Sloppy Play Dooms Yankees In 5-3 Loss To Orioles
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — It may be a new year, but the Yankees are running into the same frustrating results when it comes to playing the Baltimore Orioles.
Brandon Hyde earned his first win as Baltimore's manager as New York played a sloppy game and couldn't come through in the clutch in a 5-3 loss on Saturday.
Baltimore used reliever Nate Karns as an opener in his first major league appearance since May of 2017, and the 31-year-old right-hander got into a bases-loaded, one-out jam. Miguel Andujar hit into a 1-2-3 double play to escape trouble. Karns then pitched a scoreless second.
Jimmy Yacabonis (1-0), a 27-year-old righty who lives in Matawan, New Jersey, followed and allowed one run over three innings for his first win since September 2017.
Baltimore rallied from a 1-0 deficit in the sixth against James Paxton (0-1) when Sucre tagged and went to third on Jonathan Villar's fly to center, just beating Brett Gardner's throw, then scored on Dwight Smith's single. Catcher Gary Sanchez's wild throw on a double steal, the second of three New York errors, allowed the go-ahead run to score. Sucre added an RBI single in the seventh off Chad Green and a two-run double in the ninth against Jonathan Holder for a three-hit day.
Yacobonis' only previous two big league victories came in a three-day span in September 2017. The Orioles converted him to a starter last year, when he spent most of the season at Triple-A Norfolk. He gave up his only run on a fourth-inning RBI single by DJ LeMahieu that nicked off the outstretched glove of shortstop Richie Martin.
Hyde, a Chicago Cubs coach for the past five seasons, was hired in December to fill the last manager opening in the major leagues. Now 45, he never made it higher than Triple-A as a player. He was hired by new general manager Mike Elias, who took over after a 115-loss season, and Hyde opened with a 7-2 defeat to the Yankees on opening day.
The loss was nothing new for New York, who dropped seven games against a historically bad Orioles team last season. Their 12-7 record against the league's worst team likely costly them the AL East title, as Boston went 16-3 against Baltimore in 2018.
This year's Baltimore club may be even worse, having traded away Manny Machado, Kevin Gausman, and Zack Britton, and letting team leader Adam Jones walk in free agency. Every loss to the Orioles in 2019 will likely be viewed as a major upset for the Yankees and their fans - who are expecting nothing short of a World Series run.
Baltimore led 5-1 before Troy Tulowitzki homered leading off the ninth against Richard Bleier, his first longball since July 8, 2017. LeMahieu doubled, Aaron Judge hit a one-out single and Mike Wright relieved.
Giancarlo Stanton struck out on a full-count slider, and Luke Voit popped a run-scoring single off the glove of onrushing, stretching right fielder Joey Rickard. Wright struck out Andujar for his first pro save in nine seasons.
New York has not opened a season with consecutive wins since 2011.
Paxton, a 30-year-old left-hander acquired from Seattle on Nov. 18, became just the eighth Canadian-born player for Yankees. He dominated with one-hit ball through five innings, working quickly and switching speeds.
Paxton allowed two runs — one earned — and four hits in 5 2/3 innings with five strikeouts and a walk. He threw 53 fastballs, topping at 98 mph, 14 cutters ranging from 86-90 mph and 15 knuckle-curves from 77-83 mph. He was given an ovation when he left the game and saluted the crowd.
OPENERS:
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he may use an opener Monday against Detroit, then bring in RHP Domingo German.
TRAINER'S ROOM:
Yankees OF Aaron Hicks, sidelined since straining his back during pregame batting practice in March 1, is feeling better and will soon resume baseball activities, Boone said.
UP NEXT:
LHP J.A. Happ starts Sunday's series finale for the Yankees and RHP Dylan Bundy for the Orioles.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
