Sports

Torres Lifts Yanks To Doubleheader Sweep

August 12, 2019 / 10:19 PM EDT / CBS New York

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NEW YORK (AP) — Gleyber Torres hit three more home runs, including a pair of three-run drives in the night game that gave him 13 of New York's record 59 long balls against Baltimore this season, and the Yankees completed a doubleheader sweep with an 11-8 win on Monday night that stretched their winning streak versus the Orioles to 14 games.

Gio Urshela had six hits in the twinbill, including a 461-foot homer as the Yankees won the opener 8-5, and raised his average to .332 with 18 homers and 63 RBIs.

RECAP: Yankees Blast 4 More Homers, Top Orioles In Doubleheader Opener

AL East-leading New York hit seven homers and has five doubleheader sweeps to go along with one split. The Yankees improved to 15-2 against Baltimore with two games left and have won 12 of their past 14 overall.

Torres set a big league record with his fifth multihomer game against a team in a season, breaking a tie with Ralph Kiner (1947), Gus Zernial (1951) and Roy Sievers (1955). His 26 homers are two more than his total as a rookie last year, and the 13 against Baltimore matched Roger Maris in 1961 against Cleveland for the second-most against one team in a season by a Yankees player, one behind Lou Gehrig's total in 1936 versus Cleveland.

When Torres came to the plate with runners on first and second in the eighth, Baltimore intentionally walked him.

Didi Gregorius hit a three-run homer in the first inning of the day game and had four RBIs. Urshela, Torres and Cameron Maybin added solo shots, all off Gabriel Ynoa (1-7).

Brett Gardner hit a three-run triple off Ty Blach (0-1) in the first inning of the night game and Mike Ford had a solo homer. Torres greeted Evan Phillips with a home run that opened an 8-3 lead in the fifth, then hit another long ball against Tom Eshelman in the sixth to make it 11-3.

James Paxton (8-6) started the opener and won a third straight start for the first time since he won seven in a row for Seattle from July 2 to Aug. 4, 2017. The injury decimated Yankees brought in some fresh arms in the night game, when 27-year-old left-hander Joe Mantiply (1-0) got his first big league win in his Yankees debut and 28-year-old righty Brady Lail followed with his big league debut after eight seasons in the minors.

Mantiply, purchased from Cincinnati last week for $1, relieved opener Chad Green with one out in the second and didn't realize after two straight outs that the inning was over. He allowed three runs over three innings in his return to the major leagues from Tommy John surgery in March 2018. Mantiply's only previous appearances were five relief outings for Detroit in September 2016.

Lail pitched 2 2/3 innings with his family looking on, giving up Hanser Alberto's three-run homer.

Baltimore has allowed an AL-record 248 homers, 10 from the season mark Cincinnati set in 2016. The Orioles are on pace for 109 defeats.

New York's team store has banners and T-shirts (at $29.99 each) heralding "Savages in the Box," manager Aaron Boone's infamous comment on his batters during his July 18 ejection, and its batters certainly have been barbarians against Baltimore with 11 more homers than the previous mark against a single team.

"Unfortunately, they really don't miss any mistakes," Ynoa said through a translator.

Urshela had an RBI double and was a triple shy of the cycle in the opener. He was purchased by the Yankees from Toronto on Aug. 4 last year for $1 — that's not a typo — and entered the season with eight homers and 39 RBIs over 167 games with Cleveland and Toronto.

"I didn't know that I had that power," the 27-year-old infielder said.

Gregorius has 35 RBIs in 47 games since returning from Tommy John surgery. He rolled over his left wrist going for a grounder on July 31, straining the area between his left ring finger and pinkie.

"Every time I take a swing, I do adjust the batting glove to make sure that everything stays in tight," he said. "Ain't much I can change about it. Pain tolerance, basically."

STARTERS

Paxton (8-6) allowed three runs in six innings, including Renato Núñez's sacrifice fly in the first. He has a 10.71 ERA in the opening inning and a 2.58 ERA over the rest of his outings.

CLOSERS

Aroldis Chapman (32) and Adam Ottovino (two) got saves.

O'S OFFENSE

Trey Mancini homered in each game, and Anthony Santander went deep in the opener.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Orioles: OF Dwight Smith Jr. (strained left calf) could start a minor league injury rehab assignment by the end of the week. ... OF DJ Stewart (concussion) could be activated Wednesday or Friday.

Yankees: 1B Luke Voit (core injury) sprinted and said he felt the best he has since May. He plans to hit off a tee Tuesday. Voit also said offseason surgery was a possibility. ... LHP CC Sabathia (inflamed right knee) is to throw a second bullpen Tuesday and is on pace to start against Cleveland this weekend. ... RHP Dellin Betances (lat) threw off a mound for the first time since June 5, a 20-pitch bullpen that included 17 fastballs and three breaking balls. He plans to throw another bullpen Thursday. ... RHP Luis Severino (lat) threw his second bullpen, three days after his first since spring training. He is to throw another bullpen Thursday, then may face batters on Sunday. ... OF Aaron Hicks (strained right flexor) was to be evaluated Monday and could resume throwing and hitting this week.

UP NEXT

Yankees RHP Domingo Germán (15-2), tied for the big league lead in wins, is scheduled to start Tuesday night against Baltimore LHP John Means (8-7).