Yankees make quick work of Tomoyuki Sugano, Orioles

The Yankees spoiled the final Saturday home game with a few big blasts and some dominant pitching from Carlos Rodón. Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge both took Tomoyuki Sugano deep, and the Orioles struggled to make noise against Rodón and the bullpen in a 6-1 loss.

Sugano delivered several quality appearances in his first MLB season, but the 35-year-old rookie struggled tonight against the best offense in baseball. The Yankees worked the count in just about every at bat. Sugano struggled to put hitters away, and New York eventually found a way to make the righty pay.

Sugano came within one strike of posting a zero in the first. He retired Trent Grisham and Ben Rice before Judge poked a 3-2 sweeper into right field. Cody Bellinger followed with a soft single, but Stanton provided the hard contact that the Yankees needed. Stanton ripped a ball 104 MPH for a three-run Oppo Taco.

The three-run lead felt insurmountable before Baltimore took its first at bat. Rodón entered the game with a 3.11 ERA, and the lefty looked the part of a playoff starter tonight. Gunnar Henderson stole second after a two-out single in the first, but Rodón retired Tyler O’Neill to end the inning. Rodón worked around a single by Ryan Mountcastle in the second before retiring the side in the third and fourth innings.

Sugano danced around a pair of singles in the second inning, but the Yankees got back on the board in the third. Judge worked the count full again, but he came for more than a single in his second at bat. Judge launched the eighth pitch 370 feet over the wall in left. The blast provided New York a four-run lead and marked Judge’s 49th homer of the season.

Sugano proceeded to walk Stanton and plunk Rice before finally retiring Ryan McMahon with his 87th pitch of the night. Sugano allowed six hits, four runs, and threw 51-of-87 pitches for strikes. Tony Mansolino went to the bullpen for the fourth inning.

Tonight likely marked Sugano’s final start for the Orioles at Camden Yards. In a year marred by pitching injuries, Sugano provided Baltimore over 150 innings. That’s certainly something. Sugano recently told reporters that he hopes to pitch in the majors again next season. Baltimore could bring back the baseball veteran as a depth piece, but the Birds must improve the ceiling of the starting rotation moving forward.

José Castillo—a recent waiver claim from Seattle—kept the Yankees off the board in the fourth but ran into trouble in the fifth. Bellinger worked a leadoff walk, stole second, and scored on a single by Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Henderson attempted to make a sliding play on the grounder from Chisholm, but the ball trickled into left field. Chisholm deserved a base hit, but Henderson could have kept Bellinger at third by knocking the ball down. It didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, but the Orioles defense left plenty to be desired tonight at Camden Yards.

Yennier Cano recorded the final run of the fifth inning, but he found trouble in the sixth. Cano allowed a one-out single to Anthony Volpe. Volpe stole second and scored the Yankees final run on a single by Grisham.

Baltimore managed to avoid the shutout with one run in the seventh. O’Neill received a free trip to start the inning. He advanced to second on a passed ball and moved to third on a ground out. Coby Mayo followed with an RBI-double off the bottom of the wall in left field. Mayo accounted for half of Baltimore’s four hits and turned a nifty 3-6-3 double play in the sixth.

The Yankees pulled Rodón after seven strong innings. Rodón struck out eight, walked one, and limited Baltimore to four hits. The Orioles failed to reach base against Yankee relievers Luke Weaver and David Bednar.

The first three games of the series have all gone the way the pitching matchup would indicate. The Orioles have a legitimate chance to even the series with Kyle Bradish on the mound tomorrow, but the bats will need to find a way to get going against RHP Cam Schlittler.