Four consecutive walks and a two-out double gave the New York Yankees three fifth-inning runs as the Yankees came from behind to defeat the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 Sunday afternoon.
Trailing 3-2 as the top of the fifth inning started, the Yankees' first four hitter all drew walks. Chase Headley, Alex Rodriguez, and Mark Teixeira received free passes from Orioles starter Mike Wright to load the bases with no outs. Brian Matusz replaced Wright to face left-handed-hitting Garrett Jones, who took ball four to force in Headley with the tying run.
Matusz struck out the next two hitters, but John Ryan Murphy smacked a double off Manny Machado's glove to score Rodriguez and Teixeira and make the score 5-3, which ended up the final score.
The two teams traded runs early on. New York scored single runs on Teixeira's RBI double in the first and Brett Gardner's sacrifice fly in the second. Baltimore countered with a two-run double from Nolan Reimold in the bottom of the first and an RBI double from Caleb Joseph in the fourth to put his team up 3-2 before the walk fest began in the fifth.
Rodriguez was 0 for 4, so he remains at 2,995 career hits.
Neither starter lasted long enough to qualify for the win. Wright left with no outs in the fifth after walking the first three batters. Adam Warren pitched 4 2/3 innings for the Yankees, but manager Joe Girardi brought in Chasen Shreve to get out of a jam, which he did.
Shreve (W: 3-1, 2.05 ERA) totaled 1 1/3 innings, allowing no runs or hits. He walked one and struck out one. Justin Wilson pitched two scoreless innings, and Dellin Betances (S: 3) picked up his first complete one-inning save of the season. He will serve as the closer in Andrew Miller's absence. He walked one and struck out one.
Wright (L: 2-2, 4.13) was charged with all five runs in his 4+ innings. He allowed six hits and struck out two. Interestingly enough, the three fifth-inning walks were the only ones Wright issued. Tyler Wilson was very effective (three hits, no runs) in 3 1/3 innings in relief, but his offense could not give him any support.
The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Chicago White Sox 2-1, so the Yankees and Rays are still tied for first with the fourth-place Orioles now three games out and two behind the Toronto Blue Jays, who routed the Boston Red Sox 13-5.
On Monday, the Yankees head south to visit the Miami Marlins while Baltimore hosts the Philadelphia Phillies. Each series is a four-game set Monday through Thursday while playing two in each team's ball park as all of the Major League teams will do.
