They won and got it done: O's beat New York to clinch wild card spot

The Orioles took care of their baseball business today in the Bronx. They could win and get in. They won.

The Orioles' 5-2 win over the New York Yankees this afternoon sends the Orioles to the playoffs for the third time in the last five seasons. They finished the regular season at 89-73 (.549) and will play in the American League wild card game.

They used strong starting pitching and the longball to lead the way today. Matt Wieters became the first Oriole since Roberto Alomar on July 25, 1996 to homer from both sides of the plate.

Batting left-handed, Wieters hit a two-run shot off starter Luis Cessa in the fourth for a 3-0 lead. Batting right-handed he homered to left field off Tommy Layne for a 5-0 lead in the sixth. J.J. Hardy's sac fly had given the Orioles a 1-0 lead in the third inning.

This is Wieters' third two-homer game of the year and seventh of his career. He hit his first homer 375 feet and his second went 374 feet. Wieters had hit just one homer with only two RBIs his previous 13 games.

O's right-hander Kevin Gausman came up with a big-time outing on the mound. Over 7 1/3 innings he gave up eight hits and two runs, one of which scored after he left the game. Gausman walked one and fanned three, throwing 106 pitches to improve to 9-12 with an ERA of 3.61.

In six starts this year against the Yankees, Gausman went 3-1 with an ERA of 1.10, allowing four runs over 41 innings. In 17 games career games against New York, he is 6-3 with a 1.92 ERA.

The Orioles finished 39-42 on the road, 10-9 against the Yankees, 38-37 since the All-Star break and 17-12 since Sept. 1. The Orioles won six of their last eight and 11 of their last 16 road games.

Now the Orioles await results from Boston and Atlanta to determine where and when they play next.