Castro, Romine provide spark, Yankees edge Orioles
BALTIMORE -- Starlin Castro and Austin Romine both knocked in two runs, and the New York Yankees jumped out to an early seven-run lead and then held on for an 8-6 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night.
The Yankees (26-29) had lost four of their last five coming into this game. New York's offense often sputtered in recent days but the Yankees banged out 16 hits in this contest.
Castro went 3-for-5 and drove in runs with a single and a double. Romine finished 1-for-3 with a sacrifice fly plus a run-scoring single.
Rob Refsnyder and Didi Gregorius also each knocked in a run.
Alex Rodriguez drove in a key insurance run with a single in the ninth which stretched the New York lead to two. Rodriguez also finished 3-for-5.
The Yankees even used some speed to score, pulling a double steal with Jacoby Ellsbury coming across as Brett Gardner stole second. That gave New York a 7-0 lead -- and the Yankees needed all of that as Baltimore rallied late.
The Orioles used their power to score six runs in the seventh. Mark Trumbo led off with a homer off starter Ivan Nova (4-3), and Pedro Alvarez added a two-run shot.
Adam Jones later hit a three-run blast off reliever Nick Goody that cut the lead to 7-6.
Nova shut out the Orioles in the first six innings before fading in the seventh. He allowed five runs on seven hits over the six-plus innings but got the win.
Andrew Miller came on after Goody allowed the three-run homer and took care of the seventh and eighth. Aroldis Chapman then finished it off for his ninth save in as many chances.
Orioles starter Tyler Wilson (2-5) lasted just four innings. He retired the first six batters before the Yankees touched him up for five runs and seven hits in the next two frames.
The right-hander now has lost his last four starts.
The Yankees took a 1-0 lead on Romine's third-inning sacrifice fly that scored Chase Headley, who led off with a double and moved to third on Refsnyder's fly to center.
New York stretched the lead to 5-0 an inning later against Wilson. Castro's RBI double brought in the first run, followed by a run-scoring groundout from Didi Gregorius. Refsnyder then lined an RBI double to right and Romine added a single up the middle that drove in the fourth run.
Dylan Bundy entered for the Orioles in the fifth and the Yankees scored again on a Castro single for a 6-0 lead.
NOTES: Orioles RHP Yovani Gallardo will make another rehab start on June 7 with Triple-A Norfolk. He pitched three innings for Class A Frederick on Thursday. ... Orioles manager Buck Showalter wouldn't commit to a starter for Monday's series opener with the Royals in Baltimore. RHP Mike Wright or LHP T.J. McFarland are two of the options. ... Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right knee articular cartilage tear. Manager Joe Girardi and Teixeira are hoping to avoid surgery. Teixeira will see the team doctor on Monday. ... The Yankees selected 1B Chris Parmelee from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and moved IF/OF Dustin Ackley to the 60-day disabled list.