Yankees

Yankees 3, Orioles 1: Carlos Rodon Returns, Grisham Steals the Show

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Yankees 3, Orioles 1: Carlos Rodon Returns, Grisham Steals the Show

The Yankees are missing Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton, so somebody has to step up and provide some offense.

Tuesday night, that somebody was Trent Grisham.

Grisham drove in every Yankees run, Carlos Rodón gave New York four solid innings in his return to the rotation, and the bullpen locked down a 3-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.

The win pushed the Yankees to 70-55 and gave them their sixth victory in eight meetings with Baltimore this season.

Grisham Carries the Offense

This Yankees lineup isn’t exactly overflowing with firepower right now. Without Judge, Bellinger and Stanton, there are going to be nights when winning ugly is the only option.

Grisham made sure three runs were enough.

He put New York on the board in the third inning, jumping Shane Baz for a solo home run to right field. It was Grisham’s 17th homer of the season and gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead.

Baltimore answered almost immediately when Coby Mayo took Rodón deep in the bottom half of the inning, tying the game at one.

And that’s basically where the score stayed until the Yankees finally put something together in the seventh.

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Spencer Jones opened the inning with a single. After Jazz Chisholm Jr. struck out, George Lombard Jr. singled to put two runners aboard. Paul Goldschmidt then worked a walk as a pinch-hitter to load the bases.

Amed Rosario couldn’t bring a run home, striking out for the second out.

That left it up to Grisham.

With two strikes against Josh Walker, Grisham lined a single into center field, scoring Jones and Lombard and giving the Yankees a 3-1 lead.

That’s the kind of at-bat this team needs when its stars aren’t available. No waiting around for somebody else. No wasted opportunity with the bases loaded. Put the ball in play and get the runs home.

Grisham finished 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. He has also been heating up at the right time, hitting .302 with six homers and 12 RBI over his last 13 games.

Rodón Looks Sharp in His Return

The other important development came on the mound.

Rodón made his first Major League start since June 28 after dealing with left elbow inflammation, and the Yankees weren’t asking him to be a hero.

Four innings. Sixty-six pitches. Get through it healthy and give the team a chance.

Mission accomplished.

Rodón allowed just two hits and one run while striking out four and walking two. Mayo’s solo homer was the only damage Baltimore managed against him.

Considering how long Rodón had been away, that’s about as encouraging a return as the Yankees could have asked for.

Bullpen Slams the Door

From there, the bullpen handled everything.

Yerry De Los Santos threw two scoreless innings to earn the win. Brent Headrick and Fernando Cruz combined to escape trouble in the seventh, Paul Blackburn worked a scoreless eighth, and David Bednar finished it in the ninth.

Bednar needed only eight pitches, all strikes, and struck out two Orioles before getting Yohel Pozo on a grounder to end it.

Five relievers combined to cover five innings without allowing a run.

The Yankees only had five hits. They struck out 14 times. This was not some offensive explosion.

But with this lineup missing three major bats, style points don’t mean much right now.

Grisham delivered the big swing and the biggest hit. Rodón came back looking healthy. The bullpen did its job.

And the Yankees walked out of Baltimore with another win.

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