Yankees hold off Orioles, close in on playoff spot | Rapid reaction

The Yankees held off a late Orioles rally for a 10-8 victory at Yankee Stadium on Friday, bringing them that much closer to clinching a postseason berth.

NEW YORK — With the Red Sox still shaking off their hangovers from a champagne-soaked, American League East champion celebration, manager Aaron Boone stated the Yankees’ new goal:

Secure home-field advantage for the Wild Card Game.

“We want to go out and get that done,” Boone said. “This is a special place for us.”

The Yankees took the first step toward that Friday night, beating the lowly Orioles, 10-8, at Yankee Stadium before 39,903 fans.

What it means

The Yankees improved their lead for the top Wild Card spot over Oakland to two games, though the A’s were set to face the Twins later in the night. 

Their magic number to clinch a postseason spot fell to two.

Too close

Baltimore scored four runs in the eighth to make it scary for the Yankees. After rookie Stephen Tarpley got a strikeout, Boone brought in underperforming reliever A.J. Cole, who walked Tim Beckham and gave up a two-run shot to right field to Renato Nunez.

Cole stayed in but was pulled after a bunt single.

Boone didn’t want to turn to David Robertson, one of his higher-end relievers, for the second straight night but felt he had no choice. Robertson didn’t come through. He coughed up a two-run shot to rookie DJ Stewart, just his second home run of the season. That made it 9-8, Yankees. Robertson got out of it with a groundout in the next at-bat.

A Judge double in the eighth made it a two-run game. Judge hit one down the right-field line and Adam Jones fell down trying to collect it. Aaron Hicks, who had walked on four pitched, scored.

Dellin Betances got the save with an uneventful ninth.

Player of the game

CC Sabathia gave up just two runs over six innings, striking out five while walking a trio and giving up six hits.

The 38-year-old bounced back from a terrible start, in which he had given up three homers and five runs against the Blue Jays. He left with the Yankees ahead, 6-2.

Sabathia didn’t encounter much trouble until the fifth, when Renato Nunez singled to lead off the inning and Cedric Mullins walked with two outs. In the next at-bat, Joey Rickard singled them both home with a grounder to the right side and it was 6-2. He put Baltimore down in order in the sixth.

Power display

A pair of home runs powered the Yankees.

Didi Gregorius clubbed his 27th of the year in the first inning, yanking it to right field and bringing home Aaron Hicks, who led off with a walk against Orioles starting pitcher Yefrey Ramirez, an ex-Yankee. Ramirez went 3 2/3 innings, surrendering six runs.

And Aaron Hicks went yard to highlight a four-run fourth inning. It was his 25th of the season. In the inning, Gleyber Torres and Austin Romine each had RBI singles.

The O’s made it a two-run game in the seventh. Rookie Jonathan Loaisiga hung a fastball to Austin Wynns, who solo homered to left, and Jonathan Villar ripped a run-scoring single off ex-Balitmore star Zach Britton.

Next

Yankees righty Lance Lynn (9-10, 4.90 ERA) vs. Orioles righty David Hess (3-10, 5.22 ERA) at 4:05 p.m. Friday at Yankee Stadium. 

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.