The New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles opened up a  three-game series on Tuesday night, fighting for AL East supremacy. With the Orioles just four games back of the first place Yankees, they were looking to create some separation while the Orioles were looking to cut the deficit. 

Yankees right-hander Nathan Eovaldi started strong, and kept the Orioles off the board until the sixth inning. An Alex Rodriguez sac-fly put the Yankees ahead 1-0 in the first inning. But after Eovaldi struck out two in the second inning, the game was stopped for quite possibly one of the shortest rain delays ever. When play resumed, the Yankees tacked on a another run, courtesy of two singles from Brian McCann and Chris Young, followed by a Chase Headley RBI double, his 14th on the season.

With Eovaldi looking strong, he appeared to lose his command, missing with several pitches and getting into several jams in the fifth and sixth innings. The sixth inning proved to be his last after he gave up an RBI single to Matt Wieters, scoring Jimmy Paredes from second base. That brought Joe Girardi out of the dugout and put an end to Eovladi's evening.

The final line on the night for Eovlaid read 5.2 innings pitched, four hits, two runs, three walks and four strikeouts. Eovaldi looked dominant to start but his ability to throw strikes consistently once again did not allow him to go deep in the game. Coming into Tuesday's start, the former Marlin only averaged 5.44 innings per start.

Coming in to try and hold the lead was left-handed reliever Justin Wilson. But J.J. Hardy greeted him with a line drive single to right field, tying the game at two. However, Wilson allowing the inherited runner to score set the stage for the unlikely hero Brendan Ryan. With Didi Gregorious at first base, Ryan grounded a ball down the left field line for his first double on the season. Gregorious scored and it put the Yankees ahead 3-2.

The trio of Wilson, Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller combined to pitch 3.1 innings without allowing a run out of the bullpen. Betances struck out two batters and Miller converted his 21st save. He is yet to blow a save this season. And despite giving up the tying run, Wilson ended up as the winning pitcher, his third win of the season.

Notes

  • Young, Headley and Mark Texeira were the only Yankees to record two hits. Teixeira picked up his 18th and 19th doubles of the season. 
  • The Yankees challenged a pickoff call in the bottom of first. Manny Machado was called safe diving back into first base but replay's showed he was out. According to Bryon Hoch on Twitter, it was the 11th time the Yankees successfully challenged a call in 17 tries.
  • Despite recording his 53rd RBI of the season with a sac-fly, Rodriguez has just one hit in his last 10 at-bats since his go-ahead home run on Friday.
  • Chen took the hard loss once again but he pitched well, giving up just three runs in 6.1 innings of work. His ERA sits at a robust 2.86 but he owns a 4-6 record to show for it.
  • With the victory, the Yankees now have a five-game lead over the Orioles. The Yankees could potentially leave New York with a seven-game lead if they were to sweep Baltimore.

Both teams will go back at it tomorrow evening. The Yankees will send Ivan Nova (1-3, 3.42 ERA) to the mound while the Orioles will counter with Kevin Gausman (1-1, 5.00 ERA).