The second ball Aaron Judge smoked in left-central field, went even further than his first, completely clearing the visitor’s bullpen en route to Statue Plaza at Camden Yards, before a ricochet struck it. New York Yankees sent back to celebrate the relievers.
They were nearly identical swings, two home runs from the Orioles’ right-handed judge Tyler Wells. His first three-run shot came in the third inning as he leapt onto a fastball and sent it at 436 feet 108.6 mph. The second was a single shot, leaving the Orioles in a hole and pumping up the Yankees pro crowd.
The second blast, against a change left at the strike zone, took off at 113.5 mph off Judge’s bat and traveled 465 feet, making it the fourth longest homer at Camden Yards, as Statcast tracked in 2015. was started. And as the judges, Wells and the rest of the 28,468 spectators declared bowed their necks to follow the Titanic shot into the night, the Yankees were on their way to a 7-6 victory to open the second half of the season.
It was not regular, however, with a three-run homer from Anthony Santander in the seventh. Leisurely around the bases for Santander after his 16th homer of the season showed that after the first half of the season ended, Baltimore remained in a never-ending mentality to get through it.
But that was not enough. The defeat began a seven-day stretch for the Orioles that matters on several fronts, most notably leaving Baltimore (46–47) one game under .500 again. With six more games to come against opponents of the American League East — two against New York and four against the Tampa Bay Rays — Baltimore’s record could be set by course executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias before the August 2 trade deadline. would follow.
The Orioles went on a run before the All-Star break, including a 10-game winning streak that took them over 500 in the season for the first time since 2017. But the two loss of rays slightly dampened the mood. The break, and another defeat on Friday left Baltimore in trouble.
There is still time to return to form. Winning the next six matches will go a long way in proving that this team has earned the chance to compete for a wild-card spot rather than face a seasoned sell-off. However, the first of those major encounters took a turn in the third innings.
With a 1-2 count against Joy Gallo – who played a .162 batting average – Wells could not see his pitches. He drives Gallo with two outs, then a discard. That walk proved costly, putting the judge in position to hit a three-run blast.
Josh Donaldson and Jose Trevino’s doubles scored another run before the judge’s fifth-inning homer, leaving Wells with five runs on five hits in five innings – breaking a streak of 17 straight runs with three runs or less. Huh, an Orioles record. Homer a single from Gallo and an RBI single from Isiah Kinnear-Falefa
Baltimore responded by giving that first judge homer two runs in the bottom of the third, as Jorge Mateo’s double-scored Ramon Ureas and Cedric Mullins’ single-scored Matteo all dismissed. But with the base loaded, Austin Hayes pops out. A groundout from Urias in the sixth scratched into another run.
Santander’s outburst turned it into a game again, even though Baltimore couldn’t fully overcome the long-ball hump of Judge’s league-leading 35th and 36th campaign.
Hall exit plan
Momentary speculation about another injury to a highly ranked pitching prospect nearing his major league debut ended Friday night when the Orioles announced a planned one-innings appearance from left-hander DL Hall. Went.
Hall, who ranks as Baltimore’s third-best prospect according to Baseball America, dropped his start for Triple-A Norfolk after allowing one run on two hits in one of his innings. He dismissed two more batsmen, taking his total to 42 in his last five appearances. Hall could be with the Orioles as soon as next week, but that’s no guarantee.
Concerns about Hall’s early absence stemmed from the departure of right-hander Grayson Rodriguez earlier this season as he approached promotion to the majors. Rodriguez initially experienced what appeared to be shoulder trouble, but was eventually diagnosed as a latent muscle strain that has stumped Baltimore’s top prospect since early June.
Hall appears to be gearing up for majors. The 23-year-old experienced pitch tipping in June, making nine earned runs between two starts. But his July has been strong for the Tides, with only two earned runs against them in 21 2/3 innings.
around the horn
>> Right-armer Kyle Braddish will begin his third rehab on Sunday for Triple-A Norfolk since landing on the injury list last month with a shoulder swelling.
>> Manager Brandon Hyde said the All-Star break “came at the right time” for Hayes. Hyde said that while a wrist entering the brake still hurts, Hayes’ wrist felt as good as it did sometime on Friday.
>> Three Orioles minor leaguers were named in Sunday’s Dominican Summer League All-Star Game: infielder Aaron Estrada and right-handers Harif Fres and Aris Rodriguez. Estrada, 17, has hit .371 in 89 at-bats with three homers. The 21-year-old Frias has dismissed 37 batsmen in 22 1/3 innings and the 20-year-old Rodriguez has an ERA of 2.55 in nine games.
This story will be updated.
Yankees @ Orioles
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