Recap: Baltimore vs. NY Yankees
Sports Network | August 22, 2008
Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) - Xavier Nady drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning and also homered as New York downed Baltimore, 9-4, in the opener of a three-game set at Camden Yards.
Cody Ransom added a three-run homer for the Yankees, who banged out 16 hits and won for the second time in three games, remaining six games back of Boston for the AL wild card.
Robinson Cano and Jose Molina also homered for New York, while Bobby Abreu finished 5-for-5 with an RBI and Derek Jeter was 1-for-5 and picked up his 2,500th career hit.
Mike Mussina allowed four runs on nine hits in six innings but picked up a no- decision. Jose Veras (4-2) picked up the win after hurling a scoreless seventh inning and Mariano Rivera picked up his 29th save by getting the final four outs of the game.
Ramon Hernandez blasted a solo homer for the Orioles, who have dropped three of their past four. Aubrey Huff was 2-for-3 and drove in two runs.
Radhames Liz started on the hill for Baltimore and surrendered three runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings. Jamie Walker (1-1) lost it after giving up two runs in the eighth.
Trailing 4-3, the Yankees came back with a pair of runs in the eighth off the O's bullpen. Abreu greeted Walker with a single up the middle and was quickly chased to third when Alex Rodriguez lined a double off the top of the wall in left. After Jason Giambi popped out, Baltimore went to Kameron Mickolio and the big right-hander uncorked a wild pitch, enabling Abreu to score and tie the game. Nady followed by lining an RBI single to right to put New York in front 5-4.
The Yankees put things away with a four-run, two-out rally in the ninth. Abreu started things with a single off Alberto Castillo. The O's went then went to Fernando Cabrera but the move backfired badly. After Rodriguez ripped a ground-rule double to left-center, Ransom, who had entered the game as a defensive replacement for Giambi, ripped a three-run homer run over the wall in left. Nady then capped the inning with another homer and the Yankees had a commanding 9-4 advantage.
The Yankees jumped on top with a run in the first. Johnny Damon led off the game by ripping a double down the right field line. Jeter followed by blooping a single to center, his 2,500th career hit, to put runners on the corners. Abreu then grounded an RBI single through the right side. Liz averted further trouble from there by getting Rodriguez to ground into a 5-4-3 double play before punching out Giambi.
The O's quickly evened things in the home half. Brian Roberts singled to left and swiped second before coming around to score on Huff's two-out single.
Baltimore took its first lead in the third when Nick Markakis, Melvin Mora and Huff recorded consecutive one-out singles to make it a 2-1 game.
Hernandez extended the Orioles lead to 3-1 with a one-out solo shot in the fourth, his 13th of the year.
The Yankees bounced back in the fifth when Cano and Molina led off the frame with back-to-back homers to deadlock things at three.
Baltimore went back in front with a run in the sixth. Kevin Millar ripped a one-out ground-rule double, advanced to third on Luke Scott's single and crossed the plate when Hernandez lofted a sacrifice fly to deep left field.
Ransom has had two at-bats since being recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre and has hit two home runs...Jeter became the 88th player in big league history to get his 2,500th hit. Only five active players have more hits: Ken Griffey Jr. (2,657), Omar Vizquel (2,634), Gary Sheffield (2,594), Ivan Rodriguez (2,593) and Luis Gonzalez (2,577)...Meanwhile, Jeter is third on the all-time Yankees hit list behind Hall of Famers Lou Gehrig (2,721) and Babe Ruth (2,518)...Mussina remained stuck on 266 career wins. He is tied with Bob Feller and Eppa Rixey for 35th place in MLB history. Former Orioles great Jim Palmer is in 34th place with 268 wins.
