Tuesday night was a pretty big test for the New York Yankees, who dropped the first game of their four-game set in Baltimore. An inconsistent start has left the Bombers with some ups and a whole lot of downs.
Tuesday at Camden Yards was an up. From the first pitch, it was clear which team this game belonged to.
Gio Urshela drove in the first run of the game in the top of the first inning on a sacrifice fly to center field that drove home DJ LeMahieu. Aaron Judge gave the pinstripes a 2-0 lead in the top of the third, sending a bullet over the center-field wall for a solo home run. Kyle Higashioka homered to right-center field in the top of the fourth, giving the Yankees a 3-0 lead. Maikel Franco drove in Trey Mancini in the bottom of the fourth to make the score 4-1, but that would not last long, as Giancarlo Stanton homered on a towering fly ball to center field, making it a 5-1 ballgame. The Yankees easily won this one.
Yankees starting pitcher Corey Kluber looked good early on and didn’t allow a run until the bottom of the fourth inning. He went 6.2 innings allowing 6 hits, 2 walks, and a run. He recorded 5 strikeouts. Jonathan Loaisiga and Lucas Luetge came in and did their jobs. Loaisiga picked up 3 strikeouts and allowed 1 walk and 0 runs.
Overall this was a good win for the Yanks. More of these types of wins are needed to clinch a playoff berth and win the division. They take on the O’s in the third game of the series on Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM Eastern Time.