Ben Rice homers, Will Warren strikes out nine in Yankees' 7-2 win over Orioles
Ben Rice homered and Will Warren had a strong outing, pitching into the seventh inning as the Yankees defeated the Orioles , 7-2, on Friday night at Yankee Stadium.
With the win, Warren is 4-0 with a 2.39 ERA for the season. The Yankees are 9-2 this season in series openers, including 5-0 in series openers at home.
Here are the takeaways...
-Warren had a strong first inning, retiring the side in order with two strikeouts and Aaron Judge making an impressive catch, robbing Taylor Ward of extra bases.
Judge wouldn't be able to rob Pete Alonso in the second inning as the former Mets slugger launched an opposite-field shot to tie the score at 1-1. The homer went 367 feet into the second deck in right field but was launched at 107.6 mph. It's Alonso's fifth homer of the season. After that, Warren was dealing, pitching into the seventh with less than 90 pitches thrown, but a one-out walk to Alonso and a Samuel Basallo single -- coupled with a Trent Grisham fielding error allowing runners to get to second and third -- spelled the end of Warren's night.
Fernando Cruz came on to try to get out of the inning, and after allowing Alonso to score on a groundout, Cruz got out of the frame relatively unscathed and put a stamp on Warren's line.
The young right-hander allowed two runs on three hits and one walk across 6.1 innings (94 pitches/60 strikes) while striking out nine batters.
-The Yankees got on the board early. After a two-out walk by Judge, Cody Bellinger drove him home with a double down the right field line, aided by a bobble from Dylan Beavers in right field.
With Anthony Volpe 's return looming, Jose Caballero is making his case to stay in the lineup with a first-pitch ambush of Cade Povich that went 397 feet just inside the left field foul pole. The homer went 108.5 mph off the bat. It wasn't the only homer on this night, as Rice launched a three-run shot. It was all part of a second inning that saw all nine Yankees batters come to the plate.
Rice's homer came off the lefty and now has five left-on-left longballs, which is tied with the Astros ' Yordan Alvarez for the most in the majors.
-The Yankees added on in the seventh with Amed Rosario coming through with a two-out single to score Judge from second. Aaron Boonecould have gone with a lefty off the bench to go up against Orioles right-hander Albert Suarez , but Rosario came through. Rosario, starting at third base, finished 1-for-3 with two strikeouts.
Judge added the Yankees' seventh run with a two-out single in the eighth to score Austin Wells from second. The Yankees captain went 2-for-3 with two walks.
-Bellinger entered Friday's game struggling. He was 2-for-18 over his last five games, but seemed to get back on track on Friday. He finished 2-for-4 with two doubles and a walk.
-Boone changed up the lineup a bit, having Paul Goldschmidt leading off (and starting at first) and dropping Grisham to ninth in the order. Goldschmidt went 0-for-4 with a walk and a run, while Grisham finished 1-for-4 with a run scored.
Game MVP: Ben Rice
While Warren was great, Rice's three-run shot gave Warren breathing room to fill up the zone.
Highlights
What's next
The Yankees and Orioles continue their series on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.
Ryan Weathers (1-2, 3.21 ERA) will take the mound against Kyle Bradish (1-3, 4.20 ERA).
