Orioles beat Yankees to end 7-game skid
BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles had just ended their longest losing streak in six years, and to mark the occasion they did absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.
After beating the New York Yankees 3-2 Monday to snap a seven-game skid, the Orioles exchanged fist-bumps in an orderly fashion near the mound, shook a few hands and adjourned to the clubhouse.
OK, but there had to be a sense of relief, right?
“No. Not at all,” manager Buck Showalter said.
The slide dropped the Orioles into third place in the AL East behind the division-leading Yankees and Boston, but Monday’s win reduced the deficit to 3½ games.
“I think there’s a confidence in this room we can come back from anything,” reliever Darren O’Day said. “Today was a good start down that path.”
Dylan Bundy allowed two runs over seven innings in another strong start at Camden Yards to help the Orioles get back in the win column after a loss to Toronto and threegame sweeps at the hands of Minnesota and Houston.
“Dylan was really good. That helped a lot,” Showalter said.
Bundy (6-3) gave up seven hits, struck out three and walked one. The right-hander is 4-1 with a 2.23 ERA in six home starts this season.
“I don’t know if we had to have a win today, but yeah, you want to win every single day,” Bundy said.
O’Day worked a perfect eighth and Brad Brach got three straight outs for his 10th save in 13 tries.
An opposite-field double by Jonathan Schoop drove in two unearned runs to make it 3-1 in the third inning, and Baltimore held on to improve the AL’s best home record to 16-7.
Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 17th home run for the Yankees to cut the deficit to 3-2 in the seventh.
“It was just a line drive. That’s how far his line drives go,” manager Joe Girardi said. “They’re different than a lot of other people’s line drives.”
It turned out to be New York’s final hit of the day. The Yankees fell to 13-2 when Judge homers.
New York rookie Jordan Montgomery (2-4) allowed three runs, one earned, and eight hits over 4 1-3 innings. It was the shortest of his nine career starts, all of which have come this season.