It seemed to me that the Baltimore Orioles moved the left field fence back 20 or so feet at Oriole Park at Camden Yards for one reason, and one reason only: To stop the Yankees from hitting home runs against them.
And in the Yankees' 1st series of the season in Baltimore, it mostly seemed to work: In 3 games, 29 innings, they scored 6 runs: They lost 2-1 in 11 innings, scoring on a double to left and a single to right; they won 5-2, scoring runs with a single to right, a double to center, a home run to left by Josh Donaldson, a single to right, a double to left, a fielder's choice, catcher's interference and a wild pitch; and lost 5-0. So, only 1 home run, although it was still to left, not over the close right field wall.
Since that series, the Yankees have gone 21-4. This includes last night's opener of the return visit to Camden Yards.
Luis Severino started, and went 6 innings, giving up just 1 run, a home run by Anthony Santander. In the top of the 3rd, the Yankees got a single to right by Donaldson and a double to left by Giancarlo Stanton. Not a home run, but a double. In the 4th, they got a single to left by Gleyber Torres (who seemed to especially to torment the O's with homers to left), an infield single by Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and a home run to right, where the O's hadn't pulled the fences back, by Jose Trevino.
And in the 9th, the Yanks got back-to-back home runs by Donaldson and Anthony Rizzo, both to right-center. Again, not where the O's tinkered with the dimensions. Looks like the Yankees learned their lesson from that earlier series. Maybe the problem wasn't that the wall was too close, but that the Orioles don't have the pitching to stop the Yankees.
Aroldis Chapman made us a little nervous in the bottom of the 9th, giving up a home run that allowed Santander to join the list of switch-hitters who hit home runs from both sides of the plate in a single game. But that would be it: Yankees 6, Orioles 2. WP: Severino (3-0). No save. LP: Kyle Bradish (1-2).
With the Tampa Bay Rays losing to the Detroit Tigers last night, the Yankees are now in 1st place in the AL East by 5 1/2 games.
The series against the Orioles continues tonight. Jameson Taillon starts against Spencer Watkins. Sounds like a couple of law firms.
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