Baltimore – Yankees Face Tough Loss to Orioles
The silver lining for the Yankees is that they won’t have to contend with Trevor Rogers in the playoffs. However, the downside is that by losing to the Orioles, they miss out on a crucial chance to gain ground on the Blue Jays in the division race.
On Friday night, the Yankees fell 4-2 to the Orioles at Camden Yards. They struggled against the Orioles’ bullpen, only managing one hit through six innings against Rogers.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a two-run homer in the seventh, bringing the Yankees within one run at 3-2. This homer also earned him a spot in the 30/30 club. But, a defensive misstep in the sixth led to significant runs for the Orioles, which was tough to swallow.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays were soundly defeated by the Royals. After this game, the Yankees (86-68) found themselves three games behind in the AL East with eight games remaining, and Toronto holds the tiebreaker.
On a positive note, the Yankees still occupy the top AL Wild Card spot and awaited the result of a game between the Rays and Red Sox, hoping to maintain a two-game lead over the Red Sox and the loser of the Mariners-Astros game.
Rogers showcased a stellar performance with a 1.43 ERA over 16 starts for the Orioles (73-81), allowing just 66 hits in 100²/₃ innings – a challenging outing for a lineup that has struggled against left-handed pitchers this season.
The Yankees finally connected with Rogers when Austin Wells managed a single to start the sixth, but left fielder Dylan Beavers made a pair of impressive catches that snuffed out any run-scoring chances.
First, he leapt off the wall, robbing Paul Goldschmidt of what could have been an extra-base hit. Then, he dove to catch a sinking liner from Aaron Judge.
The Orioles had taken a 1-0 lead earlier due to a Yankees defensive fail. Jordan Westberg hit a bouncing ball that struck his shattered bat, causing it to change direction. It resulted in an error by Will Warren, letting runners advance.
Gunnar Henderson followed with a grounder that Chisholm couldn’t convert in time, leading to runners on second and third. Ultimately, they both scored, one through a sacrifice fly and the other through a fielder’s choice, making it 3-0.
Chisholm’s homer in the seventh provided the Yankees a surge of hope. He joined the ranks of franchise legends, becoming one of only three players to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in a single season.
However, the Orioles bounced back at the end of the inning when Henderson delivered an RBI double off Tim Hill.
The Yankees threatened again in the top of the eighth with runners on first and second. Yet, Rico Garcia, who briefly played for the Yankees in July, halted the rally by striking out both Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton.
Warren attempted to recover from a rough outing against the Red Sox the previous Sunday. Despite struggling, the young right-hander managed to allow three runs (one earned) in 5¹/₃ innings, with the only earned run coming from Ryan Mountcastle’s impressive 422-foot home run.
