The New York Yankees scored a 6-3 come-from-behind victory on Monday night against the Baltimore Orioles (box score) in the opening contest of a four-game set. While both clubs came into play trailing the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays by more than five games, this could prove to be a pivotal series with respect to wild-card seeding. The Yankees entered Monday trailing the Orioles by four games.
Coming into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Orioles held a 3-0 lead. The Yankees scored a pair of runs in their portion of the fifth, with rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe and backstop Kyle Higashioka each delivering solo home runs. The Yankees then tied the game in the seventh, when Volpe scored again, this time crossing the plate on a wild pitch.
Volpe may have struggled through the season's first two months, but he has played better as of late. Entering Monday, he had batted .309/.382/.456 with a home run, three RBI, and three stolen bases over the past four weeks.
Veteran outfielder Harrison Bader gave the Yankees their first lead in the bottom of the eighth, delivering a three-run home run against lefty Danny Coulombe. Take a look:
Master of his craft, Harrison Bader. pic.twitter.com/YKLfgiAe2r
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 4, 2023
The Yankees owe partial credit for Monday's win to their bullpen. Starter Domingo Germán, making his first start since last week's perfect game, departed in the fifth. Four Yankees relievers -- Nick Ramirez, Ian Hamilton, Tommy Kahnle, and Clay Holmes -- combined to throw 4 ⅔ shutout frames.
The Yankees and Orioles will play again Tuesday afternoon for the second of their four-game set. The expected pitching matchup will have Clarke Schmidt facing off against Kyle Gibson. (Top free-agent signing Carlos Rodón, by the way, is expected to make his long-awaited debut on Friday night.)
