland, but this time they reached him for five runs in the first two innings.

Left fielder Brett Gardner lined a 1-and-1 fastball down the right field line off the top of the wall into the first row for his 12th home run and a 2-0 lead.

After Gardner's first home run in nearly a month, designated hitter Brian McCann sent a 0-and-1 fastball into the right-center field seats for his 22nd home run.

"I think we jumped on some fastballs on him early today and we didn't miss them," Girardi said.

The Yankees scored an unearned run when Salazar was charged with a throwing error on a ball hit by center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury. Salazar tried to get the force at second but his errant throw went into center field and second baseman Stephen Drew scored.

New York scored its final runs on a sacrifice flies by Beltran in the second and catcher John-Ryan Murphy in the eighth.

Salazar was tagged for five runs (four earned) and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. Salazar was unable to get his fourth straight win and matched his second-shortest start of the season.

"I think if I would have started the game with that confidence that I had the last two innings, it would have been a different (game)," said Salazar, who retired nine of the final 11 hitters.

Before stranding two in the sixth, Cleveland's first chance at a big inning was in the third. The Indians had two on with one out when Brantley hit a ground ball to first baseman Greg Bird.

Bird opted to get the force at second but made a high throw and appeared to pull shortstop Didi Gregorius off the bag.

Second base umpire Dan Iassogna ruled Lindor was out but Indians manager Terry Francona contended Gregorius off the bag. He requested a review but did not get it and following a heated argument near the Cleveland dugout, Iassogna tossed Francona after not giving a satisfactory explanation.

"The runner wasn't close to the bag," Francona said. "I thought it was an atrocious explanation and it continued to be worsened. I think he was more concerned about asking me if I was going to get thrown out.

"I wanted him to go check it because we needed to have bases loaded with Carlos coming up."

NOTES: Former New York C Jorge Posada had his number retired and was presented with a plaque in Monument Park. The Yankees will do the same Sunday for former LHP Andy Pettitte. ... Cleveland RHP Cody Anderson (strained left oblique) will throw three innings in a rehab game for Class A Lake County, three days after he had a 60-pitch simulated game. ... The Yankees said RHP Michael Pineda will probably return from his right forearm injury Wednesday against the Houston Astros. Pineda made two rehab starts this week, throwing 45 pitches Sunday and 62 on Friday. ...During his speech, Posada acknowledged Cleveland LF Mike Aviles, whose four-year-old daughter is batting leukemia. "It definitely put a pit in my throat," Aviles said. "Obviously my eyes watered up, you couldn't see because I had glasses on but I almost had to think about it twice. I thought about even coming back in here because I didn't know if any tears were going to come down, but it's definitely nice to know."