BALTIMORE — Andy Pettitte slapped his glove, angry he had allowed another run.
For the New York Yankees, it was yet another night of missed chances.
Instead of winning both games at Camden Yards, the Yankees headed home with a split in their best-of-five AL division series against the Baltimore Orioles following a 3-2 loss in Game 2 Monday night.
And now when the series resumes Wednesday night, they face having to get at least one win from the back end of their rotation. The rest of the series will be played in the Bronx.
“We’ve played very well at home, and we’re going to have to continue to do that if we’re going to move on,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.
New York went 2 for 8 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10.
Pettitte, the career leader in postseason wins (19) and starts (43), failed to hold a 1-0 lead provided by Ichiro Suzuki’s acrobatic spin to touch home plate in the first inning. The 40-year-old left-hander, who came out of retirement last spring for moments like this, allowed three runs and seven hits.
in seven-plus innings, dropping his postseason mark to 19-11.
Chris Davis’ two-run single in the third and Mark Reynolds’ RBI single in the sixth built a 3-1 lead against Pettitte, who was frustrated with himself when he returned to the dugout.
Robinson Cano’s double in the first drove in Suzuki, whose pirouette around catcher Matt Wieters earned style points in addition to a run.
Derek Jeter pulled the Yankees within a run with an RBI single in the seventh against Wei-Yin Chen. But the captain also was part of New York’s struggles at the plate with runners in scoring position, a problem all season.
New York loaded the bases with one out in the fourth, but Eduardo Nunez popped out and Jeter grounded into a forceout.
With runners at second and third and two outs in the seventh, Nick Swisher flied out against Brian Matusz, dropping to 1 for 33 (.030) with runners in scoring position in postseason play.
And a night after scoring five runs in the ninth against All-Star reliever Jim Johnson to win 7-2, the Yankees saw just 12 pitches in a 1-2-3 ninth against Baltimore’s closer. Alex Rodriguez, 1 for 9 with five strikeouts in the series, fanned for the final out.
Last year, the Yankees won their first-round opener against Detroit but were knocked out in five games. In 2010, they beat Texas in Game 1 of the AL championship series but lost in six.
Not the type of history New York wants to repeat.
For local news and more, subscribe to The Norman Transcript Smart Edition, or our print edition.
