Five-run sixth sends O's to series win over Yanks
BALTIMORE -- Chris Davis drove in three runs, including a key two-run double in a five-run sixth inning, as the Orioles rallied for a 7-5 victory over the Yankees in the series finale Wednesday night.
The Orioles (5-4) won two of three from the Yankees (3-6) in this series. Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop both hit solo homers as the Orioles rallied from an early 3-1 deficit. Brad Brach (1-0) earned the win with two innings of scoreless relief, and Zach Britton got his third save.
Video: NYY@BAL: Schoop ties game in the 6th with solo homer
Machado's homer cut the lead to 3-2 in the fourth, and Schoop tied it with his solo blast off David Carpenter (0-1) to start the sixth. Pinch-hitter Delmon Young snapped the tie with his RBI single off Justin Wilson, and Davis lined a two-run double to left-center for a 6-3 lead. Davis, who entered Wednesday 0-for-7 in the series against the Yankees, finished 2-for-5 with three strikeouts, but his two big hits made the difference.
Video: NYY@BAL: Machado blasts a solo homer to left field
"It's frustrating. It's not the way you want to start," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We get an off-day tomorrow, and we need to turn it around. Obviously we need to start winning series or it becomes a long year."
Bud Norris started and struck out seven over five innings for the Orioles.
Video: NYY@BAL: Norris fans seven over five innings
Nathan Eovaldi struck out nine for the Yankees over five innings in his second start of the season. More >
Video: NYY@BAL: Eovaldi fans nine, holds Orioles to two runs
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
A-Rod continues climbing: Alex Rodriguez hit his second home run of the season off Norris in the fourth inning, a no-doubt blast to left field on a 2-0 fastball. It was Rodriguez's 656th career homer, drawing him within four of Willie Mays (660) for fourth place all-time. It also marked Rodriguez's 1,923rd career run scored, tying Derek Jeter for ninth place all-time. More >
"That one felt amazing off the bat," Rodriguez said. "We've shown flashes of good things in all four facets of our game. The key for us is to collectively get them all working in the same direction, get them in sync. Once we do that we can get on a roll."
Beltran belts one: Beltran has been frustrated by a slow start to his season, owning just five hits in his first 32 at-bats, but he showed signs of breaking out on Wednesday. Beltran drove in the Yanks' first two runs with a double off the center field wall in the third inning, missing a home run by a few feet. That's an excellent sign for the 38-year-old veteran, who is in the second year of a three-year, $45 million deal.
Video: NYY@BAL: Beltran knocks a two-run double in the 3rd
"We need to get going. There's no doubt about that," Beltran said. "We've been close to winning some games and unfortunately the other team has been able to play better than us. It's been only nine games so we just need to find a way to turn the page."
Davis breaks out: Davis has battled strikeout problems early. He fanned 12 times in 26 at-bats before this game and did it three more times on Wednesday. But he got an RBI single in the first and lined a two-run double to left-center during a four-run sixth inning. That gave the Orioles a 6-3 lead and Davis three RBIs on the night. More >
Video: NYY@BAL: Davis doubles in two to extend the O's lead
Delmon comes through in a pinch: Young went 10-for-20 as a pinch-hitter with the Orioles last year and added a big pinch-hit three-run double that won Game 2 of the ALDS against the Tigers. Manager Buck Showalter called on him again in the sixth inning of this game, pinch-hitting for Travis Snider, and Young lined a tie-breaking single to left off Wilson that gave the Orioles the lead for good.
QUOTABLE
"Still early, still trying to feel some things out, better at-bats tonight. Saw the ball a lot better. Swung at pitches in the strike zone, that usually helps. But it'd be nice to get off to an Adam Jones start every year, but sometimes that's just not the case." -- Davis on breaking his 0-for-10 skid
"Tommy's got so much, I don't know, loose energy. He wants to contribute so bad he kind of gets out of whack a little bit. It's hard to back him off. He'll be better. His track record says he'll go through some bumps and you'll like him when it's all said and done." -- Showalter on struggling reliever Tommy Hunter, who allowed two runs on two hits in the eighth inning
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
While the Orioles joined Major League Baseball's annual celebration of Jackie Robinson on Wednesday, the team also had some history of its own to remember. This was the 15th anniversary of when Cal Ripken Jr. got his 3,000th hit, a single against Minnesota pitcher Hector Carrasco. Ripken actually was playing in his 2,800th game that day.
WHAT'S NEXT
Yankees: After an off-day on Thursday, the Yankees begin a three-game series with the Rays at Tropicana Field on Friday evening. Right-hander Adam Warren (0-1, 1.69 ERA) will get the ball for his second start of the year, opposed by right-hander Nathan Karns (1-1, 4.97 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.
Orioles: The Orioles have an off-day Thursday before starting a four-game series with the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday night. Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez (1-0, 0.00) goes against right-hander Joe Kelly (1-0, 1.29) in the opener. The game is scheduled to start at 7:10 ET.
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