Yankees nearly squander 7-run lead, beat Orioles 8-6

BALTIMORE -- A rare offensive outburst by the New York Yankees proved to be just enough to secure a victory over the relentless Baltimore Orioles.

Starlin Castro and Austin Romine each had two RBIs, Alex Rodriguez had three hits and the Yankees squandered most of a seven-run lead before winning 8-6 on Saturday night.

New York led 7-0 before the Orioles hit three homers in a six-run seventh. The Yankees then received a strong showing from the back end of their bullpen to make the advantage stand.

Andrew Miller entered in the seventh and worked two perfect innings. After Rodriguez hit an RBI single in the ninth, Aroldis Chapman got three outs for his ninth save in nine tries.

The Orioles have scored 37 runs in their last four games, including a 6-5 win on Friday night. So the Yankees knew no lead was safe.

"This ballpark this time of year, it's a beautiful place to play. But pitching-wise, it's probably not everybody's favorite," Miller said. "The ball flies, and top to bottom they've got guys who can hit home runs. They're a dangerous team, and you expect every game to end up like these two have."

Yankees manager Joe Girardi was delighted to see his offensively challenged team enjoy its highest scoring outing in 14 games since May 20. The run he savored most, without question, was the last one.

"They've had a lot of come-from-behind wins and you've got to keep pushing," he said.

New York finished with 16 hits, one short of its season high. The Yankees came in ranked last in the AL in batting average and 14th in runs, but on this night virtually everyone contributed.

"Every member of the starting lineup got a base hit. That's always good," Rodriguez said. "We just have to find a way to keep focus throughout the game and finish what we started. It starts with concentration."

Ivan Nova (4-3) took a three-hit shutout into the seventh but didn't get another out. Mark Trumbo led off with his 18th homer, Matt Wieters singled and Pedro Alvarez hit a shot into the left-field seats. A single, a walk and wild pitch ended Nova's outing.

Nick Goody came in and lasted two pitches, the second of which Adam Jones launched over the left-field wall to get the Orioles to 7-6.

"We had a shot. We made a great run at them," manager Buck Showalter said. "I knew we would at some point."

Baltimore would not get another runner to first base until Jones drew a two-out walk in the ninth. Chapman then struck out pinch-hitter Nolan Reimold to end it.

Orioles starter Tyler Wilson (2-5) lasted four innings, giving up five runs and seven hits.

"I really just wish I could have been a little bit better for a little bit longer today," the right-hander said.

After Romine hit a sacrifice fly in the third, New York sent eight men to the plate in a four-run fourth. Castro and Rob Refsnyder contributed RBI doubles and Romine capped the uprising with a run-scoring single.

Castro delivered an RBI single in the fifth, and the Yankees made it 7-0 in the sixth when Brett Gardner scored on the front end of a delayed double-steal.

New York was without first baseman Mark Teixeira, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list before the game with a right knee articular cartilage tear.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Yankees: Romine, the catcher, left before the ninth inning after tearing the nail off his thumb. ... LHP Chasen Shreve (left shoulder AC joint sprain) threw on flat ground for the third straight day and hasn't experienced any pain. After taking Sunday off, he'll do a long-toss session Monday.

Orioles: RHP Darren O'Day (right hamstring strain) says the injury initially occurred while he was warming up in Houston last week. He went on the DL on Saturday and remains uncertain how long he will be out.

UP NEXT

Yankees: CC Sabathia (3-4, 2.85 ERA) seeks his 20th career win against the Orioles on Sunday. The left-hander pitched six shutout innings at Camden Yards on May 4.

Orioles: Kevin Gausman (0-3, 3.78) takes another crack at earning his first victory of the season. He's given up three HRs in each of his last three starts.