Sometimes, baseball is not all that mystifying. Match a hard-hitting lineup against an inexperienced pitching staff, put them both in a small ballpark and the result is quite predictable.
Such is the case when the New York Yankees face the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.
The Yankees on Monday hit five more home runs at their favorite road destination to set a major league record and win their 13th straight game in Baltimore, with a score of 9-6.
Photo: AP
New York’s power surge and sixth straight win overshadowed a memorable night for Baltimore’s Jonathan Villar, who became the fifth Orioles player to hit for the cycle and first since Felix Pie on Aug. 14, 2009.
Villar tripled in the third inning, doubled in the fifth, homered in the sixth and dumped a single into right field off Aroldis Chapman in the ninth.
Although it looked as if Villar had no interest in heading to second base on the poke near the line, he later said he had no idea that the single completed the cycle.
“I wasn’t paying attention to that,” he said. “When I hit a base hit right there, the coach at first, he said: ‘Congratulations, you hit for the cycle.’ Right there, I knew.”
Mike Tauchman delivered a bases-empty drive in the sixth inning and a solo shot off Paul Fry (1-4) in the eighth inning, his first career multi-homer game. Austin Romine, Brett Gardner and Mike Ford also connected for the Yankees.
Not exactly Murderers’ Row, but certainly effective enough.
“That’s been a theme for us all year,” manager Aaron Boone said. “They can come from a lot of different places, and the bottom of the order is a place where we’ve gotten really good production and a place where we feel really confident.”
New York have hit 32 home runs at Camden Yards, a single-season record for most by a visiting team in one ballpark. The mark was previously held by the Milwaukee Braves, who hit 29 at Cincinnati’s Crosley Field in 1957.
Ford, a rookie, did not need much time to realize that it does not take much to hit a baseball over the close-in outfield fence on a toasty night in Baltimore.
“This is my first time here, but just seeing it tonight, the ball flies pretty good,” he said.
Orioles starter Gabriel Ynoa, part of a staff that has yielded 223 home runs, said of facing the Yankees: “You know that if you miss your pitches, something bad may happen to you.”
Since July last year, New York have won 13 in a row in Baltimore. That matches the Yankees’ longest road winning streak against one team since they dominated the Saint Louis Browns from May 1939 to June 1940.
Adam Ottavino (5-3) pitched the seventh inning for New York and Chapman worked the ninth for his 30th save.
Also on Monday, it was:
‧ Twins 5, Braves 3
‧ Dodgers 8, Cardinals 0
‧ Mets 5, Marlins 4 (Game 2)
‧ Mets 6, Marlins 2 (Game 1)
‧ Blue Jays 2, Rays 0
‧ Brewers 9, Pirates 7
‧ Cubs 6, A’s 5
‧ Red Sox 7, Royals 5
‧ Reds 7, Angels 4
‧ Rangers 1, Indians 0
‧ White Sox 7, Tigers 4
‧ Nationals 4, Giants 0
‧ Phillies 7, Diamondbacks 3
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