Yanks tie season-high with 17 runs — 12 coming in a new franchise-record first inning — on season-high 24 hits in utter shellacking of Orioles

(AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

It would appear the Yankee offense took Friday’s unexpected two-run outing to heart, as they dropped seventeen runs on a season-high 24 hits on the Orioles in Game 2 of yesterday’s doubleheader, 12 of which came in the first inning — a new franchise record for runs scored in that frame — in a 17-3 victory. All told the Yankees scored twenty-five runs against the Orioles across both games on Saturday.

I adore a good old-fashioned blowout, although  you have to feel for O’s starter Zach Britton. I figured the Yanks were in for a world of pain against Britton, who’d owned them back in May, but Britton wound up following his seven-earned run (eight total), 0.2-inning performance against Boston a few weeks ago with arguably an even less effective performance, lasting a mere third of an inning and giving up six earned runs (nine total). Granted, Britton’s defense betrayed him in both outings, but it can’t be good for a young hurler’s confidence to not even be able to get out of the first inning in consecutive starts against the league’s two best offenses.

Every Yankee starter had a hit in the first inning, with Robinson Cano going five-for-five, Curtis Granderson picking up four, and Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher with three hits apiece. The 17-run outburst including only two home runs — one by Swisher, and the other by Andruw Jones.

Even though this game was decided in the bottom of the first, Ivan Nova still hurled a strong game, overcoming a 30-pitch first inning to throw 7 innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts, and making Phil Hughes‘ life that much tougher. Nova’s pretty much forced the Yankees to keep him in the rotation, and it’ll be interesting to see how they decide to deploy their six starters — one would think that one or two more clunkers by Hughes might see him sent to the bullpen.

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