Jimenez, Beckham Lead Skidding Orioles Over Yankees 6-4
NEW YORK (AP) — Ubaldo Jimenez struck out 10 in just five innings, Tim Beckham hit a three-run homer and the skidding Baltimore Orioles beat the New York Yankees 6-4 Sunday.
The Orioles had lost nine of 10 before halting a team that had hammered them all season. Baltimore finished 7-12 against the Yankees this year, giving up 154 runs along the way.
Didi Gregorius homered for the third straight day as New York's four-game winning streak ended. The Yankees remained three games behind AL East-leading Boston, and hold a comfortable lead atop the wild-card race.
Jimenez (6-10) had been hit hard lately, and was 0-3 in his previous five starts. He gave up three hits and one run — Gregorius' 24th homer tied the Yankees' record for a shortstop set by Derek Jeter in 1999.
Zach Britton retired pinch-hitter Chase Headley on a grounder with two runners on to end the eighth. In the ninth, with two outs and a runner on third, manager Buck Showalter intentionally walked rookie slugger Aaron Judge. Big-hitting Gary Sanchez stepped up as the potential winning run, but Britton struck him out on a low fastball for his 15th save in 17 chances.
The Orioles started the day 5½ games behind Minnesota for the second wild-card spot.
Sonny Gray (9-11) allowed five runs in four innings during his shortest start this season.
The Orioles led 2-1 in the fourth when they put two on with two outs. After Gray threw a wild pitch that bounced off Sanchez and flew onto the top of the Baltimore dugout, Beckham hit a hanging slider to deep left. It was 22nd home run this year and 10th in 45 games since he was acquired from Tampa Bay in late July.
Beckham boosted Baltimore's major league-leading homer total to 226.
Judge doubled and scored on Matt Holliday's sacrifice fly in the Yankees eighth. Judge scored 31 runs against the Orioles this year, the most by a player against a single opponent in a season since Ted Williams' 31 for Boston versus the St. Louis Browns in 1947. The Browns moved to Baltimore for the 1954 season.
The Yankees totaled at least four runs in 18 of their 19 games against Baltimore.
NO TIPPING
In a possible preview of the AL wild-card matchup, the Twins visit Yankee Stadium for a three-game set beginning Monday night. Yankees ace Luis Severino would be on regular rest if he pitched Wednesday, but manager Joe Girardi says Masahiro Tanaka is mostly likely to start that day. The Yankees might not want to give Minnesota a free look at Severino before the wild-card game scheduled for Oct. 3. Severino has never faced the Twins, not even in spring training.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Orioles: CF Adam Jones didn't start, getting a day to rest general soreness. "Scuffling a little bit," Showalter said.
Yankees: CF Jacoby Ellsbury and Headley were out of the starting lineup for rest. Both of them pinch-hit in the late innings.
UP NEXT
Orioles: RHP Dylan Bundy (13-9, 4.03 ERA) starts at home Monday night vs. Boston RHP Doug Fister (5-8, 4.40).
Yankees: RHP Jaime Garcia (5-9, 4.35 with Atlanta, Minnesota and New York) pitches at home Monday night vs. Twins RHP Ervin Santana (15-7, 3.35). Garcia is winless in six starts for the Yankees.
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