BALTIMORE -- Asked to explain their success against the Orioles to this early checkpoint,
If only they could play all of their remaining games in Charm City, that would be a virtual certainty for the first-place Yankees. The American League East leaders by a full game over the idle Rays, New York has won a Major League-best 21 of 28 contests since April 19, and has secured seven victories in nine tries against Baltimore.\n\n\"There was a good vibe, even though it obviously wasn’t going our way early and we were down big,\" manager Aaron Boone said. \"There was kind of that theme, just chip away at this. We were able to hang in there enough. The bullpen did a good job of keeping them \\[close\\] so we could continue to chip away.\"\n\nTorres belted a solo shot in the second inning off Andrew Cashner and went deep again in the eighth against Mychal Givens. All but two of Torres’ 10 homers have come against Baltimore, and he has collected 11 homers and 21 RBIs in 20 career games against the Orioles.
\n\n\uD83C\uDFB6 When I'm with my Baby G, yeah
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 21, 2019
All the bad things disappear \uD83C\uDFB6 pic.twitter.com/c03Df8ZkdC
\"He's very impressive,\" Sanchez said through a translator. \"At his age, what he did last year and what he is doing now ... Great talent. I think he’s going to be playing this level of baseball for a long time.\"\n\nThe second of Torres' homers drew New York within a run, setting up their ninth-inning rally.
Voit had dropped a foul popup near first base in the sixth inning that preceded Baltimore's seventh run, and the slugger wondered if there were greater forces at play as he lifted a sky-high popup behind home plate in the ninth, watching it spin away from catcher Pedro Severino.\n\n\"I think it was God's way of giving me a break for dropping the one earlier,\" Voit said. \"I hit it really high. I know those are tough plays for catchers. Luckily, we caught a break.\"
Granted that second life, Voit walked, and then Sanchez teed off on a 97.6 mph fastball for his 13th home run, a three-run shot that gave the Yankees their first lead of the evening.\n\nLike Torres, Sanchez has not minded facing the O's, who have served up seven of his homers this year.\n\n\"I tried to shorten my swing,\" Sanchez said. \"I've had good results in games against them this year. I am hoping for the same kind of results going forward.\"