In their current state with the injuries and the offense struggling, almost every game the Yankees play ends up being a close one. Despite it often feeling like a grind just to get a couple runs, they still have managed to put up a not terrible record in recent weeks. However, actually stringing multiple wins together in a row has proven a tough task.
Well on Thursday night against the Orioles, the Yankees actually did a couple things they hadn’t in a little while. For one, they got the win to finish off a sweep. It was the Yankees’ first sweep in over a month, with their last coming July 10-12 over the Nationals. Also, the five-run margin matched a 10-5 win over the Mariners back on August 12th, and those games mark the largest victories the Yankees have had in some time.
On the mound in this one, Gerrit Cole looked very good. He ended up going six innings, allowing one run on four hits and a walk. He struck out eight batters, taking him to the century mark for the year. That’s extra impressive considering that he missed the start of the year while still recovering from Tommy John surgery.
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Meanwhile, a balanced offensive display helped the Yankees give him a solid amount of run support, allowing the Yankees to actually win in a semi-comfortable manner, beating the Orioles 6-1.
The Yankees struck first, picking up a couple runs off Bradish in the third. After Spencer Jones and Austin Wells started off the inning with single, the O’s gave them a gift, when Gunnar Henderson failed to catch the throw to second on a possible double play ball. Jones was at third and would’ve scored on that play no matter what, but the error allowed the Yankees to put up a crooked number. Trent Grisham then did ground into a double play, but it put Wells at third, from which he scored on a Ben Rice single. Heliot Ramos then showed some signs of life with a long double off the right field wall, narrowly missing a homer.
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Rice chugged all the way around to score the third run of the inning.
Cole worked in and out of some trouble in the first inning but then cruised through the next couple. Baltimore did eventually get on the board in the fifth, though. Dylan Beavers took Cole deep for the O’s first run of the game.
However, the Yankees immediately answered that run and added on more. Luis García Jr. and Spencer Jones both crushed deep shots in the sixth for solo homers to give the Yankees that breathing room back.
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Hoping to get through the last couple innings drama-free considering the well-used bullpen, the Yankees picked up some insurance in the eighth. With García on after a single, Jazz Chisholm Jr. got a hit deep into the right field corner. García scored as Chisholm raced all the way to third with a triple. The offense could’ve added a little more breathing room, but the contact play felled them again. Before the night ended, Jones did pick up his third hit in a nice little day for him.
The Yankees ended up going to the bullpen after the sixth, wrapping up Cole’s strong day. Ryan Yarbrough came in for the seventh, with the Yankees hoping he could eat up a good chunk of the remaining innings to help that bullpen. In the end, he ate all of them. Yarbrough went nine up, nine down, recording the save to finish off the sweep.
Having wrapped up their road trip on a good note, the Yankees will now return home this weekend. Starting tomorrow night at 7:05 pm ET, the Yankees will open up a three-game set against the Blue Jays. Cam Schlittler is expected to go for the Yankees, while Toronto has not announced their starter as of yet.
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