Orioles Steamroll Bombers 8-3
‘We need to play better baseball’
By Howard Goldin
BRONX, NEW YORK, September 3- For the second time in the three-game series between New York and Baltimore, Mark Reynolds, Baltimore’s first baseman, belted two home runs that led to a Baltimore win. The victory on Sunday cut the Yankees lead in the American League East to two games over the Orioles.
On Friday, the two homers and three runs batted in by Reynolds led to a 6-1 win for Baltimore. Reynolds was hitless during the loss on Saturday, but drove in four runs with homers in the fifth and sixth innings in the following day. The two games in which he hit two round trippers raised his total to 17 multi-home run contests.
Reynolds scored his third run of the game in the eighth after hitting a single during a three run rally. To no avail, the Yanks used five pitchers that inning.
The two homers upped the total given up by Yankees starter Phil Hughes this year to 32. Hughes tied Tommy Hunter of the Orioles and Ervin Santana for the major league lead. He paces all pitchers with the dubious honor of surrendering 21 homers at home.
The loss was the 12th of the season for Hughes. Five runs scored during his five innings on the mound. The starter gave up six hits in addition to the two round trippers. He walked one batter and fanned six.
The Yankees offense was mainly provided by newcomer Chris Dickerson, who played his first major league game of 2012 on the previous evening when he entered as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning. Dickerson signed a major league contract with the Yankees earlier that day.
Dickerson played 69 games this year with the AAA affiliate of the Yankees, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He batted .316, scored 57 runs, drove in 24 and hit seven home runs.
Dickerson blasted a homer into the second deck of the right field seats in his first big league at bat in 2012 in the second. Russell Martin walked and scored on the Dickerson homer.
Dickerson also scored the final; run for the yanks in the fifth after he led off the frame with a single.
Dickerson never made a third trip to the plate as he was pinch hit for by Andruw Jones (batting average of .203) in the seventh. Jones flied out to right.
Not only was Dickerson impressive at the plate, but also in the outfield. He made two excellent catches in center, one robbing Adam Jones of a home run.
After the three hour and 19 minute game ended, Joe Girardi commented, “We need to play better baseball.”
The Yanks ended the homestand with a mark of 2-4. Thrir troubles may not lessen soon as they begin a 10 game road trip agsinst Tampa Bay (3), Baltimore (4) and Boston (3).
CC Sabathia (13-4) is scheduled to start the opener in Tampa on Monday against James Shields (2-8).
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