NEW YORK — The way the Baltimore Orioles must scratch and claw for every win they can get right now, nobody in the third base dugout at Yankee Stadium was going to complain about a wall scraper falling in their favor Friday night.

Ramón Urías hit a go-ahead, 337-foot home run in the eighth inning to help the Orioles (33-42) come back and beat the Yankees, 5-3, to open their three-game weekend series.

Baltimore fell behind 3-2 after three innings, but a dominant performance from its bullpen, smart base running and timely defensive plays kept the team within striking distance.

The Orioles pulled to within nine games of the .500 mark for the first time since May 11 with the win while handing the Yankees their seventh loss in their past nine contests.

Baltimore hung around in spite of Tomoyuki Sugano lasting only 3 2/3 innings for his shortest start of the season. He limited the damage to three runs by working his way out of a couple of jams, but the pitch count got away from him as he needed 32 to get through the first and 29 in the third. Sugano’s final batter was an intentional walk to Aaron Judge before interim manager Tony Mansolino kicked off a parade of relievers coming in from the bullpen.

The game started as a seesaw affair. Baltimore loaded the bases off Yankees starter Max Fried in the top of the first and brought two runs home on a two-run single by Gary Sánchez, who played in New York from 2015 to 2021. The Yankees fired right back in the bottom of the inning, putting three runners aboard as well and scoring on Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s RBI single and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jasson Domínguez.

New York then jumped ahead in the third when Judge took Sugano deep for an opposite-field home run, his 48th career long ball against the Orioles — fifth most of all time. Judge reached base four times, including two singles and the intentional walk.

The Yankees threatened to extend that lead with Keegan Akin on the mound the following inning. With runners on first and second, Chisholm singled to right field and DJ LeMahieu got the signal to try and score as he rounded third. Ramón Laureano made him pay the price, firing a throw home to nab him just as he reached home plate. The call stood after replay review, putting Laureano into a tie for the MLB lead with seven outfield assists this season.

That score held until the sixth when Fried, who had settled in to post four zeros up on the scoreboard, gave up three consecutive singles with one out in the sixth. Colton Cowser and Sánchez both got aboard to set up Coby Mayo. The Orioles’ top infield prospect, after roping a 98.1 mph double off Fried earlier in the game, tied the game with a bloop single to center field.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone tried to pull Fried from the game after the hit, but the left-hander made his case on the mound and stayed in, motioning for incoming reliever Fernando Cruz to return to the bullpen halfway through his jog to the mound. Fried then retired the next two batters to get through the rest of the sixth.

But the Orioles had life and their bullpen ensured they would have plenty of chances to retake the lead. After Akin, aided by Laureano, stranded Sugano’s last two base runners, he pitched a clean fifth. Yennier Cano followed with a scoreless sixth in which he got Chisholm to ground out and strand two more Yankees on base. Then Scott Blewett, the winning pitcher, pitched two more clean frames to get the game to closer Félix Bautista.

The offense took advantage of its copious opportunities with Urías’ blast, which would’ve been a home run in only seven of the 30 MLB ballparks, in the eighth before tacking on another insurance run later in the frame. Ryan O’Hearn and Gunnar Henderson, both of whom were on the bench, each came through with pinch-hit singles to push another run across.

Bautista then entered with a two-run lead and worked a 1-2-3 inning that included a strikeout of Judge, making him the only Orioles pitcher to retire the two-time American League Most Valuable Player Award winner. It was his 15th save of the season.

Instant analysis

After posting a 3.04 ERA over his first 12 outings to start the season, Sugano has a 6.39 ERA over his past three starts while failing to eclipse five innings in any of them.

It’s been an uncharacteristic stretch for the 35-year-old rookie, who has allowed six walks and hit two batters during that span. The Japanese strike zone artist has lost some of his pinpoint command and opponents have punished the pitches he’s left over the heart of the plate. He’s also lost much of his efficiency that made him a saving grace for the bullpen early in the year.

The Orioles need Sugano back on track — not just because he’s been one of their most reliable starters this season, but also because he represents one of their most attractive trade chips should they decide to sell at the deadline.

On deck

The Orioles will look to extend their record against the Yankees this season to 4-1 on Saturday when Zach Eflin starts against right-hander Clarke Schmidt.

Eflin is coming off a poor outing against the Tampa Bay Rays in which he allowed seven runs on a career-high 12 hits. Schmidt hasn’t allowed a run in 18 1/3 consecutive innings.

Around the horn

— Orioles utility man Jorge Mateo (elbow) has resumed baseball activities and he could begin a rehabilitation assignment soon, Mansolino said ahead of Friday’s game. Outfielder Tyler O’Neill is also on track to join a minor league affiliate as early as Tuesday after Baltimore shut him down because of persistent neck discomfort.

— Pitching prospect Brandon Young was activated from the 7-day injured list Friday and he started for Triple-A Norfolk, returning after a five-week absence caused by a shoulder injury. Young has a 6.23 ERA in two starts for the Orioles this season and he would be among Baltimore’s top starting pitching options should another injury arise.

— However, just as Young returned, another Orioles prospect exited with an injury. Outfielder Dylan Beavers, a first-round pick in 2022, left Norfolk’s game in the first inning with a left shoulder injury after colliding with center fielder Jordyn Adams on a fly-ball that became an inside-the-park home run. Beavers walked off the field under his own power.

____

©2025 The Baltimore Sun. Visit at baltimoresun.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.