New York Yankees Rout Baltimore Orioles To Complete Series Sweep
The New York Yankees had tight battles in the first two games of their series with the Baltimore Orioles, but on Thursday, the Yankees bats came alive and New York came away with a big 9-3 victory.
Masahiro Tanaka pitched a very good game, which is just what the Yankees needed. Tanaka held the Orioles to just four hits in 7 2/3 innings pitched. He did give up home runs to Chris Davis, J.J. Hardy, and Manny Machado, all solo shots. Tanaka struck out seven Orioles and did not walk a batter.
The Yankees offense was able to knock Ubaldo Jimenez out of the game after just 2 1/3 innings. Jacoby Ellsbury had three hits, including a home run, and drove in four runs. Chase Headley had two hits and knocked in three with a bases-loaded double in the first inning.
Manager Joe Girardi used his two big bullpen guns, Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller, in the first two games of this series and didn’t want to use them on Thursday. Tanaka’s solid mound work and the Yankees’ offensive explosion allowed both Betances and Miller to get some much-needed rest. Chris Capuano and Branden Pinder combined to cover the last 1 1/3 innings and secure the Yankees the win.
With the win, the Yankees upped their record to 53-41 and hold a six-game lead in the American League East over the Toronto Blue Jays, pending the results of the Blue Jays Thursday late afternoon game against the Oakland A’s
The Orioles have dropped to fourth place in the A.L. East, seven games behind the Yankees. The Baltimore Sun reported that no matter what happened in this series, general manager Dan Duquette expected there to be buyers at the trade deadline. Duquette may have to rethink that stance after their dismal showing on Thursday.
As for the Yankees, GM Brian Cashman told ESPN New York that the team could stand pat.
“There is a strong possibility that there might not be anything that makes sense for us.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean Yankees rumors aren’t flying around out there. As reported on here at the Inquisitr, New York has been linked to many big names, including San Diego Padres closer Craig Kimbrel. A bullpen featuring Betances, Miller, and Kimbrel could be deadly come playoff time.
Now the New York Yankees will head out on the road for 10 straight games with series against the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, and Chicago White Sox. The trade deadline, July 31, comes just before their series begins with the White Sox, so the Yankees should have a better idea if they need to make some tweaks by how they play some decent teams out on the road.
[Image by Rick Schultz/Getty Images]
