


A lineup that’s looked mostly punchless without Aaron Judge showed pop for a second straight game as the Yankees beat the Orioles, 8-4, at the Stadium on Tuesday.
After hitting three homers in the win over the Orioles on Monday, the Yankees added a pair in their July 4th victory.
The win brought them within two games of Baltimore for the top spot in the wild-card race and second place in the AL East behind frontrunning Tampa Bay.
Gleyber Torres homered and doubled, and also had an impact on the bases.
He scored the go-ahead run in the fifth inning from first base on a Giancarlo Stanton single to center.
It was part of an eventful day for Torres, who also gave the Yankees their first runs of the game.
Anthony Rizzo, hitting leadoff for the first time this season, walked to start the bottom of the first and Torres followed with his 13th home run of the year and his first since June 18.
With a two-run lead, Clarke Schmidt gave up a double to Ryan O’Hearn to open the second, but Schmidt stranded O’Hearn there.
As Schmidt cruised early, the Yankees added another run in the fourth, taking advantage of a leadoff walk by Jake Bauers and Kyle Gibson drilling Harrison Bader in the right hand with a pitch.
Bader remained in the game and both runners advanced on a groundout by Volpe.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s sacrifice fly scored Bauers to make it 3-0.
Schmidt faltered in the fifth as former Yankee Aaron Hicks, booed loudly before every at-bat this series, got some revenge with a solo homer to right that got the Orioles on the board with one out.
Schmidt’s problems worsened, as Jordan Westburg followed with a double and Adam Frazier tied the game 3-3 with a two-run shot to right-center.
The Yankees got the lead back in the bottom of the fifth thanks to some wacky baserunning by Torres — and inattentive defense by the Orioles.
With Torres at first and two out, Stanton singled to center, sending Torres to third.
But Torres ran through third base coach Luis Rojas’ stop sign and when Cedric Mullins was slow to get the ball into the infield, Torres scored without a throw home.
Schmidt left after a single by Adley Rutschman to open the sixth and Ron Marinaccio entered and walked the first batter he faced, Anthony Santander.
He then got O’Hearn looking and Mullins on a deep fly to center, bringing up Hicks with runners on the corners.
Hicks nearly struck out on a 1-2 changeup but held his swing and ended up walking to load the bases.
Marinaccio recovered and got Westburg to pop out to preserve the one-run lead.
The Yankees got some insurance in the seventh, when Jose Trevino smacked an opposite-field homer to right off left-hander Nick Vespi.
After loading the bases later in the inning, the Yankees got another late, clutch hit from Bader.
Bader’s three-run home run on Monday broke a tie and his two-run double down the right field line Tuesday made it 7-3.