Yankees take first series win in a month, beating Orioles 6-1 with home runs

The last time Luis Gil faced the Orioles, he allowed seven runs and only managed four outs. Today was the perfect response to put that nightmare behind him: Gil played consecutive games of at least six innings, allowing only one run and one or fewer walks in each game.

The rookie’s outstanding performance allowed the big hitters to go to work. Austin Wells’ three-run hit in the first inning proved to be a powerful opening salvo, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge struck out consecutively in the fifth inning, and the Orioles suffered their fifth straight loss, 6-1. The Yankees are now tied with their opponents at the top of the AL East standings with one game left in the first half.

Grayson Rodriguez had held the Yankees scoreless for 12 innings in his first two major league games against New York, so it was especially gratifying to see that streak ended in the first inning. Alex Verdugo opened things up with a 111 mph single to right, followed by a walk and a wild pitch from Aaron Judge that put runners on second and third base with one out. Ben Rice struck out and immediately thoughts flashed back to the loss to the Rays when he couldn’t score at the start of the last series against them, with runners on second and third base and no outs.

Thankfully, that debacle didn’t repeat itself, as Gleyber Torres hit a single up the middle to open the scoring. In fact, it was just a taste of the main course of the inning, as Wells won an impressive nine-pitch battle by destroying a hanging slider over flag court and onto Eutaw Street in right for a three-run bombshell.

It was Wells’ sixth home run of the year and his second in his last three games. The left-hander enters tonight’s contest with a wRC+ of 171 in his last 14 appearances. This hot streak couldn’t come at a better time, as Jose Trevino is heading to the 10-day IL with a right quad strain, and a longer streak of starts may be just what Wells needs to keep going.

Things went downhill for Gil in the second inning last time against the O’s, but he made short work of the lower orders with two strikeouts. Then in the third inning, he avoided his only walk of the afternoon with two more punchies, this time from Adley Rutschman and Anthony Santander on two nasty sliders. The only slip-up came in the fourth, when Ryan O’Hearn led off with a triple that Verdugo nearly caught before colliding hard with the wall in left. Colton Cowser and Austin Hays followed with two-out singles, but Gil left both in place and escaped with just one run allowed. He made short work of the Orioles over the next two innings, getting them in order twice and finishing off with a showpiece by strikeouting Jordan Westburg and Ryan Mountcastle to bottom the sixth inning.

This was one of the most encouraging outings from Gil that I can remember, and not just because he exorcised his Baltimore demons. You could see his focus between starts because there was a clear game plan against this dangerous Orioles lineup. Gil relied heavily on sliders in his first outing before attacking batters at the top of the zone with the four-seamer in his second outing.

The slider’s development over the last two games is perhaps the most exciting aspect. It was a minor issue for Gil during his first 17 appearances, but he now seems to be focusing more on the pitch to get out of his mini-slump. I wonder if he’s been tinkering in the lab between starts with the pitch, which has shown two inches more lateral movement over the last two games compared to the season average. Whatever the case, it’s working, as Gil has used the slider to get 10 of his 15 strikeouts between this game and last. He finished his day with six strong strikeouts, allowing one run on five hits and one walk with seven strikeouts, lowering his ERA for the season to 3.17.

After a quiet second, third and fourth inning, the two All-Stars leading the Yankees decided Gil needed a few more runs to back it up. Soto sank a solo hit just right of center – his 23rd of the year, tied for third in the AL – and five pitches later, Judge hit two consecutive pitches just left of center – his league-leading 34th of 2024. That’s the most before the All-Star break in franchise history.

Both hits left the bat at 113 mph, both flew over 425 feet, and both came against the changeup. It’s a pitch that has troubled the Yankees this year and has been the key to Rodriguez’s success to this point this season, but both hitters were prepared for it.

From there, the game was relatively uneventful. Gleyber Torres hit a double in the fifth inning and a single in the seventh for three hits, while both Soto and Judge hit a double and multiple hits in the later innings. Yankees relief pitchers Tim Hill and Jake Cousins ​​combined for three scoreless runs to seal the 6-1 victory, handing the Orioles their fifth straight loss. That evens the season’s losing streak — Baltimore scored just four runs in those five games — and both teams will play for sole control of the division tomorrow.

Carlos Rodón looks to put the Yankees on track for a decisive win over Dean Kremer in the finale of the first period. First pitch is scheduled for 11:35 a.m. ET and will air for free on Roku.

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