On Wednesday, the Yankees continued their winning ways as they capitalized on a rocky first inning by Orioles' hurler Jordan Lyles and held on for a 3-2 victory.
Quick Stats - Gerrit Cole had a solid start, despite a shaky sixth inning. He picked up the win, while Lyles took the loss. Clay Holmes threw two strong innings to get his third save of the season. Gleyber Torres got the Yankees' only RBI, on a big double in the first inning.
Big Story - This is the Yankees' ninth consecutive series win, and 11th overall. The game was certainly a lot closer than it should have been, as the Yankees' offense was pretty quiet, but they continue to show that they can win games in any number of ways.
Player(s) of the Game - Clay Holmes threw two dominant innings to keep the Yankees' slim lead intact. He gave up a tough infield single to Austin Hays, but a double play by Anthony Rizzo meant he only needed 8 pitches in the 8th. He pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to close out the victory for New York.
Notable Performances - Gleyber Torres had the Yankees' lone RBI on a nice double in the first and scored what would be the winning run.
Josh Donaldson was the only Yankee with more than one hit, going 2-4 with a run scored.
Gerrit Cole went seven innings and gave up two runs on six hits and five Ks. Despite a couple of shaky moments, he had the Orioles' number most of the night.
Better to Forget - Joey Gallo went 0-3, striking out each time. He drew a walk in the ninth.
Aaron Hicks had some tough at bats, going 0-4 with two Ks and two left on base.
My Take - This was not a great game for the Yankees, but it was a good win and once again showed how versatile this team is, and why they are winning. On Wednesday, the offense never really clicked for New York, but heads up baserunning by Torres gave the Yankees two runs on a wild pitch. That ended up being key to their coming away with the win.
This team keeps winning because they are making their opportunities on both sides of the field count. Jose Trevino made a smart play on a ball that was tapped on the baseline by Jorge Mateo. Rizzo looked sharp at first throughout the night. With the Yankees up by two, he had a tough call to make on a hard hit ball his way. He tried to get the guy at the plate and while the runner was safe, I liked seeing Rizzo trying to get him.
In the past, the Yankees relied too much on the long ball and big power-hitting to
pull them out of tough spots, but this team shows that they have a lot of weapons. Trevino was a great pick-up, especially considering Ben Rortvedt had surgery today and is now going to be out for another couple of months.
It's fun when you have a team that can crush the ball and dominates their way to a win and some days that is this team, but I'm really enjoying the way this team can look locked in on offense and on defense. They continue to find ways to win each game that are specific to what is or is not working for them on any given day. Wednesday it was strong defense and pitching that won the day, today it could be five home runs that propel them to victory (Jordan Montgomery would certainly appreciate the run support).
Next Up - The Yankees will play one more game against Baltimore today, sending Jordan Montgomery to the mound looking for his first win. The Orioles send Bruce Zimmerman out to try to stop the Yankees' latest streak. The first pitch is at 12:35 pm.
