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Giancarlo Stanton smacks two homers in Yankees' 8-4 win over Orioles

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Giancarlo Stanton smacks two homers in Yankees' 8-4 win over Orioles

The Yankees extended their winning streak to six games on Friday night, as timely power from their superstar sluggers lifted them to an 8-4 win over the last-place Orioles at Yankee Stadium.

However, for a third straight night, they were unable to claim sole possession of first place in the AL East. The division-rival Blue Jays still own the head-to-head tiebreaker, and they wrapped up Friday with a 4-2 home win over the Rays.

The worst-case scenario for the Yankees hasn't changed. If they fail to leap ahead of the Blue Jays before the regular season ends on Sunday, they'll host a best-of-three Wild Card series next week. Their opponent could be the Red Sox, Guardians, Tigers, or Astros. These four teams are vying for two spots.

Here are the takeaways…

— Last weekend at Camden Yards, the Yankees struggled mightily against Orioles lefty Trevor Rogers, who struck out seven across six scoreless innings to lower his ERA to a stellar 1.35. But history didn't repeat itself in The Bronx, as a quick first-inning swing from Giancarlo Stanton with two outs and one runner on produced a clutch two-run shot to right-center. The veteran slugger's 22nd homer of the season traveled 397 feet with an exit velocity of 109 mph. Stanton appears wide-awake from a long September slumber — he entered Thursday hitting a measly .175 this month and then delivered a game-altering three-run double to help the Yankees sweep the White Sox.

— Will Warren couldn't have looked any sharper through two innings, as he faced the minimum by inducing three strikeouts and three flyouts on 26 total pitches. But the rookie right-hander lost that groove in the third, and his mess frustratingly started against the No. 9 hitter with two outs already recorded. After giving up an infield single and a walk, Warren served up a three-run homer to Jordan Westburg that placed the Orioles ahead. Before completing the frame, Warren allowed one more single and received a visit from pitching coach Matt Blake. He needed 30 pitches to escape the jam.

— Much to the Yankees' delight, the Orioles couldn't even hold the one-run lead for an inning. With one out and a runner on first in the third, Aaron Judge clobbered a Rogers sinker that narrowly cleared the center-field wall for a two-run blast. It was homer No. 52 on the season for the Yankees' captain, and his 110-mph liner traveled 423 feet with a low 23-degree launch angle. Then, seven pitches later, Judge's behemoth teammate inflicted more damage off Rogers, as Stanton demolished a two-run shot to left-center that flew over the Orioles' bullpen. A homer in all 30 ballparks — it traveled a whopping 451 feet.

— The Yankees' power surge couldn't have been predicted with confidence. Rogers entered Friday's outing with just three homers allowed across 106.2 innings this season, and he'd logged 15 straight appearances with two or fewer runs on his ledger. With a few swings from Stanton and Judge, his homer total doubled. The Orioles didn't ask for a fourth inning of work from Rogers, who threw 52 pitches — they turned to the bullpen instead. 

— The three-run cushion helped Warren settle back in. While he allowed a two-out double in the fourth, he induced two strikeouts in that inning and then completed a scoreless fifth with another punchout. The fifth-inning strikeout pushed his season total to 171, the second-most from a rookie in franchise history. Warren couldn't register an out in the sixth, however — a leadoff homer to Tyler O'Neill cut the Yankees' lead to 6-4 and forced a call to the bullpen. He left the mound with seven strikeouts and a 4.44 season ERA (four runs on six hits and one walk, 81 total pitches).

— The Yankees were wise to pull Warren after the solo homer, but the reliever they turned to first made everyone sweat. Mark Leiter Jr. quickly found himself in a bases-loaded jam after seeing Paul Goldschmidt botch a chopper at first and walking a pair. With two outs and the tying run at second, Tim Hill was called upon to clean up the mess, and he did just that by getting Jackson Holliday to ground out. The Yankees placed pressure on Orioles reliever Yennier Cano in the bottom of the sixth, and after a pair of singles from Trent Grisham and Anthony Volpe, their lead was bumped to 7-4 on an RBI single from Austin Wells. The seventh inning belonged to Fernando Cruz — he walked a pair but kept the Orioles from scoring.

—  An insurance run arrived for the Yankees in the seventh. A single from Goldschmidt, a walk from Judge, and another single from Cody Bellinger set the bases loaded for — guess who? — Stanton with no outs. The wish for a three-homer game didn't come true, though — he had to settle for an RBI groundout that pushed the lead to 8-4. The Orioles had a chance to turn two on the chopper to third, but Westburg opted not to throw home. The rally could've been greater, but Jazz Chisholm Jr. grounded out and Volpe popped out to end the threat.

— Camilo Doval pitched with confidence for a sixth straight appearance, striking out the side in a scoreless eighth and lowering his ERA from 3.64 to 3.58. With a four-run lead, the ninth inning didn't present a save situation for David Bednar, but the Yankees wanted their closer on the mound with the stakes still high. Due to a walk and an infield single, he found himself in a jam with runners on the corners and one out. Bednar didn't waver, though — he struck a pair to seal the deal.

Game MVP: Giancarlo Stanton

For a second straight night, Stanton lifted the Yankees to victory. He's driven in eight runs over the last two games. 

Highlights:

What's next

The Yankees (92-68) will continue their weekend series with the Orioles on Saturday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m.

RHP Cam Schlittler (3-3, 3.27 ERA) is slated to take the mound, opposite RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (10-9, 4.54 ERA).



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