New York Yankees Brett Gardner
Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

The gritty veteran leads the way both with the glove and the bat for the New York Yankees to overcome an embarrassing loss in Game One and snag Game Two from the Baltimore Orioles.

  • New York Yankees (59-30): 10
  • Baltimore Orioles (25-66): 2
  • FINAL, American League, Box Score
  • Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD

So many are quick to dismiss the aging Brett Gardner. Tonight, they needed him to avoid a doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles.

With two incredible running catches in center and a no-doubter of a home run, Gardner singlehandedly propelled the New York Yankees to victory behind an impressive start by recently recalled Luis Cessa.

After dropping Game One by blowing a 4-2 lead, the Yankees came clawing back with a vengeance, with Gardner leading the charge on both sides of the ball.

Let’s take a look at how it all went down in tonight’s victory over the last-place Orioles.

A Gardy Party Never Stops:

We must lead off with the man of the hour in Brett Gardner. The 34-year-old outfielder was the hero in Toronto on Sunday afternoon and took over that role again in Baltimore the next night.

After sitting Game One of the doubleheader, Gardner appeared rested and ready to play right away for the Yankees.

He started off his night with the glove, chasing down a deep fly ball to left center to make the final out of the second inning. After he secured the ball, he tossed it to a fan in the bullpen, otherwise known as Adam Jones.

But that’s not all from Gardner’s glove! He followed up that catch with another highlight-worthy snag with two outs in the very next inning. This time, Gardner got a perfect jump and made an incredibly difficult catch look like a piece of cake.

You want more Brett Gardner? You got it! He led off the game with a single and eventually scored on a Didi Gregorius double to get the scoring started. Then he took matters into this own hands with Neil Walker on first after a bunt single.

Gardner absolutely demolished a 94-MPH fastball down in the zone for his seventh home run of the season, putting the Yankees up 3-0 early.

Oh but Gardner the Great’s night was far from over. No, he added an RBI double in the top of the eighth inning to add some insurance en route to a smooth Yankees victory. Not only that, but he just started showing off in center field, making an absolutely stellar catch to rob the O’s of an extra-base hit.

Have yourself a game, Brett Gardner. And, here’s an idea, do it again tomorrow. And the next day. And the next.

Cessa He Can!

Luis Cessa hasn’t had the best of luck while pitching in the big leagues. In fact, many Yankees fans had written him off before the start of Game Two. Instead, he exceeded all expectations and put together a gem of a performance in a spot start for the Bombers.

Cessa pitched six shutout innings while striking out four and allowing just three hits on the night. Cessa has pitched well enough to earn his first major league victory in 23 months.

Oh, and according to our favorite stat gatherer, Katie Sharp, Cessa hasn’t pitched a shutout in a very long time.

Kudos to Cessa on a strong performance, just what they needed after CC Sabathia had a rough sixth inning in the first game.

Ro Ro Ro Your Boat

Where’s Gary Sanchez? While he’s injured, Austin Romine has done a pretty great job of keeping the haters silent. Tonight, he added a few key plays that helped the Yankees cruise to victory.

First, let’s take a gander at the arm of Austin Romine. That’s right…his arm. While Romine isn’t typically known for having a cannon quite like Sanchez, he can still throw out runners with ease. He proved that in the bottom of the seventh inning when he fired a laser to nail a runner going for second.

Why not follow up a great defensive play with a great offensive play? That’s exactly what Romine did as he took one deep to left in the top of the eighth inning for a two-run shot to put the Yankees up 6-0.

Romine also added another RBI later in the game with a double down the right field line, scoring Miguel Andujar before Clint Frazier was thrown out at the plate by a hair.

Overall, the Yankees had an offensive outburst after being silenced for some time. They exploded for 10 runs on 17 hits, the most they’ve had in a game this season so far.

What's Next?

Game Three of this four-game set will feature Masahiro Tanaka in his return from the disabled list against the Orioles’ Andrew Cashner.

Tanaka has a 7-2 record on the season with a 4.58 ERA and looks to bounce back from his two strained hamstrings that landed him on the disabled list.

Cashner, on the other hand, has had a rough season, going 2-9 with a 4.39 ERA. Cashner is coming off a decent outing where he went six innings, allowing just two runs against the Minnesota Twins on July 5.

This game, scheduled to start at 7:05 PM, can be seen on the YES Network and heard on WFAN 660/101.9 FM or WADO 1280.

 NEXT: New York Yankees' Sonny Gray Could Benefit From Bullpen Demotion


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Allison Case
http://www.thatnyychick.wordpress.com
Allison is just a girl with an enormous passion for the game of baseball and the written word. Based in Upstate New York, her life-long relationship with the New York Yankees is something that she developed through close relationships with her mother and grandfather. An aspiring sports writer, she graduated with a journalism degree and is finding places to share her excitement about the sporting world and how it affects us all.

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