New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
NYY	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	3	5	1
BAL	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	0

Rodón making his first start back from a forearm-rehab assignment was the story walking into Tuesday's opener at Camden Yards, and it came against a Baltimore lineup clinging to a Wild Card spot with a record still under .500. Baz took the ball for the Orioles carrying a 4-12 mark and coming off a start where Minnesota rocked him for 5 earned runs in just 3 innings.

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FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

Yankees(69-55)

WLLLW

3

-1.5+153-104o8.5-104

Orioles(61-64)

LWWWL

1

+1.5-156+104u8.5+106

Best BetYankees -108

Postgame

New York's 3-1 win backs the pregame lean — the Yankees needed only a 2-run 7th to pull away after both offenses traded single runs early. The lineup hole from missing Judge, Bellinger and Stanton never came up as an obstacle, and the sharp money that piled onto New York cashed clean.

Pregame

Rodón's rehab starts were about as clean as a return outing gets, and even shorthanded, the Yankees still have more thump in this lineup than the version of Shane Baz we've seen lately can handle. Baltimore's bullpen is also missing three high-leverage arms, which matters if Baz can't finish 5 or 6 innings clean. New York's the pick here even accounting for the rust.

New York's rotation had already reshuffled around Rodón's activation — Max Fried landed right back on the injured list as the Yankees turned the page on his elbow issue — while the middle of their order is still without Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton all at once. Baltimore, for its part, is trying to hold a Wild Card spot without Felix Bautista or Ryan Helsley anchoring the bullpen, an unusual position for a team hanging around the playoff picture with a losing record.

Carlos Rodón

(4-2)·3.22 ERA

Jun 28 @ Red Sox

ND

5.0IP

0ER

6K

4BB

96P

08/18 Lineup

Shane Baz

(4-13)·4.02 ERA

Aug 12 @ Twins

L

3.0IP

5ER

2K

1BB

65P

08/18 Lineup

None of that stopped either lineup from finding a run early. Both clubs scratched one across in the 3rd inning and the game sat tied for three more frames before New York finally pulled away.

The Yankees broke it open with a 2-run 7th, the difference in the 3-1 final, while Baltimore's offense went quiet the rest of the way. New York out-hit the Orioles 5-to-4, with the extra swing showing up right when it mattered, and the win keeps the Yankees inside the Wild Card field as the stretch run tightens.

New York Yankees

(69-55)

Aug 16W@ Blue Jays4-3

Aug 15L@ Blue Jays1-4

Aug 14L@ Blue Jays1-3

Aug 13Lvs Mariners0-1

Aug 12Wvs Mariners10-5

Baltimore Orioles

(61-64)

Aug 17L@ Rays6-7

Aug 16W@ Rays10-2

Aug 15W@ Rays4-3

Aug 14W@ Rays6-5

Aug 12L@ Twins5-7

Baltimore came in having taken 3 of its last 5, a stretch that included snapping Tampa Bay's 9-game winning streak, but Tuesday's loss was a reminder of how thin the margin is for a team still under .500 with a Wild Card spot in hand. The Orioles need length from arms like Baz if Bautista and Helsley are going to stay out much longer.

New York Yankees

(6)

• 10-Day-ILCody Bellinger (LF) — Bellinger (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment Thursday at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and is expected to play in at least two games before potentially rejoining the Yankees, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.08/18
• 10-Day-ILGiancarlo Stanton (DH) — Manager Aaron Boone said that Stanton (calf) did some baserunning Saturday, but the Yankees remain uncertain when the five-time All-Star will be ready to begin a rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.08/18
• 15-Day-ILMax Fried (SP) — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Fried (elbow) could return from the injured list immediately after he completes the required 15-day stay, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.08/18
• 15-Day-ILKervin Castro (RP) — The Yankees placed Castro on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to Monday, with right elbow neuritis.08/11
• 60-Day-ILAaron Judge (RF) — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Judge (ribs) will begin a hitting progression this week, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.08/18
• 60-Day-ILClarke Schmidt (SP) — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Schmidt (elbow) will be preparing to return from the 60-day injured list as a reliever, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports. "That can always change as the weeks and month unfolds, just depending," Boone said, regarding Schmidt's potential role. "But that's kind of how we're looking at."08/18

Baltimore Orioles

(9)

• 10-Day-ILBlaze Alexander (3B) — Alexander (hand) is expected to begin a rehab assignment within the next week, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.08/18
• 10-Day-ILSamuel Basallo (C) — Basallo (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.08/15
• 60-Day-ILFelix Bautista (RP) — Bautista (shoulder) could begin a rehab assignment within the next week, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.08/18
• 60-Day-ILRyan Helsley (RP) — Helsley (elbow) said Sunday that he's about a week into his throwing program but is likely a couple of weeks away from getting back on a mound, Andy Kostka of TheBanner.com reports.08/10
• 60-Day-ILColin Selby (RP) — Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Friday that Selby underwent right shoulder surgery Tuesday to repair his labrum and rotator cuff, Andy Kostka of TheBanner.com reports.07/31
• 60-Day-ILRyan Mountcastle (1B) — The Orioles announced that Mountcastle (foot) suffered a "significant" oblique strain while warming up for his first rehab game and will now be out a couple more months, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.07/31
• 60-Day-ILKeegan Akin (RP) — Akin (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.07/15
• 60-Day-ILJordan Westburg (3B) — Westburg (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Andrew Golden of TheBanner.com reports.05/15
• 60-Day-ILZach Eflin (SP) — Eflin underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.05/08

The bigger issue for New York isn't one night in Baltimore — it's getting Judge, Bellinger and Stanton back healthy before October matters. Bellinger looks like the closest of the three to returning, and if he beats the other two back into the lineup, this offense stops needing to scratch out 3-run wins to stay ahead in the Wild Card race.