Baltimore Orioles vs New York Yankees

Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodón, making his first start since 28 June after a stint on the injured list with left elbow inflammation, delivered four solid innings. He allowed just two hits and one earned run while striking out four.

The game's first run came in the top of the third. Grisham lifted a 0-1 pitch from Orioles starter Shane Baz onto the right-field flag court for his 17th home run of the season, giving New York a 1-0 lead.

Baltimore answered immediately in the bottom half. Rookie first baseman Coby Mayo crushed a 2-0 fastball from Rodón to left field — his 17th homer of the year — tying the game at 1-1.

That remained the score until the seventh. Baz, who was dominant all night, struck out 10 over 6⅓ innings — a season high — but exited with runners on first and second and one out. Reliever Josh Walker walked pinch-hitter Paul Goldschmidt to load the bases, then struck out Amed Rosario for the second out.

Grisham worked a full-count battle, fouling off multiple pitches before lining a 2-2 sinker into center field. Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr. scored, putting the Yankees ahead 3-1. Grisham fought off an 0-2 count to deliver the decisive blow.

"Stay in it. Stay in the fight," Grisham said postgame, via MLB.com. "Don't let circumstances dictate how I'm thinking. If I get out, I get out. If he makes his pitch, he makes his pitch. But it's not going to be because I think my way out of an at-bat."

Baz's departure in the seventh flipped the game. He had retired 12 of 14 Yankees between the third and sixth innings and looked untouchable with his knuckle curve (a career-high 10 whiffs on the pitch). Once Walker entered, the Yankees capitalised on his command issues — the bases-loaded walk to Goldschmidt and Grisham's two-out hit — to turn a 1-1 tie into a two-run lead.

"Baz was outstanding. Just that one mistake, the changeup that came back in to Grisham," Orioles manager Craig Albernaz told MLB.com. "Outside of that, he was outstanding. It was good to see him back out there pounding the strike zone with really good stuff."

Trent Grisham (NYY) — ★ Player of the Match — 2-for-4, HR (17), 3 RBI. Drove in every Yankees run. His seventh-inning single came with two strikes and two outs against a reliever who had just loaded the bases.

Shane Baz (BAL) — 6.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 10 K (season high). Generated 16 whiffs, with 10 on his knuckle curve alone. Baz continues to receive the lowest run support of any Orioles starter (3.36 runs per 9 innings when he is on the mound, per MLB.com). Fell to 4-13 on the season despite a 4.02 ERA.

Carlos Rodón (NYY) — 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. Effective return from the IL. Threw 66 pitches (39 strikes) in his first MLB action in 51 days.

Coby Mayo (BAL) — 1-for-3, HR (17), RBI. The rookie first baseman tied the game in the third with his solo shot, accounting for Baltimore's only run.

David Bednar (NYY) — 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K. Locked down the ninth for his 28th save of the season.

The box score tells a story of missed opportunity for Baltimore. The Orioles managed only four hits against six Yankees pitchers but drew four walks and put the leadoff man on in multiple innings. They went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.

New York's bullpen — Yerry De los Santos (W, 2.0 IP), Brent Headrick, Fernando Cruz, Paul Blackburn and Bednar — combined for 5.0 scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts. De los Santos earned his first win of the season.

The Yankees struck out 14 times themselves, a sign that Baz dominated for as long as he was in the game. But New York's 5 hits were timely, and their one home run (Grisham) was more efficient than Baltimore's one home run (Mayo) given the bases-empty context.

New York improved to 71-55, holding second place in the AL East behind Tampa Bay (76-51). The Yankees remain very much in the wild-card and division conversations with just over a month to play.

Baltimore dropped to 61-66, falling to fifth in the AL East. The Orioles had lost back-to-back games after dropping Monday's series finale in Tampa, and their path to a wild-card spot grows narrower with each missed opportunity. Baz's continued lack of run support — the team averages 3.36 runs per 9 innings in his starts — has been a defining theme of Baltimore's season.

The series continues Wednesday 19 August and Thursday 20 August at Camden Yards, with the AL-best Rays arriving for a weekend series after that.

A classic pitchers' duel decided by a single sequence. Baz was the better pitcher on the night but left without a lead. Grisham delivered the kind of two-out, two-strike hit that separates good lineups from great ones. For Baltimore, the pattern is painfully familiar: strong starting pitching, no offensive support, and a bullpen that cannot keep the game tied.