Aaron Judge did all he could, but the New York Yankees (18-13) couldn’t overcome a rocky second inning from Carlos Carrasco in a 5-4 loss to the Orioles (12-18) on Wednesday night, dropping two of three in Baltimore.
Judge got New York on the board early with a towering solo homer in the first, his 10th of the season, extending his on-base streak to 27 games. He later added an RBI single in the seventh, finishing a perfect 3-for-3 with a walk and raising his batting average to .427.
Paul Goldschmidt joined the power surge with a solo home run in the fifth, his second of the season, but the Yankees couldn’t capitalize in key spots. Their best chance came in the sixth with runners on the corners and one out, but both Pablo Reyes and Jasson Domínguez struck out to end the threat.
Carrasco gave up four runs in a tough second inning, including homers to Ryan Mountcastle and Ramón Urías. He lasted just 3.1 innings, allowing eight hits and striking out five. The Yankees’ bullpen kept them in the game, with Tim Hill, Fernando Cruz, Devin Williams, and Mark Leiter Jr. combining to allow just one unearned run the rest of the way.
Tempers flared briefly in the fourth after a collision at second base between Reyes and Heston Kjerstad, but the benches cleared without incident.
The Yankees will get the day off Thursday before turning their attention to Friday’s series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays in the Bronx. Max Fried (5-0, 1.19 ERA) is set to start for New York, while Tampa Bay has yet to announce its pitcher.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].