New York Yankees Fail to Clinch AL East

Tuesday night on a national broadcast on TNT, the New York Yankees failed to clinch the American League East in a 5-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles scored one run in each of the second, fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. While bleeding out from paper cuts, the New York Yankees managed just a run in the fourth and two in the seventh.

Losing pitcher, Clarke Schmidt threw 5.1 innings of four-hit baseball. One of those hits was a home run by Anthony Santander, his 44th, to lead off the sixth which ultimately shut the door on Schmidt’s outing. Will New York be able to rebound tonight?

Bottom Of New York Yankees Order Nearly Silent

Of the seven hits recorded by New York bats, three of them came from Gleyber Torres, one from Juan Soto, and one from Aaron Judge. Outside the one, two, three spots in the lineup, the team managed only two hits. First baseman Anthony Rizzo had one hit, walked twice, and accounted for one of the three runs. Left Fielder Alex Verdugo also contributed a hit and scored. Everything else came from the top of the lineup. On the bright side, the New York Yankees did go 3-of-7 with runners in scoring position. There just weren’t enough runners on base.

The Yankees Will Get Another Shot

Luckily, the New York Yankees’ margin for error is pretty high. With five more games to play, the New York Yankees only need to win one game to clinch the AL East. The Yanks are currently five up on the O’s with five games to go. In the battle with the Cleveland Guardians for the top seed in the AL, the Yankees have a two-game lead in the loss column. Everything should be fine, but it would be nice to have the cushion to rest some players going into the postseason.

Previewing Game Two Against the Orioles

Tonight’s matchup in the Bronx will see the stache, Nestor Cortes, taking the mound to face Zach Eflin of the Orioles. Cortes has faced the Orioles twice this season. He has won once and lost once. He has a 3.00 ERA in 12 innings pitched and has not surrendered a home run. For the season, the Yankee starter carries a 9-10 record and a 3.77 ERA. After struggling in August, Cortes is 1-0 in 19.1 innings with a 2.50 ERA in September.

Eflin is 10-9 on the season with a 3.53 ERA. This will be the fourth time Eflin has faced the New York Yankees and has a 0-2 record to show for it. However, the record is a bit misleading. In 18.0 IP, the O’s righthander has given up just one home run and has held the Yanks in check, for the most part, with a 3.40 ERA. August and September have not been kind to the Orioles in general but to Eflin in particular. While somehow managing a 3-0 record in August, his ERA for the month was 9.00. In September, he is 1-2 with a better, but not good, 5.25 ERA.

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