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Series Recap: Yankees leave Baltimore in bird bath

Looking to create more separation with their AL East rivals, the New York Yankees were coming in hot, while the Baltimore Orioles were mired in a rut. Yet, as it turned out one could say the O’s were due and took out their frustrations on the Yanks.

GAME 1

Playing a Monday Memorial Day matinee at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, it was a series of near misses in the Yanks 3-2 loss to the O’s.

MONTY AND DEFENSE FALTER

In what was the shortest outing of his young career, Jordan Montgomery went 4.2 innings and had trouble recording the final out.

Baltimore struck first on an RBI-single to left by Mark Trumbo in the first frame.

During the third, there was more trouble. With the score knotted at one, a Starlin Castro error enabled Trumbo to reach safely. Following a fly out, Trey Mancini kept the inning going with a single to center, advancing Trumbo to second. A huge two-out double to right by Jonathan Schoop was all the damage the O’s would need in taking a 3-1 lead.

JUDGEY JUICED ONE

As the Bronx Bombers attempted to mount a comeback against Dylan “don’t call me Al” Bundy in the seventh, Aaron Judge connected on a mammoth smash to deep center. One would probably have to go back to Darryl Strawberry in 1996 for a comparable blast. Judge swatted his MLB-best home run No. 17 and pulled New York within one run.

GAME 2

In the second game, the Bronx Bombers brought their power bats and the power arm of Luis Severino, drubbing the Birds 8-3. Every Yankee regular except for Rob Refsnyder collected a hit.

FIRST AND 10

Brett Gardner and Matt Holliday got the Yanks off to a quick start, each hitting his tenth home run of the season in the first frame off Chris Tillman.

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Holliday and Gardner would go deep again with solo shots in the third and fourth innings respectively.

Judge capped off the scoring with a scalding two-run double to right-center in the fourth.

SUPERB SEVVY

One can see the progression and confidence of Severino when compared to his first start at Camden Yards in April. The young right-hander was filthy, fanning eight, including Manny Machado on three occasions, across 6.1 frames of one-run ball.

GAME 3

A 10-4 loss in the series finale escalated quickly. The rubber game was rubber made for Masahiro Tanaka, who got bounced around badly.

MESSY MASAHIRO

No more excuses, something’s up with Tanaka. I don’t know if you shut down the guy for a week or a month or if he finally needs surgery on his elbow but he’s not right. No extra rest, no lackluster Oakland A’s lineup, no “Sanchy scapegoat,” could save the Yanks “ace” in Baltimore.

In 5.2 innings, Tanaka was shelled for nine hits and seven runs. Adam Jones all but put the game out of reach with a three-run blast to right-center, making it a 7-1 contest.

By the time the offense cobbled anything together, the underbelly of the bullpen essentially gave it right back.

ON DECK

At 30-20 on the campaign, the Yankees travel to Toronto for the first time this season to face the Toronto Blue Jays in a four-game series starting Thursday night.

Pitching probables include CC Sabathia vs. Marco Estrada, Michael Pineda vs. Francisco Liriano, Jordan Montgomery vs. Joe Biagini, Luis Severino vs. Marcus Stroman.