BALTIMORE — It only seems as if Aaron Judge homers every time he sees the Orioles.
No, really.
Judge crushed two homers Sunday afternoon in the Yankees’ 5-3 victory over Baltimore at Camden Yards, the continuation of a career-long trend.
Judge, who heard “MVP! MVP!” chants from the sizeable contingent of Yankees fans in attendance after his eighth-inning blast gave his team a 5-2 lead, made it 11 homers in his last 18 games against the Orioles and 22 homers in his last 40 games against them.
Judge, the reigning American League MVP, has hit 37 homers against Baltimore since his rookie season in 2017, his most against any opponent and the most by any major-leaguer vs. a single team in that span.
The Yankees (6-3), who took the final two games of the series against the Orioles (4-5) after dropping the opener Friday afternoon, also received a two-run homer from Franchy Cordero. The outfielder, released by the Orioles March 28 and signed by the Yankees a day later, had two hits, including his second homer of the series. It was a two-run shot in the fifth that gave the Yankees a 4-0 lead.
Giancarlo Stanton’s RBI single in the first gave Nestor Cortes a 1-0 lead and Judge’s first homer of the day, a rocket to center in the third, made it 2-0.
Cortes was mostly terrific again in improving to 2-0 with a 2.61 ERA on the season, allowing two runs, four hits and two walks over 5 1/3 innings in which he struck out five.
Though not yet at the level of Judge when it comes to torturing the Orioles, Cortes did come in 3-0 with a 1.06 ERA in seven career games (five starts) against Baltimore, including one of the best-pitched games of last season for the Yankees. That was Oct. 1 at the Stadium when Cortes allowed one hit and two walks with 12 strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings of an 8-0 victory.
On Sunday Cortes departed with runners at second and third and one out in the sixth, replaced by righthander Albert Abreu. Anthony Santander lined the reliever's first pitch, a 96-mph fastball, into the corner in right, the two-run double cutting the Yankees’ lead to 4-2.
Abreu did strike out the next two batters, Austin Hays and Ramon Urias, swinging at sliders.
Judge’s homer in the eighth pushed the lead to three runs and Adley Rutschman’s solo homer off Jimmy Cordero in the bottom half made it 5-3.
Judge singled in the first against Baltimore righthander Tyler Wells and came in on Stanton’s RBI single. Wells (0-1) allowed four runs and six hits over six innings.
Clay Holmes struck out one in a perfect ninth for his third save in three chances, including his second in as many days.
