APPLICATION » 1.98 ERA in four matchups against the Orioles, including

NEW YORK -- One of the biggest indications of how inconsistent the New York Yankees have been is their inability get more than one game over .500.Since May 22, the Yankees have gone one game over .500 on two occasions only to slide back into wandering around and below the break-even mark.The Yankees will get their next chance at going two games over .500 Wednesday night when they continue a four-game series with the Baltimore Orioles.The Yankees (47-46) have won seven of their last 11 games and are 3-2 on a crucial homestand that many believe will determine their plans at the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline.After getting to .500 with Mondays 2-1 win, New York went one game over for the first time since June 24 with Tuesdays 7-1 win. Starlin Castro homered for the first time in 22 games and drove in four runs while Nathan Eovaldi allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings and Anthony Swarzak highlighted 2 2/3 perfect innings by getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth.The performances by Castro and Swarzak helped ensure New Yorks late-inning trio of hard-throwers Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman will be available for the final two games of the series.Since starting to hover around .500 in mid-May, the Yankees went one game at 31-30 following a 4-0 win over Detroit on June 10. New York then dropped four straight and did not get over .500 again until a 2-1 win over Minnesota left them at 37-36 on June 24.New York then lost seven of its next 11 before closing the All-Star break with three wins in Cleveland.Its been frustrating this year because weve been here so many times and we havent been able to break through for a number of different reasons, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. Sometimes its been offense, sometimes its been pitching. It hasnt just been one reason but its been frustrating because I feel like if we can get over that mark, we can build on it.The last three wins have shaved Baltimores lead over the fourth-place Yankees to 6 1/2 games. It is the first time the Yankees trail by less than seven games since June 24.Baltimore has lost three straight for the second time this month. The Orioles also lost their first four games of July as part of a five-game losing streak.The Orioles offense is batting .268. During their first five games, the Orioles are batting .193 (31-for-161).We dont say, well this is just que sera, something that comes about, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. You cant live in that world. Were better than that. I know our guys are frustrated but you also got to tip your hat to their pitching.Since the break, Adam Jones is 3-for-20, Manny Machado is 2-for-17 and Mark Trumbo is 4-for-19. The Orioles have played the last two games without first baseman Chris Davis (stomach virus) and also played Tuesday without Matt Wieters (sore right foot).Both might play Wednesday but losing while shorthanded is not an excuse for the Orioles.Weve been without people all year just like the Yankees have and just like everybody has, Showalter said. Its part of the gig. You dont stomach it and find an excuse. We dont live in those worlds.After getting effective outings from Masahiro Tanaka, Ivan Nova and Nathan Eovaldi, the Yankees will send Michael Pineda (3-9, 5.56) to the mound. The Yankees will hope Pineda has better fastball command this time around after allowing three home runs in 5 2/3 innings to the Boston Red Sox in Fridays 5-3 loss.Theyve all done a good job and it needs to start over with Michael tomorrow, Girardi said. Thats how you put long streaks together.Pineda is winless in his last six starts and Fridays loss dropped him to 0-3 with a 4.46 ERA in those outings.The right-hander has defined inconsistency by allowing two earned runs or less in eight starts and five runs or more in seven other outings.Pineda has not faced the Orioles this season and is 3-2 with a 4.10 ERA in nine outings against Baltimore. In New York, he is 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA in four matchups against the Orioles, including a career-high 16 strikeout game May 10, 2015.Yovani Gallardo will get the start for Baltimore and will make his seventh start since returning from missing two months due to a right shoulder injury. Since returning June 18, Gallardo is 2-0 with a 6.04 ERA and, in those starts, the Orioles have averaged 5.6 runs per game.Gallardo is 1-1 with a 5.60 ERA in three starts against the Yankees. He last played New York at Yankee Stadium May 24, 2015 for the Texas Rangers when he allowed two runs and four hits over six innings during a 5-2 win. Authentic Custom Blue Jays Jersey . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July. Custom Blue Jays Jerseys . It says Pocklingtons lawyer filed the appeal Friday in a California court. CTV Edmonton also says Pocklington gave a $100,000 cash deposit as part of the conditions of his bail, and that he will be out on bail until his appeal is heard. http://www.custombluejaysjersey.com/custom-george-bell-jersey-large-74n.html . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. Cheap Blue Jays Jerseys .05 million next season unless Graham and the Saints subsequently agree on a long-term deal. The designation was released Monday after the deadline passed for NFL teams to use franchise or transition tags on players becoming free agents. Cheap Custom Blue Jays Jersey . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. ASHBURN, Va. -- Last year Martrell Spaight was so sensitive to light that he darkened his sunglasses with a black marker.He is set to make his first NFL start for the Washington Redskins under the Monday night spotlight against Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. After missing his entire rookie season with concussion problems, Spaight earned the trust of the coaching staff to fill in for Will Compton at middle linebacker.Hes a young football player still with limited starting reps, but this is a great opportunity for him, coach Jay Gruden said Thursday. He hasnt had that opportunity other than preseason and a little bit here and there, so Im excited to see him. I love his energy. I like the way he hits, he hustles and hes good in pass defense.Spaight just being on the field is an accomplishment. A fifth-round pick out of Arkansas in 2015, he tried to play through concussion symptoms before Washington placed him on injured reserve and he went to great lengths to get back to normal.When he couldnt find dark enough sunglasses, Spaight grabbed a sharpie and darkened them so he could go about his rehab. In his bleakest moments of reflection, including the return of symptoms in September, he wondered if this whole football thing was going to work out after all.It was very difficult for me mentally because you work so hard and after a while you start questioning yourself, `Is it meant for me to play this game? Spaight recalled Friday.The 23-year-old got his answer last week at Philadelphia when he heard a coach yell out, Spaight, get your helmet. A knee injury to Compton forced Spaight into the starting middle linebacker role, headset and all, as the captain of the defense, and Gruden was impressed with how he handled those duties.So impressed that theyre all his Monday against Carolina.We like his athletic ability, Gruden said. Mentally, is he as far along as where Comp is? Well see, but he didnt have any trouble communicating the calls, so I feel very confident in Spaight. I think hes a good linebacker. Hes tough, hes physical, and weve just got to make sure health-wise he gets to where he can be productive.Spaight has been nursing a shoulder injury himself, but the adrenaline that has him struggling to stay calm now could help him get ready for the Panthers. Spaight haas felt his game make a heck of a jump from a year ago, and hes performing beyond his 12 games of mostly special teams pro experience.ddddddddddddRecognizing that hes still effectively a rookie, defensive coordinator Joe Barry, a former linebackers coach, still sees the linebacker intuition in Spaight.Its hard to teach instincts, its hard to teach awareness, Barry said. You can teach a guy how to key better, use his eyes, use his hands, use his feet, break on the ball better, take on blocks. You can coach and teach those things. You cant teach instincts. You cant teach awareness and thats always the toughest thing to evaluate because you really never know if a guy has those instincts and awareness until youre truly around him.Being around Spaight is enough to make Compton confident in his understudy. Working under Compton is one reason for Grudens faith in Spaight, but his game preparation is on another level, too.Hes always very adamant and humble in his approach to preparing for a game, Compton said. I have total faith in him. For him itll just be staying calm, staying focused, just not getting too high in the moment and just playing his game because when he plays he can play.After burying his own doubts about his future, Spaight will get the chance to play against a former league MVP in front of a national audience at the center of the defense.Just seeing that everythings better than it was, it just opened my eyes and showed that Im meant to play this game and I feel like this is my calling, Spaight said. Im anxious to go out there and show the world what I can get done.Game notes Along with Compton, rookie linebacker Sua Cravens didnt practice Friday because of an upper-arm/elbow injury. ... Tight end Jordan Reed is progressing from a sprained left shoulder that has limited him. Reed participated in one-on-one drills Friday. ... Left guard Shawn Lauvao (groin) and center Spencer Long (concussion) practiced and could be available to face the Panthers. If they play, Washington would have its entire starting offensive line for the first time since October.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '