Aaron Judge’s 10th home run of the season was not enough for the Yankees, who fell to the Baltimore Orioles 5-4 on Wednesday night at Camden Yards.
Ryan Mountcastle’s two-run shot and Ramon Urias’ solo shot headlined a four-run second inning off New York starter Carlos Carrasco, which canceled out Judge’s monster two-run blast in the top of the first well off the batter’s eye in center field.
Adley Rutschman added an RBI single to cap off Baltimore’s big inning.
Benches cleared in the bottom of the fourth inning when the Orioles’ Heston Kjerstad stole second base. While sliding into the bag, the leaping second baseman Pablo Reyes landed on the base stealer’s head in an attempt to reel in catcher Austin Wells’ high throw.
While Reyes retreated toward the first-base bag to get the ball, a visibly upset Kjerstad began talking to Reyes — a minor confrontation that led both benches to clear, some fiery discourse to be had, and then a return to baseball.
“There were a couple words there that probably, it felt like they suspected me in the heat of the moment there,” Reyes said. “But later on, then it kind of toned down from there.”
Paul Goldschmidt hit his first home run since March 29, a solo shot that also provided his 1,200th career RBI, to pull the Yankees (18-13) within one in the top of the fifth.
The Orioles answered right back with one in the bottom of the frame through Jacksno Holliday’s RBI groundout.
Judge drove in his third run of the night with an RBI single in the seventh to get the Yankees’ deficit back to one, but it was the last hit the Bronx Bombers would get, as they dropped two of three in Baltimore.
