This time, it was cold-blooded: The Yankees were killing the Orioles. It was Homicide: Life On Eutaw Street at Camden Yards last night.
The Yankees scored 3 runs in the 1st inning, 3 in the 3rd, and 3 in the 5th. 30303? That's not a linescore, that's a ZIP Code in Atlanta. Gary Sanchez followed the previous night's game-winning homer with an early one, and finished with 4 RBIs. Clint Frazier hit 2 homers, finishing with 5 RBIs. It was 9-0 Yankees going to the bottom of the 5th.
But the Orioles scored 3 runs in that inning. Since Domingo German finished the inning having thrown 93 pitches, Aaron Boone decided not to take the chance, and sent David Hale -- a 31-year-old journeyman righthander, and a Princeton University graduate -- out to pitch, and let him pitch the last 4 innings. By the save rule, since he was the finishing pitcher, but not the winning pitcher, and went at least 3 innings without blowing the lead, he was entitled to a save, even though he came into the game with an 8-run lead, since the Yankees made it 11-3 in the top of the 6th and he entered in the bottom of the 6th.
The final was Yankees 11, Orioles 4. WP: German (9-1). SV: Hale (1). LP: David Hess (1-6).
With the win, and the Tampa Bay Rays' loss, the Yankees are now in 1st place in the American League Eastern Division by 2 games -- 1 in the all-important loss column. The Boston Red Sox are 5 1/2 back, the Toronto Blue Jays 10 1/2, and the Orioles 15 1/2.
The series concludes tonight. CC Sabathia starts against Dan Straily. At this rate, the Orioles may end up sleeping with the fishes. Or, given that it's Maryland, with the crabs.