NEW YORK — The Orioles and Yankees expected this three-game series in the Bronx to have a playoff-like intensity. It’s only June, but this set could have playoff implications as the two teams duel it out for the American League East title.
Well, Game 1 on Tuesday ended up being a literal bloodbath.
By the end of the third inning, Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman had already been covered in his own blood, after injuring his face sliding into second base.Third baseman Jordan Westburg had collided with Yankees’ outfielder Juan Soto after Soto interfered on the base paths, and Aaron Judge was hit in the hand by a pitch. Westburg and Judge both left the game, Westburg with left hip discomfort and Judge to undergo tests on his left hand.
“That’s a strange play,” manager Brandon Hyde said of the play where Westburg got hurt. “You don’t see that a ton. A routine ground ball, just ran into him. I don’t know.”
The Yankees won the first matchup 4-2. Game 2 on Wednesday will feature Cade Povich, making his third career start, and Gerrit Cole, the 2023 AL Cy Young winner, making his first start of the season.
“It’s still June,” Gunnar Henderson said. “We still have three, four months left to play. Still a lot of games left. Obviously, you want to win every series you can against an AL East rival, but at the same time it’s still a long season.”
Albert Suárez has performed better than expected in the rotation. The minor league free agent who spent last year in South Korea has been a savior so far for a pitching staff riddled with injuries. But on Tuesday, in his first career start against the Yankees, he struggled with command as he walked five and allowed six hits.
He said he’s not sure why he was off, but plans to watch video Wednesday to get the answer.
“It was one of those days where you don’t know, you are just battling with yourself out there and you just have to keep going and try to get through,” Suárez said.
He did escape with only three earned runs, pitching himself out of jams in every inning. His pitch count climbed quickly, with Suárez walking three in the fourth to load the bases before he was removed with two outs.
“I don’t focus on how tough they are, I just focus on how I can execute,” Suárez said. “Today I didn’t. That’s why I think we got the loss today.”
Keegan Akin replaced him, getting the Orioles out of the inning. He gave up a run in the fifth, but at least provided two innings of relief after a short start.
The Orioles had five hits against Yankees starter Nestor Cortes and made it past first base just once. They found some offense in the ninth against New York closer Clay Holmes — Gunnar Henderson hitting a single to open the inning and Anthony Santander driving him in with a homer — but it would not be enough.
“I thought Nestor Cortes was really good,” Hyde said. “We had a tough time squaring balls up against him, we didn’t have a ton of offense until Tony hit the two-run homer in the ninth.”
Judge was taken to a local hospital to undergo imaging on his hand, and later returned to the Yankees clubhouse to say X-rays and CT scans came back negative.
Westburg is day-to-day and pretty sore, Hyde said. Connor Norby was pinch-hit for in the Norfolk Tides game, perhaps a precaution in case he is needed to replace Westburg. Norby made his MLB debut earlier this month and had three hits, including a home run, in his 14 at-bats.
