NEW YORK—The first game of the three-game series between the Orioles and New York Yankees hardly resembled a contest between the teams with the two best records in the American League.
Oriole starter Albert Suárez walked a career-high five in 3 2/3 innings, and two key players — Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg and Yankees slugger Aaron Judge — were forced to leave the game because of injury.
In the end, the Orioles didn’t have enough pitching or offense and lost to New York, 4-2 before a sellout crowd of 47,429 at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night. The Orioles’ only runs came in the ninth, when Anthony Santander hit a pitch 111-mph into the right-field seats.
The Orioles (47-25) trail New York by 2 ½ games in the American League East. After winning two of three in an emotional three-game series against Philadelphia, which has the best record in the National League, the Orioles had just six hits, all singles in the first eight innings until Santander’s two-run home run against Clay Holmes, his 18th.
Yankees rightfielder Juan Soto collided with Westburg and was called out for interference, ending the first inning. Westburg left the game with left hip discomfort and was replaced by Ramón Urías.
Connor Norby, who replaced Jorge Mateo when he went on the 7-day concussion list on June 3rd, was removed from Triple-A Norfolk’s game in Allentown, Pennsylvania for a pinch-hitter and could replace Westburg if necessary.
Judge was hit in left hand by Suárez in the third inning and removed for a pinch-hitter an inning later. The Yankees said he was undergoing imaging.
The Yankees (51-24) scored a run in the second against Suárez (3-1) when Anthony Volpe’s single scored Austin Wells, and they scored two more in the third on an RBI single by Giancarlo Stanton and a sacrifice fly by Gleyber Torres. Stanton’s single scored Judge.
The Yankees, who left nine runners on base in the first four innings, loaded the bases on three walks by Suárez in the fourth, but didn’t score.
Suárez allowed three runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings with a career-high five walks and three strikeouts.
New York took a 4-0 lead without a hit in the fifth inning when Gleyber Torres, who was hit by Keegan Akin, scored on DJ LeMahieu’s sacrifice fly.
Yankee starter Nestor Cortes (4-5) allowed five hits in six scoreless innings. The only Oriole to reach third was Adley Rutschman, who singled, moved to second on an infield out by Gunnar Henderson and moved to third on a passed ball by Austin Wells.