BALTIMORE – Last night’s game between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees was postponed to July 9 due to inclement weather. Due to that, Andrew Cashner would make his start on Friday night against the Yankees, facing off against Sonny Gray.
Coming into Friday’s matchup, Cashner had gone 2-1 with a 1.73 ERA (five earned runs over 26.0 innings), six walks and 17 strikeouts in four starts against the Yankees. His first start of the year against the Yankees came on April 5 in New York, where he collected his first win of the season. He held the Yankees to just one run
Baltimore jumped out to an early lead on New York in the first inning. Orioles shortstop Manny Machado homered to opposite field against Sonny Gray. It was Machado’s 17th home run of the season, raising his batting average to .326. New York answered Machado’s home run with line drive single off of the bat of second baseman Gleyber Torres, scoring Neil Walker. Cashner was able to get out of a bases loaded jam, stranding three runners.
Later on in the fifth inning, left fielder Trey Mancini saw a Torres double bounce off of the outfield wall and Mancini mishandled the ball. As Torres rounded the bases and headed towards third, Mancini gained control of the ball and made a throw to third, getting the runner out. However, the Yankees would be able to score Brett Gardner on a triple to center field from Greg Bird.
During the top of the sixth inning, Yankees catcher Austin Romine reached first base on a hard-hit line drive to right fielder Joey Rickard, scoring Didi Gregorius. After getting out of the inning, Cashner’s day was done. He went six innings, allowing three runs (three earned) on nine hits, while walking one batter and striking out four, with his ERA settling a 5.02 on the season.
“I thought I got back on my sinker, fastball and located my off-speed stuff better,” said Cashner after the game.
In the seventh inning, left-handed reliever Tanner Scott entered the game for Cashner. Despite striking out three batters in the inning, Scott allowed a home run to last year’s AL Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge. It was Judge’s 15th home run of the season, putting the Yankees up 4-1.
Richard Bleier relieved Scott, pitching a scoreless inning in the eighth, allowing two hits. Baltimore also got a scoreless, hitless inning from Mike Wright in the ninth inning. Wright also had a strikeout during the inning.
Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman came on for the save, striking out Mancini, Craig Gentry and Andrew Susac in succession. Baltimore is now 17-40 on the season and sitting 22.0 games out of first place and eight games behind the fourth-place Tampa Bay Rays.
“Our outings sometimes get looked at different because people we’re not scoring any runs,” said Orioles manager Buck Showalter in the postgame press conference. “He [Cashner] gave up three runs in six innings to a very good lineup. That’s usually a recipe for a very good chance to win. So, I can’t fault him.
“Mike Wright, very quietly in his last three or four appearances, has been really good. It’s a little tick up in his velocity. Mike’s been impressive, but Cash [Cashner] gave us a chance. We’re just not scoring any runs. Just a familiar frame – we just haven’t strung much together. Obviously, there two guys at the end are really good, especially with the strike zone there. It’s pretty obvious.”
Notes:
Orioles left-handed pitcher Zach Britton made his second league rehab appearance and his first with Double-A Bowie. He went 1.0 scoreless inning and didn’t allow one baserunner. Outfielder Colby Rasmus also made a rehab start in Bowie, playing right field, going 0-for-3 with a walk.
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