Orioles score 5 in 8th to beat Yankees 5-0
BALTIMORE (AP) — Pinch-hitter Rougned Odor delivered the clutch hit the Orioles had been waiting for — against his former team, no less.
Odor broke a scoreless tie with a two-run single in the eighth inning, and Baltimore went on to a 5-0 victory over the New York Yankees on Sunday. The Orioles were 2 for 28 with runners in scoring position in the series — and 7 for 83 on the season — before Odor, Kelvin Gutiérrez and Jorge Mateo came through in succession during a fiverun rally. Odor played for the Yankees last year and was released following the season before catching on with Baltimore.
“I think every win is emotional for everybody,” Odor said. “It’s not because I played against the Yankees. I played with that team last year. It’s just because we won the game.”
Ryan Mountcastle started the Baltimore eighth with a single and Trey Mancini walked. Two outs later, Robinson Chirinos drew a 10-pitch walk to set the stage for Odor.
“Robinson Chirinos won us the game, with that atbat,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “He’s facing (Jonathan) Loáisiga, who’s really good, and great stuff, and puts together just a pro at-bat to get a walk there.”
With the bases loaded, Odor went to the plate as a pinch- hitter and singled sharply up the middle against Loáisiga (0-1). Gutiérrez followed with a two-run double, and Mateo added an RBI single.
Jorge López (1-1) won in relief for Baltimore, which took two of three against the Yankees, with both victories coming in its final at-bat.
New York starter Nestor Cortes was terrific for fiveplus innings, striking out 12 while allowing three hits and a walk. Cortes threw an immaculate inning in the fourth, striking out the side on nine pitches. He also struck out the side in the second.
Baltimore’s Bruce Zimmermann went five scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks with six strikeouts.
“Tough day for us. Frustrating,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I thought they pitched us really tough today, but we’ve got to find a way to get on the board and support our pitching, and just couldn’t get much going.”
New York had runners on first and third with one out in the fourth, but Isiah Kiner-Falefa bounced into a double play.
Yankees left fielder Tim Locastro, recalled from Triple- A Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre before the game, made a sensational diving catch in the sixth on a ball hit to left-center by Mancini.