Baltimore, MD – Curtis Granderson came off the bench and drove in five runs, leading the New York Yankees to a 13-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles and a split of the four-game series at Camden Yards.
Granderson finished 3-for-3 with a homer, while Derek Jeter also homered and knocked in three runs for the Yankees, who will leave Baltimore the same way they entered -- with a one-game lead over the Orioles in the AL East.
New York bounced back nicely after Saturday's controversial finish, when a blown call on a game-ending double-play grounder cost the Yankees the tying run in a 5-4 loss.
Mark Teixeira hit into the double play Saturday and apparently aggravated a calf injury that had sidelined him for 10 games. He sat out Sunday and is headed back to New York for an MRI exam that could keep him out for at least another week.
The New York bullpen threw 5 2/3 innings of one-hit ball in relief of Freddy Garcia, who was tagged for three runs on three hits in 3 1/3 innings. Joba Chamberlain (1-0) got five outs, fanning four with one walk, to pick up his first win of the season.
"It was an outstanding job by our bullpen," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. "We were able to piece it together and added a lot of tack-on runs."
Zach Britton (5-2) took the loss, allowing five runs on five hits and five walks in just 3 1/3 innings.
"Obiovusly we didn't want to split, we wanted to win (the series)," Britton said. "But we have a lot of games left and we're in a good place."
The Yankees were clinging to a 5-3 lead entering the sixth when Granderson came on as pinch-hitter for Andruw Jones and clubbed the first pitch he saw from Jake Arrieta over the wall in center field for his 35th home run.
Granderson singled home two more in the seventh for an 8-3 cushion and capped a five-run eighth with a two-run double. Jeter had started the eighth-inning scoring with a two-run homer and Russell Martin also singled in a run during the big inning.
Jeter finished 2-for-4 and Alex Rodriguez extended his hitting streak to 13 games while scoring three times. Robinson Cano also had two hits, two walks and three runs scored in the victory.
The Yankees grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a two-out RBI single by Cano. Jeter led off with an infield single and Nick Swisher drew a walk before Rodriguez bounced into a double play. Cano then came through with a base hit to left field.
New York tacked on four in the fourth. Rodriguez led off with a single and a pair of walks loaded the bases for Steve Pearce, who drew another free pass to force in a run. Jayson Nix blooped a single to center with one out for another run, Ichiro Suzuki beat out a grounder to shortstop for another run-scoring hit and Jeter walked with the bags full to make it 5-0.
"Our guys were patient and patient and patient, and we were able to score some runs," Girardi said about his team's approach in the fourth.
Arrieta took over for Britton and retired the next two batters to keep the O's within shouting distance and Baltimore crept back into it in the bottom of the fourth.
Garcia walked Nate McLouth and hit J.J. Hardy with a pitch before Wilson Betemit chased both runners home with a double to right-center. Matt Wieters added a one-out base hit to score Betemit, chasing Garcia, but Chamberlain fanned both Mark Reynolds and Chris Davis to keep it 5-3.
Game Notes
The Yankees and Orioles split 18 meetings this season. New York went 6-3 in Baltimore ... The Yankees were 7-for-15 with runners in scoring position ... New York continues a 10-game road trip Tuesday in Boston with the start of a three-game series ... Baltimore remains home to face Tampa Bay for three, starting Tuesday.
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