Thanks to a stellar performance by Ubaldo Jimenez, the Baltimore Orioles were able to avoid a sweep by the AL Wild Card-leading New York Yankees.
- Baltimore Orioles: 6 (73-77)
- New York Yankees: 4 (82-67)
- American League, FINAL, Box Score
- Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Five earned runs from Sonny Gray was too much for the New York Yankees to overcome, as they were unable to complete the four-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday afternoon.
Gray lasted just four innings after surrendering five earned runs on six hits, easily marking the worst start of his Yankee career. He had started off strong with a 1-2-3 first inning including two strikeouts but fell into trouble in the second.
With two runners on, Austin Hays singled to center field to score Chris Davis to put the Orioles up 1-0. Entering the contest, however, the Yankees’ offense had scored at least eight runs in six consecutive home games against Baltimore, so a one-run deficit proved to be no tall-task.
Leading off in the bottom of the second, shortstop Didi Gregorius took Ubaldo Jimenez deep to right centerfield for his 24th home run of the season. That tied Derek Jeter (also 24 in 1999) for the most by a shortstop in franchise history. More importantly, it knotted the game at one apiece.
Gray gave the lead right back on a RBI double by Trey Mancini in the top of the third, but it was his meltdown in the fourth that blew the game open in favor of the Orioles.
After walking Seth Smith and allowing a single to Caleb Joseph, Tim Beckham absolutely abused a 2-1 slider into the bleachers over the visitor’s bullpen in left. It was his 22nd homer of the season, and it gave Baltimore a 5-1 lead.
Despite a two-run double by Matt Holliday in the sixth to trim the lead in half and a Starlin Castro sacrifice fly to make it 6-4, New York was unable to rally of closer Zach Britton with the winning run at the plate in the ninth and fell by that same score.
Thankfully for the playoff-hopeful Bombers, the American League East-leading Boston Red Sox also took a loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. The Yankees will remain in second place by three games.
Happy Holliday:
The Yankees sure missed the first-half version of Matt Holliday when he hit the disabled list twice and came back struggling, but he has since turned it around. In 11 games since coming off the DL, the 37-year-old has gone 10-for-37 (.270) with two home runs, two doubles and nine RBI’s including a two-run double this afternoon.
Jeter Has Company:
After hitting his 24th home run of the season in the bottom of the second inning, Didi Gregorius tied Derek Jeter for the most single-season home runs by a Yankees’ shortstop in team history.
This Day In Yankees’ History:
On Sept. 17, 1951, the Yankees walked off with a 2-1 victory against Cleveland when Phil Rizzuto executed a perfect squeeze bunt to score Joe DiMaggio, who was the winning run. Rizzuto also drove in the Yankees’ first run with a fifth-inning single.
What’s Next:
The Yankees will say in the Bronx and take on the Minnesota Twins in a three-game set as they look to keep a firm grip on their American League Wild Card lead.
New York will send Jaime Garcia to the hill to face the team he played for in one start. In six starts since being acquired by the Yankees on July 27, posting a 0-2 record with a 4.60 ERA. Despite not recording a win as a Yankee, the team is 3-3 in his starts.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET and can be viewed on the YES Network or heard on WFAN 660/101.9 FM.