In the New York Yankees game last night with the Baltimore Orioles, all the predictors were way off. It was a night filled with ups and downs and a ninety-four-minute rain delay as it poured at Orioles Park at Camden Yards.
Those who predict game scores thought that they might be right on when the Yankees took a huge lead in the first inning. Those predictions ranged from 6-1 to 9-2. The final score was the Yankees 8 and the Baltimore Orioles 6.
At the top of the 1st inning with a man on base, Oriole pitcher John Means hit Gleyber Torres in the elbow, causing Torres to crouch to the ground in pain. Medical staff checked him out, and he remained in the game until the fourth innings when he was taken for x-rays that turned out negative. It seemed last night that the Yankees were wearing targets as Gary Sanchez was hit, and Aaron Judge was hit twice, none resulting in serious injury.
Playing out the top of the first Means walked Aaron Judge, then Torres was hit and given first base. Giancarlo Stanton came to the plate and served up a long line drive to left scoring Judge from second base. Aaron Hicks got on loading the bases for Luke Voit, who hit his first Grand Slam of his career and just like that, it was Yankees 5, Orioles nothing with a half-inning of baseball in the books.
The bottom of the first is where things turned south for the New York Yankees. Starter J.A. Happ just didn’t have it. He allowed two runs in the bottom of the frame, and another two runs in the bottom of the second before manager Aaron Boone took him out of the game and replaced him with Adam Ottavino to start the fifth inning. Ottavino pitched a scoreless inning, but the Orioles had already reduced the Yankee lead to just one run. Yankees 5, Orioles 4. Then came the long rain delay.
Boone put Jonathan Loaisiga out there at the bottom of the sixth for long relief. Loaisiga walked the first two batters he saw but got out of the inning without giving up a run. He pitched a scoreless seventh but gave up the lead with two runs in the bottom of the eighth. With a man on, Pedro Severino blasted a homer to left, and the Yankees lost the lead with only a half-inning left to play. Orioles 6, Yankees 5.
In the top of the ninth inning with two on slugger Aaron Judge came to the plate hit a monster three-run home run well into the stands, again given the Yankees the lead. Zack Britton came out to close the game for the New York Yankees, doing his job, he earned his second save of this short season. Final Score Yankees 8 and the Orioles 6 as the Yankees swept the series.
Except for Stanton driving in Judge, all the runs scored were via the Yankee home run. Although the Yankees won this one, they also suffered a significant loss. The Yankees needed J.A. Happ to go out there and do his job, he didn’t, giving up four runs in four innings. Without the services of Luis Severino (Tommy John) and Domingo German (suspension), they really need a good year from Happ, who is holding down the fourth spot in the rotation.
Looking on the bright side, the Yankees are now 4-1 on the season. The big bats have shown that they are alive. But they need Gary Sanchez, who is 0-15 to start performing. Giancarlo Stanton so far is the star of the season. He has eight hits in sixteen at-bats for a .500 batting average and an unbelievable 1.600 OPS. This is what Stanton can do for the Yankees if he remains healthy.
Today the New York Yankees will celebrate their Opening Day at Yankee Stadium with a weekend series against their traditional rival Boston Red Sox. The game tomorrow night after the festivities will start at 7:05 pm with Jordan Montgomery on the mound for the Yankees and Ryan Weber for the Red Sox.