NEW YORK –First baseman Mark Teixeira and designated hitter Alex Rodriguez homered, leading the New York Yankees to a 4-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night.
The Yankees (52-41) improved to a season-best 11 games above .500 while beating the Orioles for the fifth time in six games at Yankee Stadium.Teixeira hit his 24th home run of the season with one out in the first inning off Baltimore right-hander Kevin Gausman (1-2) and Rodriguez hit his 20th with one out in the fifth also off Gausman.
For Teixeira, it gave him two more home runs than last year when injuries limited him to 123 games and a .216 average.
For Rodriguez, it gave him 20 home runs for the 16th time in his career but the first since 2010. It also was Rodriguez’s 3,024th hit, moving him past Hall of Famer Lou Brock for 24th on the career list.
Left fielder Brett Gardner added an RBI single as he reached base safely for the 23rd straight game for the Yankees, who won for the 11th time in 15 games.
First baseman Ryan Flaherty hit a two-run homer and right fielder Chris Davis had a solo home run for Baltimore (46-47), which lost for the 13th time in 18 games.
New York right-hander Ivan Nova (2-3) allowed two runs and three hits in six innings, holding Baltimore to one hit in eight at-bats with men on base.
Chasen Shreve and Dellin Betances tossed a hitless inning apiece for the Yankees. Andrew Miller gave up a two-out homer to Davis in the ninth but struck out Jonathan Schoop for his 22nd save in as many opportunities.
Gausman returned to Baltimore’s rotation after two starts with Triple-A Norfolk and allowed four runs and six hits in six innings. In between home runs, he retired 11 of 16 hitters.
For the second night in a row, the Yankees scored in the first inning. Gardner made it 1-0 with a single to right field that scored center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury. Teixeira followed by hitting a 1-2 changeup down the right field for a two-run homer.
Baltimore made it a one-run game when shortstop J.J. Hardy opened the third with a base hit and Flaherty drove a first-pitch fastball into the right field seats.
The Orioles opened the fifth with consecutive walks by Hardy and Flaherty. A sacrifice by catcher Caleb Joseph put runners at second and third, but Yankees third baseman Chase Headley made a backhanded grab on a hard grounder by Manny Machado for the second out, and Travis Snider grounded out to second.
With one out in the fifth, Rodriguez made it 4-2 with a solo home run, sending an 0-1 pitch well beyond the left field wall and into the first row of the bleachers before it bounced out of a fan’s hands.
NOTES: To get RHP Kevin Gausman on the active roster, Baltimore placed INF/OF Steve Pearce on the disabled list with a strained left oblique. Manager Buck Showalter said Pearce received treatment the past few days and didn’t want to injure the oblique further. … New York OF Mason Williams (shoulder) is headed to the team’s minor league complex in Tampa, Fla., to continue his recovery from an injury he sustained June 19. Manager Joe Girardi said Williams was throwing but was not ready for rehab games. … In Major League Baseball’s competitive balance lottery, the Orioles were awarded the fifth pick in round B (after the second round). … GM Dan Duquette said the Orioles will be buyers at next week’s non-waiver trade deadline and the results of the road trip will not change his mind.