With fireman Fernando Cruz having pitched Friday night and three of four days, it was Jake Bird who got the call in the role Saturday, which began an uneven string of relief work from a Yankees bullpen that is fighting for roles.
Bird showed potential and issues before Camilo Doval did the same in what became a 9-4 win over the Orioles in The Bronx.
After Ryan Weathers (with the help of a misplay from Ben Rice) loaded the bases without an out in the sixth in a game the Yankees led by five, manager Aaron Boone went to the righty Bird for the righty Pete Alonso.
A move that might have looked poor on paper worked, Alonso grounding into a double play that scored a run.
But on the verge of escaping, the inconsistent Bird walked Tyler O’Neill and gave up an RBI double to Samuel Basallo before getting out of the inning with the Yankees in front 6-3.
“Jake Bird had some really good moments again today,” Boone said. “I thought [he] stabilized through a dangerous part of the game for us.”
Bird passed the baton to Doval, one of the quietly more important Yankees considering his potential and his volatility for a team that needs quality setup men ahead of David Bednar.
Pitching for a second straight day, Doval walked Dylan Beavers and displayed a career-long issue: a struggle to hold runners on base.
Beavers stole second and third and then scored on a groundout.
“I thought he threw the ball well, but a little slow in the running game,” Boone said of Doval, who had been excellent Friday and on Saturday recorded two outs before giving the ball to Tim Hill, who once again just needed one pitch (which induced a groundout from Gunnar Henderson) to escape.
Paul Blackburn pitched the final two scoreless innings as the Yankees ran away from Baltimore and helped preserve further work from an unorthodox bullpen.
The Yankees are carrying Blackburn and Ryan Yarbrough, two arms capable of starting, while searching for reliable bridges to Bednar.
The bullpen as a whole started well, became an issue for a short while and has pitched better of late, posting a 2.79 ERA in the past 14 games.
“I think our pen’s done a really nice job,” Boone said. “I think leaving spring training, maybe we had some question marks to answer down there. And it’s still going to evolve and get there. But I think by and large, those guys have done a really nice job.”
Jasson Domínguez, who was drilled in the elbow and left Wednesday’s game, returned to the lineup and served as designated hitter.
Domínguez went 1-for-4 with a single.
Giancarlo Stanton has begun hitting, Boone said, taking cuts Friday for the first time since straining his calf April 24.
There is no known timetable for Stanton to start running.
Elmer Rodríguez is expected to receive at least one more start and is lined up to pitch Tuesday in a series opener against the Rangers.
His teammate earlier this season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Carlos Lagrange, remains on the Yankees’ radar.
The fireballing righty has pitched to a 3.75 ERA in six starts — while maxing out at 83 pitches in an outing — and struck out 30 while walking 14 in 24 innings.
There is still uncertainty whether Lagrange, whose four-seamer has averaged 99.2 mph, can better help this season in the rotation or bullpen.
“[He] continues to give us reason to be very excited about him,” Boone said of the 22-year-old, who finished last season at Double-A Somerset. “Another step up to Triple-A, and starting there and getting rolling. So far I think it’s been good.”
Anthony Volpe, who remains at Double-A Somerset despite being healthy enough to return to the majors, was set to play his 12th rehab game Saturday night.
Volpe is expected to play for Somerset again Sunday before his rehab clock runs out and the Yankees will have to decide whether to bring him back — and if so, whether he would be the starting shortstop over José Caballero — or whether to option him to the minors.
Boone and Gerrit Cole greeted Sarah Langs, an MLB researcher who is fighting ALS, on the field before the game and gave Langs a signed bat for her birthday.
