Game 22 Wrap-Up: NYY 2 BAL 1

(Out!  Courtesy of Getty Images)

The Yankees used the Orioles to end their season-opening losing streak with a 3-game sweep in Baltimore earlier in the month.  They were looking for the same thing this time around coming off a series win against Detroit, and had the type of pitcher in Hiroki Kuroda who could hold the free-swinging Baltimore lineup down if his command was on.

Game Notes:

- I don't know when Eric Chavez's power got moved out of the ICU and off the Witness Protection Program, but it's good to see it back.  Chavez cranked a 2-run HR off Baltimore starter Jason Hammel in the bottom of the 2nd, his 3rd of the season, to give the Yanks a 2-1 lead, and looked damn good doing it.

- Kuroda was nothing if not efficient in his start last night.  His stuff wasn't great, and his command wasn't perfect, but Kuroda still managed to mix pitches well and keep the Orioles off the bases.  A cheap run on a sac fly in the 2nd was all Baltimore had to their names through 5 innings, and Kuroda had thrown only 63 pitches.

- Give Baltimore starter Jason Hammel credit.  After the Chavez HR he managed to make it through 6 innings without allowing another run to score.  It took him 101 pitches to do it, and he did get bailed out by a first-pitch swinging double play to end the 6th, but it was still a solid job.

- Things got a little hairy for Kuroda in the 7th when a single, hit batter, and wild pitch put runners at 2nd and 3rd with 1 out.  But Kuroda got a big strikeout of Chris Davis and made a great play tagging out Nick Markakis trying to score on a wild pitch to keep the O's off the board and keep the lead intact.

- D-Rob was absolutely filthy striking out the side in the 8th.  Just dirty.  Kuroda was only at 87 pitches through 7, but Joe probably wanted to stay on the safe side after the tumble Kuroda took making the play at the plate aN. Robertson was available.  Not a bad call to make.

- The Yankee offense could do no more after Hammel left the game, but it didn't matter.  Mo came in for the 9th, exit light, enter night, 2-1 Yankee win.

** UPDATE- 3:50PM- Tonight's pitching matchup corrected after the jump.  Apparently keeping 5 guys in order is a tall task for me.**

#dumbass

F*ck Yeahs:

- Kuroda: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.  Got his 2nd win of the season and had his 3rd good start in the last 4.  Hopefully the stinkers are over for a while and Kuroda is starting to settle in.

- Chavez: 1-3, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI.  Responsible for the only Yankee runs in the game.  That's "Fuck Yeah" worthy if I ever saw it.

- Eduardo Nunez: 0-3.  He didn't do anything at the plate, but this was about the defense he played in left.  I give Eduardo a lot of shit for his D, but he got tested early and often last night and he passed the test.  The lone Oriole run came on a sac fly that Nunez made a good track and good catch in deep left to get the out.

Oh Nos:

- Russell Martin: 0-3, 2 K.  Absolutely lost at the plate right now.

- Raul Ibanez: 0-3, GIDP, 3 LOB.  You have to take the bad Raul with the good.

Next Up:

Ivan Nova gets a chance to right the ship after his rough last outing, and he's got the ideal opponent against which to do it.  He held the Orioles in check in his first start of the season, and has pretty good numbers against them in his career, Phil Hughes is pitching for the Yankees, which may or may not be a good thing, and Brian Matusz has allowed 20 ER, 41 H, and 14 BB in 38.1 career IP against the Yankees, which is definitely a good thing.