The Yankees opened a three-game series in Baltimore with a 2-1 loss to the Orioles, and a number of familiar problems plagued them.
Five things to know from Friday’s game
1. LHP Jordan Montgomery gave the Yankees a much-needed rebound from his first start of the season this past Sunday, a 4-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox. He threw five scoreless frames, yielding three hits while striking out two and walking a pair. Montgomery ended the evening with 43 strikes on 71 pitches.
In the fifth inning, he worked out of a one-out jam with runners on first and second following Robinson Chirinos‘ single and Chris Owings‘ walk, fanning Cedric Mullins and getting Ramon Urias to ground out. Montgomery exited in line for the win with New York clinging to a 1-0 lead.
2. Speaking of runs — or lack thereof — Montgomery’s slight cushion to work with came in the third inning, a one-out RBI single by RF Giancarlo Stanton that scored C Kyle Higashioka, who started up the frame by depositing a leadoff double into left field. Stanton did his part with a 3-for-5 performance, although he struck out twice.
In a common theme throughout the evening, though, the Yankees left runners on base. DH Josh Donaldson struck out swinging and, following LF Joey Gallo‘s two-out single to left field to give New York runners on first and second, DJ LeMahieu‘s center field flyout limited the damage for the Orioles.
3. With a chance to give Montgomery run support in the sixth inning — a one-out, bases-loaded situation after Donaldson and LeMahieu singled and 2B Gleyber Torres walked — CF Aaron Hicks grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Hicks went 0-for-3 with a walk and the three runners left on base.
4. LHP Wandy Peralta worked through a 1-2-3 sixth inning but imploded in the seventh. After a leadoff double by Austin Hays, who subsequently advanced to third on Higashioka’s passed ball, former Yankees prospect Jorge Mateo‘s RBI single tied the game at 1-1. Peralta then walked Chirinos before RHP Jonathan Loaisiga limited the damage, bouncing back from a Rougned Odor walk by fanning Mullins and Urias.
5. Even Aaron Judge, who originally got the night off, was unable to punch across the winning run. In a pinch-hit situation, leading off the 10th inning with a ghost runner on second base, Judge grounded out to third.
RHP Clarke Schmidt kept the Yankees together in the 10th but worked into trouble the following frame. LHP Aroldis Chapman entered with two outs and the bases loaded and got an out by striking out Mullins, but on a full count to Urias, walked in the game-winning run for the 2-1 loss.
Highlights
What’s next
The Yankees and Orioles return Saturday to Oriole Park at Camden Yards for the second matchup of a three-game series. Righties Jameson Taillon (0-1, 3.60 ERA) and Tyler Wells (0-1, 21.60 ERA) are the projected pitchers for the 7:05 p.m. start.