If the Yankees intend on meeting expectations this season, they will need a healthy and productive Aaron Judge.
Without him for the past month — and with no indication when he might return from the sprained big right toe — they have figured out a way to at least survive and keep themselves in position for the playoffs.
Another good day from the offense led to an 8-4 win over Baltimore in The Bronx on the Fourth of July, as the Yankees improved to 13-13 since Judge got hurt in Los Angeles.
As a result, they picked up another game on the Orioles, who are in second place in the AL East behind front-running Tampa Bay.
“I’ve been happy all year with the way we compete,’’ Aaron Boone said after his team won for the seventh time in 10 games. “And it hasn’t been perfect. We’ve been banged up and it hasn’t always been easy for us. They’ve put us in a spot to have a really good season.”
The lineup showed some pop again, with two more homers after hitting three in Monday’s win.
Gleyber Torres homered and doubled, and also had an impact on the bases.
He scored the go-ahead run in the fifth inning from first base on a Giancarlo Stanton single to center.
It was part of an eventful day for Torres, who also gave the Yankees their first runs of the game.
Anthony Rizzo, hitting leadoff for the first time this season, walked to start the bottom of the first and Torres followed with his 13th home run of the year and his first since June 18.
With a two-run lead, Clarke Schmidt gave up a double to Ryan O’Hearn to open the second, but Schmidt stranded O’Hearn there.
As Schmidt cruised early, the Yankees added another run in the fourth on Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s sacrifice fly.
Schmidt faltered in the fifth as former Yankee Aaron Hicks, booed loudly before every at-bat this series, got some revenge with a solo homer to right that got the Orioles on the board with one out.
Schmidt’s problems worsened, as Jordan Westburg followed with a double and Adam Frazier tied the game with a two-run shot to right-center.
The Yankees got the lead back in the bottom of the fifth thanks to Torres’ baserunning — and inattentive defense by the Orioles.
With Torres at first and two out, Stanton singled to center, sending Torres to third. But Torres ran through third-base coach Luis Rojas’ stop sign, and when Cedric Mullins was slow to get the ball into the infield, Torres scored without a throw home.
Schmidt left after a single by Adley Rutschman to open the sixth and Ron Marinaccio entered and walked the first batter he faced, Anthony Santander. He then got O’Hearn looking and Mullins on a deep fly to center, bringing up Hicks with runners on the corners. Hicks nearly struck out on a 1-2 changeup, but held his swing and ended up walking to load the bases.
Marinaccio recovered and got Westburg to pop out to preserve the one-run lead.
The Yankees got some insurance in the seventh, when Jose Trevino smacked an opposite-field homer to right off left-hander Nick Vespi. And after loading the bases later in the inning, the Yankees got another late, clutch hit from Harrison Bader.
Bader’s three-run home on Monday broke a tie and his two-run double down the right-field line Tuesday made it 7-3.
“We’re hitting our stride,’’ Schmidt said.
