BALTIMORE (AP) - Despite all the injuries, and regardless of the deficit they face in the AL East, the New York Yankees won’t let up in their quest to put a strong finish on a heck of a season.
Luke Voit went 3 for 3 with a two-run homer to help Luis Severino earn his major league-leading 17th victory, and New York beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 Sunday night to complete a four-game sweep.
The Yankees have won eight of nine to move within six games of first-place Boston in the AL East, the closest they’ve been since Aug. 1. Boston owns the best record in the majors, and New York is a close second .
“We’re not thinking about Red Sox,” Severino said. “We’re thinking about our game, and thinking about winning every day. At the end of next month, if it’s going to be close or not, we don’t know. But we’re going to play hard every day.”
Rookie Miguel Andujar also had three hits and two RBIs for New York, which outscored the Orioles 27-12 during its first four-game sweep in Baltimore since August 2003.
Severino (17-6) allowed four hits and two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings, striking out eight. The right-hander was 2-4 with a 7.26 ERA over his previous six starts before returning to form against the Orioles, who own the worst record in the big leagues (37-94) and rank last in the AL in batting average.
“That’s first-half-of-the-year dominant fastball,” manager Aaron Boone said. “The slider was still a little inconsistent for him. But I thought stuff-wise and being able to pitch with his fastball, he was electric. So hopefully another step forward for him.”
David Robertson worked the ninth for his fourth save.
Even though the Yankees are without slugger Aaron Judge, catcher Gary Sanchez and closer Aroldis Chapman, they found a way to dispose of the Orioles.
“Look, this was really nice,” Boone said. “I tonight, honestly, we were dragging a little bit, just with the road trip and the doubleheader yesterday. So for us to be able to grind that win out…”
The Orioles have lost eight straight, one shy of their season high. Baltimore has endured five losing streaks of at least seven games this year.
Dylan Bundy (7-13) pitched five innings, giving up four runs and six hits - including his major league-leading 34th home run.
“Everybody is frustrated with the way their season is going personally, so it’s affecting us as a team,” Bundy said. “But I think we’re all trying to get better.”
Voit got New York started with a two-run drive in the second inning, his third homer with New York since being traded from the Cardinals on July 28. All three long balls have come within the last three games.
Andujar doubled in two runs in the third to make it 4-0, and Voit singled and scored on a wild pitch in the sixth for a 5-1 lead.
In the Baltimore half, after Trey Mancini hit a leadoff homer , a throwing error by shortstop Gleyber Torres led to Severino’s exit and an unearned run.
300 ON HOLD
New York slugger Giancarlo Stanton went 0 for 5 with four strikeouts and remains one homer shy of 300 for his career. He was 1 for 15 with eight strikeouts in the series.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: Sanchez (groin) will begin a rehab assignment Monday with Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre. “He’ll be there playing several games this week getting ready to go,” Boone said. … SS Didi Gregorius (left heel) will be evaluated by a doctor Monday. Boone hopes Gregorius and Sanchez will return for a road trip that begins Sept. 3 in Oakland. … Judge is still “waiting for that pain to get out” of his fractured right wrist, Boone said. “Once that fracture is healed, then we go.”
Orioles: Rookie CF Cedric Mullins was bothered by a sore hip and missed his first game since being recalled from the minors on Aug. 10. “I’m hoping it’s a short-term thing,” manager Buck Showalter said. Mullins was batting .309 with five doubles and two homers in 15 starts.
UP NEXT
Yankees: Masahiro Tanaka (9-4, 3.90 ERA) starts Monday night in the opener of a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium. The right-hander is 4-0 with a 2.23 ERA in five career starts against the Sox.
Orioles: Baltimore concludes the homestand with a three-game set against Toronto beginning Monday. Rookie David Hess (2-8, 5.50 ERA) pitches the opener for the Orioles.
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