Gray tosses six strong, bats come alive in 8-3 Yankees victory
The Yankees entered action today at 4-4, on the heels of a brutal 14-inning loss last night that also saw them lose both starting pitcher CC Sabathia (hip strain) as well as starting third baseman Brandon Drury (migraines, blurred vision) to the disabled list. Today's pitching matchup pitted Sonny Gray against Baltimore right hander Chris Tillman. The New York offense had struggled to generate much over the first two games of this series against Baltimore and that trend continued for much of the day today, however, they were able to break out late to pave the way to an 8-3 victory.
The Yankees needed Sonny Gray to give them length today with a thin bullpen following the 14-inning game last night and he needed all of six pitches to get through the top of the first, retiring the Orioles in order. After Tillman worked around a Brett Gardner leadoff double and Giancarlo Stanton walk in the bottom half of the first, Gray went back to work in the second, retiring the Orioles in order again, this time on just five pitches.
The Yankees got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the second. Miguel Andujar laced his first hit of the season but was caught off second base on Austin Romine's grounder back to Tillman. Romine reached on the fielder's choice and advanced to third on Ronald Torreyes' double. Next up was Gardner who pulled a single through the right side, driving in both Romine and Torreyes, but was caught in a pickle between first and second to end the frame.
Gardy gets the Yankees on the board with a two-run single! #YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/FWsboa9EhC— YES Network (@YESNetwork) April 7, 2018
The Orioles, however, would come right back against Gray in the top of the third. After a leadoff walk and two out single, the O's had runners on the corners for Manny Machado who laced a two-run double down the line to tie the ballgame. Then, again with two outs in the top of the fourth, they would take the lead after a single by Tim Beckham and then a double into the right field corner by last night's hero Pedro Alvarez. Each team would then exchange zeroes over the next two half innings.
The Yankees would draw even in the bottom of the fifth inning. Romine flew out to start the frame but Torreyes quickly followed with a single up the middle and Gardner walked. After a wild pitch by Tillman allowed both runners to advance, Judge grounded one deep into the hole between third base and shortstop, but Machado made a fantastic play, throwing across his body to narrowly get Judge at first. Torreyes scored, however, and the game was tied.
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| Photo Credit: Julie Jacobson/AP |
After Gray pitched around trouble in the top of the sixth (his final inning of work on the afternoon), the Yankees would regain the lead. Gregorius walked on four pitches and Austin hooked a single into the left field corner. Didi read the ball off the bat well, however, and was able to advance first to third on the single. Didi's aggression on the bases immediately paid dividends as Miguel Andujar followed with a deep fly ball to right which was good enough for a sac fly to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead. After a Jace Peterson single and another wild pitch from Tillman, Romine blooped a single just over first that Chris Davis couldn't corral. Austin scored, Tillman was pulled and the Yankees had a 5-3 lead. The rally ended there, however, after Torreyes bounced into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Adam Warren came on in relief of Sonny Gray to start the seventh and quickly made a mess of things. After retiring Anthony Santander to start the inning, Warren allowed a single to Chance Cisco and a double down the right field line to Trey Mancini. In came David Robertson to face Manny Machado with the game hanging in the balance. Houdini was able to do his thing today and escape the jam without allowing a run, striking out both Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop to preserve the lead.
The Yankees tacked on three runs late courtesy of an Aaron Judge RBI double and Tyler Austin two-RBI double, David Robertson pitched through the eighth and Luis Cessa tossed a scoreless ninth to give the Yankees an ugly, but much needed victory.
Winning Pitcher: Sonny Gray (1-0, 3.60), 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K
Losing Pitcher: Chris Tillman (0-2, 8.68), 5.1 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 4 BB, 3 K
Notables:
Brett Gardner: 2-3, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 R
Aaron Judge: 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI
Tyler Austin: 2-4, 2 RBI
Austin Romine: 1-4, RBI
Ronald Torreyes: 3-4, 2 R
Trey Mancini: 2-4, R
Manny Machado: 1-4, 2 RBI, 2 K
Adam Jones: 0-4, 2 K
Pedro Alvarez: 1-3, RBI, BB, R
Next Up:
The Yankees and Orioles will conclude this four-game set tomorrow afternoon. Jordan Montgomery will start for the Yankees and the Orioles will counter with Mike Wright, Jr. First pitch in the Bronx will be at 1:05 PM.
Article by: Andrew Natalizio
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