One swing decided it
Trent Grisham homered and drove in every run the New York Yankees scored Tuesday night in Baltimore. Three of them. That was enough for a 3-1 win, and enough to put New York on the edge of something it has managed only once since the All-Star break: three wins in a row.
The offence has not been loud. Both recent victories arrived without much of it. Aaron Boone used five relievers behind Carlos Rodon and still got the result, and because the Yankees were idle Monday while Baltimore played in Tampa Bay, the bullpen should be close to full strength for the middle game of the series on Wednesday night.
Boone is not treating the Orioles as a spent force.
“A lot of the same guys, some guys that have really started to play well for them,” he said. “They’ve got some left-right platoon guys who are playing well, doing well in those matchups.”
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Baltimore’s night in one at-bat
Coby Mayo supplied the Orioles’ only run with a home run, his 17th of the season. It was also his second in as many games, the first time he has gone deep on back-to-back nights since April. Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz has watched him grow into that kind of stretch.
“Just how fast he can turn on a ball,” Albernaz said. “He’s still learning and developing. Coming down the stretch, he’s really putting his best foot forward for us.”
Everything else stalled. Four hits in total. Three pinch hitters sent up, three strikeouts. For a team that climbed into American League playoff position and has since drifted, that is the kind of evening that lingers.
“Every loss sucks. It doesn’t matter what time of year,” Albernaz said. “But like we said, we know where we’re at, time of year and in the race. It’s one of those things where losses, they always hurt, but for us, we’ve just got to turn the page and focus on tomorrow.”
Warren against a familiar problem
Will Warren (8-6, 4.42 ERA) takes the ball for New York. His season has flattened out badly, with one win across 12 outings since the start of June. Baltimore has been kind to him, though. He is 3-2 with a 3.94 ERA in six career starts against the Orioles, including a win in Baltimore on May 12 when he allowed two runs over 5 2/3 innings.
Chris Bassitt (4-4, 5.11) counters in only his second start back from more than two months out with low back discomfort. He held Tampa Bay to two runs over 5 1/3 innings on Friday without picking up a decision. His record against the Yankees reads 5-2 with a 2.06 ERA over nine starts, with 64 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings.
Warren owns the better recent history against this opponent. Bassitt owns the better career one.
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