Orioles vs. Yankees Live Blog: Instant Updates and Analysis 7/22

The New York Yankees battled the Baltimore Orioles in the second game of their three-game set at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m ET.

The Bronx Bombers picked up the 3-2 win in the series opener on Tuesday night and followed with a 4-3 on Wednesday to hold their 4.5-game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the American League East.

With the loss, Baltimore dropped into a tie with the Tampa Bays Rays for third place in the division and are now six games behind the Yankees. The Red Sox sit in last place at 10.5 games.

The Yankees found early success in the bottom of the first, courtesy of the top of the lineup. Brett Gardner brought home Jacoby Ellsbury after he doubled, and Mark Teixeira hit a two-run home run to give New York a 3-0 lead.

Ryan Flaherty cut the deficit to one with a two-run homer of his own in the third, but Alex Rodriguez gave the Yankees an insurance run with a 453 foot blast in the fifth. It was the longest home run at Yankees Stadium this season by more than 20 feet and was Arod's 20th home run.

New York's bullpen shut down the O's for the second-straight night, pitching a scoreless seventh and eighth before handing the ball to Andrew Miller in the 9th. Miller gave up a solo shot to Chris Davis but still secured the save and the 4-3 win.

Tonight was a tale of two pitchers trying to redefine themselves for starting rotations in need of some consistency.

The Yankees sent Ivan Nova to the mound, who was 1-3 with a 3.42 ERA in four starts since returning from Tommy John surgery. The righty had struggled against the O's in his career, compiling a 5.03 ERA in 12 starts. He pitched well however, scattering three hits with three strikeouts and walks.

The Orioles started with Kevin Gausman, who had been a journeyman in their farm system for most of the season. Gausman had been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk right before the All-Star break and left the majors with a 5.00 ERA in 27 innings.

He settled down after the first inning, but the three runs proved to be too much for Baltimore to overcome. The Yankees also flashed the leather at several points in the game, including great snags by Stephen Drew and Chase Headley.

Rodriguez is on pace to hit 30 home runs and drive in 100 RBIs, numbers that not many people expected to see before the season. He and Teixeira have also combined for 44 home runs, the same number of extra base hits that Teixeira has this season.

The Yankees have played in five one-run games since the All-Star break and won four of them. New York played small ball to win last night and used its power to win tonight's game and improve to 52-41. The Orioles are now back below .500 at 46-47.

With the trade deadline almost a week away, both teams could benefit from making some moves.

The Yankees are clearly set in the bullpen but would benefit from picking up a starting pitcher or another bat  for the bottom of their lineup. General Manager Brian Cashman has said he has no plans on going after a big arm, so if you believe him, that takes care of that.

For the Orioles, hitting isn't the problem, but the pitching could also use work. Today's rumors had tonight's starting pitcher on the trading block, but that might remain a rumor. Baltimore and New York may be willing to ride their teams out the rest of the way as is.

If you couldn't catch the game or want to follow a summary of the action, check out the posts below.