Orioles get aggressive, opener works in 5-3 win

NEW YORK - Orioles manager Brandon Hyde wants aggression from his team. On the mound and on the basepaths. He's been preaching it since the first day of camp and the start of the regular season doesn't alter the message.

If they're going to make a mistake, don't let it come from being too passive.

The Orioles took the lead over the Yankees this afternoon by sticking with that exact approach. Jesús Sucre tagging up and going second to third on a line drive to center. A double steal executed, with the go-ahead run scoring on the catcher's throwing error.

Richie Martin clapped his hands as he crossed home plate following Gary Sánchez's miscue, and the ones handling the pitching baton didn't drop it, allowing the Orioles to defeat the Yankees 5-3.

Manager Brandon Hyde used six pitchers, with Richard Bleier starting the ninth inning in his first appearance in a major league game since June 13 and Mike Wright replacing him with one out and Giancarlo Stanton representing the tying run.

Troy Tulowitzki led off the ninth with a home run, his first since July 8, 2017, and D.J. LeMahieu doubled. Aaron Judge singled with one out to put runners on the corners and bring Wright into the game.

Stanton struck out swinging with the count full, but Luke Voit dropped an RBI single into right-center field on a ball that Joey Rickard reached for and couldn't snag. Wright earned his first career save by striking out Miguel Andújar, pounding his fist in his glove, and Hyde had his first win as manager.

Sucre led off the sixth inning with a single, only the second hit allowed by left-hander James Paxton. Martin followed with a blooper that fell behind first base for his first major league hit, and Sucre hustled to third when Jonathan Villar showed bunt, pulled the bat back and lined to Brett Gardner.

A close play at third went in the Orioles' favor and Sucre scored the tying run on Dwight Smith Jr.'s single into right field.

Here's where the Orioles really got daring.

Martin and Smith executed a double steal, showing off speed that rarely infiltrates an Orioles roster, and Sánchez skipped his throw into center field.

Rio Ruiz doubled off Chad Green in the seventh and scored on Sucre's single to the right field fence for a 3-1 lead. Sucre lined a two-run double into the left field corner in the ninth after Rickard reached on an error and Cedric Mullins singled.

Nate Karns gave the Orioles two scoreless innings today as their "opener." There also were a few palpitations as he walked the bases loaded in the first, but Karns' return to a major league game was rated a success.

Hyde pulled Karns after 33 pitches and one time through the order. The veteran right-hander allowed one hit on Gleyber Torres' single in the second, walked three batters in succession, threw a wild pitch, struck out Tulowitzki and started a double play to get out of a jam.

Karns packed a lot of activity into his brief outing.

His first pitch in the majors since May 19, 2017, a 91 mph fastball to Gardner, resulted in a fly ball to center fielder Drew Jackson, the Rule 5 pick making his first career start. Judge, Stanton and Voit walked in succession, the latter on four pitches, but Karns snagged Andújar's blistering one-hopper and spun toward second before firing home to begin a 1-2-3 double play.

Only six of Karns' 19 pitches in the first were strikes. He faced four batters in the second and threw 14 pitches, getting LeMahieu to ground into a force and turning over the start to Jimmy Yacabonis.

LeMahieu's two-out single off Yacabonis in the fourth scored Torres for the game's first run.

This is the shortest start of Karns' major league career, but it comes with an asterisk.

Most important, it doesn't come with any runs scored or discomfort in his arm.

Paxton no-hit the Orioles until Smith's leadoff single in the fourth. He struck out the side in the fifth but was gone an inning later.

Smith was 3-for-21 lifetime against left-handers before collecting two hits off Paxton. Smith was thrown out at the plate on Trey Mancini's grounder to short, keeping another run off Paxton's line.

Yacabonis threw 24 pitches in a scoreless third, striking out Judge and Stanton, but Torres reached on an infield single with two outs in the fourth, Tulowitzki walked and LeMahieu directed a ground ball up the middle that glanced off Martin's glove.

The walk was the 12th issued by Orioles pitching in the first 12 innings of the series. Stanton drew the 13th with one out in the fifth, but Voit grounded into a 5-4-3 double play and Miguel Castro warmed in the bullpen.

Yacabonis was charged with one run and three hits in three innings, and he threw 59 pitches before Castro grabbed the baton. Castro stranded two in the bottom of the sixth, issuing the club's 14th walk in two games, and threw 28 pitches while Paul Fry and Mychal Givens warmed.

Castro returned for the seventh and retired the side in order on 14 pitches, with Ruiz making two slick plays at third base. Givens struck out three batters and stranded a runner in the eighth and Bleier finished up.

The Orioles lose on opening day and win with an opener.