After the Yankees won the series against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night, they chose to be a little greedy and go for the series sweep.
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New York Yankees’ Starlin Castro follows through on a two run home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles Tuesday, July 19, 2016, in New York.
Big Mike has authorized five earned runs in each of his last two starts and is far from the June version of himself that maintained a 2.75 across six starts. 500 for the first time since being 4-2 on April 12.
The Orioles reached their nadir when they were blanked by the Yankees July 20, their fourth shutout of the season and their first since May 17.
“I don’t think we’re in their heads, no – our record against them is like 5-4 this year – but I think today is extremely important”, the skipper said. Additionally, “No-Runs DMC” will dominate for the third time in four straight wins to pull the Yankees within 5.5 games of the AL East. Left shorthanded by illness and injury, the Orioles have struggled at the plate since the All-Star break, especially with runners in scoring position.
While it’s certainly not intentional, the Baltimore Orioles have in essence offered a glimmer of hope to their rivals in the Bronx in the first two games of four this week.
First baseman Chris Davis missed two consecutive games with symptoms similar to Britton’s and Wieters’. Ellsbury has reached on catcher’s interference nine times, the most in a season since Roberto Kelly’s eight, also for the Yankees, in 1992.
Showalter wasn’t at Yankee Stadium during batting practice, and bench coach John Russell filled in. The bottom third of Baltimore’s lineup, all backups forced into action, hit a combined 0 for 9 on Wednesday.
“You’ve got to go out there and play every day, and it doesn’t matter who’s going to be here or who’s not going to be here because that’s all out of our control”, he had said before adding: “We obviously want to make a run together as a team”.
Yovani Gallardo (3-2) couldn’t keep it close, though he didn’t get much help from his defense. He allowed three runs, three hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings, lasting 88 pitches.
“We’re major league players: Figure out a way”, center fielder Adam Jones said.
Carlos Beltran, tops on everyone’s list to be an ex-Yankee if the fire sale does materialize, belted a home run, too, his 20th, in the eighth inning.
Wieters remained in the game after being struck in the first inning. By comparison, the O’s didn’t have a single game in the entire month of June in which they scored two runs or fewer.
Nova (7-5) needed 60 pitches to get through three but allowed just a solo homer to Jonathan Schoop.
Before the game, Teixeira had described this season as “brutal” and “terrible”.
1B Mark Teixeira was in the lineup for the first time since Saturday when he fouled a ball of his left foot while facing Boston LHP Eduardo Rodriguez.
Then the veteran first baseman lined a solo homer to right in the fourth for a 2-0 lead. He also walked twice, including on four pitches in the sixth with the bases loaded to force in a run and make it 3-0. “We’ve been pretty consistent this series”.
3B Chase Headley was in the original lineup but was scratched about two hours before first pitch due to personal reasons. But it was his push bunt up the third-base line for a base hit, foiling the shift, in the sixth inning that really got everyone’s attention.
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Next year, CC Sabathia might prefer to skip pitching on his birthday.
