On the penultimate day of the regular season, the New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles in game two of the three game series finale in the Bronx. Masahiro Tanaka was originally scheduled to start, but as the Yankees are out of playoff contention, they decided to go with Luis Severino. Just as in his last start, Severino was on a limited pitch count and would not factor into the final decision. Taking the ball for Baltimore was left-hander Wade Miley, who also did not factor into the games final decision as his bullpen let him down in the late innings. The loss makes things very interesting in the AL wildcard chase, opening up the door for Toronto, Detroit and Seattle to make a move before tomorrow's last game of the season.
For the second straight game, the Orioles were first to hit the scoreboard, striking for two against Severino in the top of the second. Mark Trumbo started the rally with a leadoff ground rule double to right field just passed the outstretched glove of right fielder Tyler Austin. Chris Davis walked and both men advanced a base on a Jonathan Schoop ground out. With two down, Michael Bourn lined a single into centerfield. scoring both Davis and Trumbo to put the O's up 2-0.
Breaking a 0-19 slump, Manny Machado hit a third inning two-out solo shot to right to extend Baltimore's lead to three.
Because it was a spot-start for Severino. He was on a relatively low pitch count and was pulled in the top of the fourth. After a Bourn one-out walk and a J.J. Hardy fly out, Severino was lifted for right-handed rookie Jonathan Holder. The righty came on and proceeded to get Adam Jones to line out to left to end the fourth.
The Yankees were stymied by Miley through four, but finally got one of those runs back in the bottom of the fifth. Mark Teixeira led off the frame with a line drive single to center, replaced by the pinch-runner Rob Refsnyder at first. After a Chase Headley walk moved Refsnyder to second, Austin Romine nubbed a weak ground ball to the pitcher for the first out, advancing both runners up a base. With one out, Tyler Austin ripped a single to right that plated Refsnyder and put the Yankees on the board at 3-1.
The second Yankee run of the afternoon was scored when Chase Headley continued the "two out-out RBI party" in the bottom of the sixth, lining a double into left field to score Butler and pull the Bombers to within one.
The Pinstripers completed their come back in the bottom of the seventh as they came back to tie it up and knock Miley out of the game. Tyler Austin only seems to hit homeruns of the clutch variety, and continued that trend by blasting a solo shot to lead off the frame to tie the game at three apiece. Miley was pulled after giving up a single to the next batter Ronald Torreyes, leaving the game in the hands of right hand reliever Michael Givins. And the sidewinding righty bailed his O's out of the jam by getting Starlin Castro to ground into an inning ending double-play.
New York scored in four consecutive innings as they took their first lead in the bottom of the eighth. Pinch-hitter Jacoby Ellsbury worked a one-out walk against Orioles reliever Brad Brach, advancing to third on a Chase Headley double. Austin Romine then came up HUGE with a sharp single to left that scored both runners and gave the Yankees the lead at 5-3. After a two-out walk by Torreyes that advanced Romine to second; Brach was pulled for Oliver Drake, who proceeded to serve up a line drive double to left by Brett Gardner that scored both baserunners to extend their lead to four at 7-3, where the score would remain for the duration of the ballgame.
Tomorrow, the final game of the 2016 season will begin with a special pregame ceremony to honor the retiring Mark Teixeira. And, as is the case for every major league baseball game tomorrow, first pitch is scheduled for 3 PM/ET.
