Yankees 3, Orioles 1, and both runs that decided it came off the same bat. Trent Grisham tied Tuesday's series opener with a solo shot in the third, then broke it back open for good with a two-run single in the seventh, and that was enough to open the New York Yankees' series in Baltimore with a win at Camden Yards.
It wasn't a laugher. It wasn't supposed to be one -- Shane Baz was dealing for Baltimore most of the night. But Grisham had an answer every time the Orioles pushed back, and that's the whole game in one sentence.
This was game one of three at Camden Yards, and the Yankees needed it more than the standings might suggest. They came in having dropped two of three in Toronto (a loss, a loss, then a win to salvage one before getting out of town), and Baltimore's been the kind of team that can still bite you even from the wrong side of .500. Didn't happen tonight. The Orioles drop their second straight and fall to 61-65.
The Go-Ahead Knock
Tied at 1-1 into the seventh, Spencer Jones led off with a single off Baz. Jazz Chisholm Jr. struck out, but George Lombard Jr. singled right behind him to put two on with one out. That was it for Baz -- Baltimore went to reliever Josh Walker, who walked Paul Goldschmidt to load the bases and then struck out Amed Rosario for the second out. Two outs, bases loaded, tie game. Grisham stepped in and lined a single up the middle. Jones scored. Lombard scored. Yankees 3, Orioles 1, and that was the game -- the single swung win probability by nearly 28 points, by far the biggest shift of the night.
Two outs, bases loaded, tie game, and Grisham didn't blink. Didn't matter that Baz was in the middle of a legitimately great start either (10 strikeouts over 6.1 innings). He still took the loss.
Grisham's Two-Swing Night
Start to finish, this was Grisham's game. He went 2-for-4 with the homer, three RBI, and a run scored, and both of his hits were the loudest thing that happened at Camden Yards.
The first one came in the third, a solo shot to right off Baz that got the scoring started (his 17th of the season). Baltimore answered right back -- Coby Mayo took Carlos Rodón deep to left in the bottom half to tie it -- but Grisham had the last word four innings later.
Two homers canceled out. One line-drive single decided it. That's baseball being baseball, and Grisham gets the game ball either way.
Rodón's Return and a Bullpen Game
Rodón made his first start back off the 15-day injured list and his rehab assignment, and Boone had him on a pitch count from the jump -- 66 pitches, four innings, one run allowed on Mayo's homer, four strikeouts. That's about as clean a re-entry as you can ask for from a guy who hasn't pitched in weeks (the Mayo homer notwithstanding -- nobody's walking away from a rehab start with a zero these days).
What came after was the real story. Boone leaned on five relievers to cover the last five innings, and every one of them delivered: Yerry De los Santos picked up the win with two scoreless, Brent Headrick, Fernando Cruz and Paul Blackburn each logged a hold, and David Bednar closed it out for his 28th save of the year.
Rodón's return gives the Yankees a rotation piece back right as the schedule tightens up, and a bullpen game that doesn't allow a run for five innings is exactly the kind of thing you want to see before you lean on it again. Five relievers, zero runs, one save. That's about as tidy as a bullpen night gets.
Boone's going to need Rodón to build up from here, but tonight wasn't about stretching him out. It was about getting through four clean and handing a one-run game to a pen that's been trustworthy all year (Bednar's up to 28 saves now, and he made this one look easy).
The Yankees are 70-55 now, second in the AL East and five back, and they've won two straight. They're also up 1-0 in this series with two more to play in Baltimore. Go take the next one.
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.
