Orioles lack clutch hits in 5-3 loss to Yankees

The Orioles’ quest for consecutive series wins fell short as they dropped the rubber game against the Yankees 5-3 at Camden Yards on Easter afternoon.

A trio of singles in the top of the first inning got the Yankees out ahead 1-0. It could have been much worse, but Wells worked around trouble by getting Gleyber Torres to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Aaron Judge doubled the advantage in the third inning with a two-out solo homer.

Franchy Cordero continued his revenge tour against the Orioles with a two-run bomb in the fifth inning. His second long ball of the series scored Jose Trevino and made it 4-0 New York.

The Orioles finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning. Adley Rutschman singled and Ryan Mountcastle doubled ahead of Anthony Santander, who got out of his offensive funk with a two-run double, cutting the Yankee lead to 4-2.

The eighth inning brought an exchange of one-run dongs, first from Judge in the top of the frame, and then from Rutschman in the bottom. The deficit remained the same, but score changed to 5-3 with one inning to go.

Wells had a solid day. He went six innings, which is important for an Orioles bullpen that has already been stretched. And he notched six strikeouts without walking anyone. But the two home runs burned him to make his overall line rather pedestrian.

It’s noteworthy that the righty once again seems like a steady influence on a rotation that he seemingly just made ahead of rookie Grayson Rodriguez. Wells doesn’t bring overwhelming stuff as a starter, but he pounds the zone and isn’t afraid of contact. It’s a style that has served him well in his brief time in the role.

On offense, Rutschman continued to impress. Getting half a day off as the DH, he went 4-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.

The problem was that every other Oriole continued to struggle. The team went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and struck out 11 times as Nestor Cortes and the Yankees bullpen continued to be a problem.

Gunnar Henderson went 0-for-3 as we continue for his bat to catch fire. But the rookie did walk again. It’s not as if he looks overmatched, but seemingly off balance as he figured out of the big leagues. Rest assured he will and the Orioles will be the beneficiary.

These are games that the Orioles will need to figure o it how to win if they hope to be serious contenders. But it wasn’t meant to be today as they were bested by a club with the pedigree that are hoping to acquire.

A new series begins on Monday as the Orioles welcome the recently-swept Oakland Athletics to town for a four-game set. Kyle Gibson (2-0, 4.50 ERA) returns to the mound for game one with first pitch set for 6:35.