WHY THE YANKEES SMASHED THE O's...AND I LIKE IT

Saturday was a great day for the Yankees all around. They played a day-night doubleheader against the last place Baltimore Orioles. Going into the day, I knew for sure the Yankees would sweep this double dip especially after losing the first game on Friday, and sure enough I was right. Not only did the Yankees sweep the doubleheader, but they destroyed the Orioles and more importantly, Buck Showalter. Let's get right to the action.

In game one Bartolo Colon got the start. He was good, not great, but he picked up the win. He went five innings, allowed two O's to score, and he punched out six.
Big Bart did get plenty of support in this one. But it was from the bottom of the order. Nick Swisher, Eric Chavez, Jorge Posada, Chris Dickerson, and Francisco Cervelli combined to go 10 for 19 with six of the eight runs driven in. The top of the order--Brett Gardner, Eduardo Nunez, Mark Teixeira, and Robinson Cano--combined to go 1 for 17 with two Brett Gardner RBI. I guess it doesn't matter who drives in the runs, just as long as the runs get driven in.

In game two of this series, the Yankees went on an historic offensive barrage in the first inning. The Yanks got out to a quick 12-0 lead after the first inning. That is the most runs in the first inning ever by the Yankees. If you watched this one, you saw something that has never happened in the history of the Yankees. Amazing.
Anyway, since there was a ton of scoring--17 runs to be exact--there had to be key contributors. In fact, everyone contributed. All nine starters got at least one hit and scored at least one run. Robinson Cano got a career high five of the Yanks 24 hits, and a game high five RBI. Nick Swisher clubbed his 14th homer of the season in the 12 run first, while Andruw Jones hit a mammoth shot in the third.Ivan Nova got the start in this one, and with scouts in the ballpark, he impressed. The young right hander got his 12 run lead and ran away with it. He went seven strong, allowing two runs, and he struck out six. Remember, Phil Hughes had a 12 run lead against Oakland and he couldn't get out of the fifth.

Also a quick note in game two of the doubleheader; Rafael Soriano made his first appearance since May 13th against the Red Sox. He pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning, and he struck out two batters. It was his first 1-2-3 outing since Opening Day. Nice to see, all be it in a 14 run game.

Final Score:
Game 1: Yankees 8 - Orioles 3
Game 2: Yankees 17 - Orioles 3

I could sense that doubleheader sweep, and I sense another Yankees win today. Freddy Garcia (9-7, 3.23 ERA) will continue to try to defy the odds as he matches up against Jake Arrieta (10-7, 5.12 ERA).



--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




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