NEW YORK – Michael Pineda pitched six innings, Mark Teixeira homered in his return from his latest injury, and the New York Yankees moved two games above .500 for the first time since April with a 5-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday.
Pineda (4-9) had six strikeouts with runners in scoring position and didn’t allow a run for the first time all season.
New York has won the first three of the four-game series to improve to 48-46 – the last time the Yankees were two games over .500 was April 12 when they were 4-2.
Baltimore lost its fourth straight and relinquished first place in the AL East to the Boston Red Sox. It’s the first time since June 4 that the O’s were not sitting atop the American League East standings.
Left shorthanded by illness and injury, the Orioles have struggled at the plate since the All-Star break, especially with runners in scoring position.
A stomach bug has been ravaging Baltimore’s clubhouse and claimed two more victims Wednesday: third baseman Manny Machado and Manager Buck Showalter.
The bottom third of Baltimore’s lineup, all backups forced into action, went a combined 0-for-9.
Yovani Gallardo (3-2) couldn’t keep it close, though he also didn’t get much help from his defense. He allowed four runs and five hits with five strikeouts and four walks in seven innings.