The Yankees hadn't won in four days. Trevor Rogers hadn't pitched in 17. One of those streaks ended in the first 10 seconds of Tuesday night's game.
Paul Goldschmidt stepped in against Rogers, took the first pitch -- a 93-mph four-seamer -- and sent it 402 feet to left field. Home run. His 376th career shot, tying Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk for 81st all-time on the MLB home run list. The New York Yankees led the Baltimore Orioles 1-0 before anyone in Camden Yards had settled into their seat. They won 6-2. The slide's over.
The Third Inning Did It
Goldschmidt's leadoff shot was the mood-setter, but the third inning closed the case. Rogers was making his first start since April 25 -- he'd been out sick for over two weeks -- and whatever command he carried through the clubhouse, he didn't bring it to the mound. He loaded the bases with one out -- Wells had singled, then Rogers walked Judge and Rice back-to-back.
The Yankees weren't going to let that go.
Cody Bellinger grounded into a force play, but Austin Wells scored. Then Amed Rosario punched an infield single past the bag and Aaron Judge trotted home. Six-zip still seemed like a stretch. Then Trent Grisham -- batting .178 coming in, which is a number I'd normally use as a warning sign, not as setup for something -- hit a 397-foot three-run shot to center that got out there fast. Five runs. One inning. Rogers didn't come back out for the fifth.
Goldschmidt Was the Story
He came in with three home runs on the year, took the very first pitch of the game, and drove it out to left for career homer number 376 -- tying Carlton Fisk for 81st all-time. Jeff Kent and Norm Cash are next at 377.
Goldschmidt went 2-for-4, drew a walk, and drove in one from the leadoff spot. He's 38 and still starting against lefties, still hitting .262. That's the job, and he's doing it. (Rogers hadn't pitched in 17 days due to illness, so there's context around every number tonight. But reading a first-pitch fastball and hitting it 402 feet isn't luck -- that's timing, and Goldschmidt's timing is still real.)
Warren Did His Part
Will Warren worked 5.2 innings -- 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 6 strikeouts, 1 walk. He's 5-1 now with a 3.42 ERA. A couple starts back, the Rangers got him for 6 runs in 4 innings, which was ugly. Tonight looked like the correction.
He wasn't untouchable, but he was efficient through the middle innings and didn't let Baltimore get anything going. Fernando Cruz followed with 1.1 scoreless. Tim Hill worked 0.2 for his seventh hold. Jake Bird got one out but allowed two hits. David Bednar closed the ninth.
The Orioles scored their two runs in the sixth -- Corey Ward doubled, Samuel Basallo singled him home, Tyler O'Neill doubled Basallo in. It made it 6-2 with the game already decided. There was no real moment of concern.
Worth Noting
Max Schuemann started at short -- filling in for José Caballero, who goes on the 10-day IL with a fractured finger -- and had a rough night: a throwing error and two caught stealings. He's not a starting shortstop, and that's not a knock, that's just where he fits. The Yankees know it too.
The Yankees recalled Anthony Volpe from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before the game. He's expected to start Wednesday's series finale. Good.
Also, if you're tracking the ABS system: teams successfully challenged all four automated ball-strike calls to home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt. Four challenges, four reversals. (Make of that what you will.) That one'll keep the umpiring conversation going.
One win doesn't clean up four losses. But the Orioles are 18-23, Rogers was clearly not himself, and Goldschmidt just hit Carlton Fisk off the first pitch of the game. There are worse places to start getting right.
Jimmy writes the Bronx Pinstripes game recap after every Yankees game. Beat-reporter pacing, fan's heartbeat. He calls opposing players by last name and has no patience for dead-air innings.
