Aaron Judge hits MLB-best 19th HR as Yankees batter Orioles 16-3

NEW YORK -- Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and the rest of Yankees' young sluggers are locked in and scoring in bunches.

Judge hit his major league-leading 19th home run and New York slugged five homers overall, battering Chris Tillman and the Baltimore Orioles 16-3 on Saturday night for their fourth straight win.

"We're just not missing our pitch," Judge said. "We're getting deep into counts, and when you leave something over the middle, we're depositing it and doing some damage."

Sanchez, Starlin Castro, Didi Gregorius and Matt Holliday also homered in New York's biggest offensive show this season. The first-place Yankees have outscored Boston and Baltimore, their closest competitors in the AL East, 41-6 during their winning streak.

"It's incredible," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "There's a lot of power in this lineup, and we can score quickly."

Luis Severino (5-2) pitched seven sharp innings, giving up one run and two hits. He struck out eight and walked two.

Tillman (1-4) was tagged for nine runs in only 1⅓ innings. He got two quick outs to begin the first before Judge's homer began a six-run burst.

"I was in such a hurry to get the breaking stuff going, it kind of snowballed real quick," Tillman said.

Holliday singled, Castro doubled and Sanchez lined a two-run single. Gregorius launched Tillman's next offering into the right-field seats, extending the lead to 5-0, with all those runs scoring in a span of eight pitches.

After Chase Headley walked and moved up on a wild pitch, Chris Carter hit an RBI single.

Tillman walked Judge and Holliday on eight straight balls with one out in the second. Castro drove a 3-0 pitch 452 feet over the Baltimore bullpen to make it 9-0, ending Tillman's outing.

Holliday hit a three-run homer in the fourth and Judge added a two-run double in the fifth. Holliday and Judge each had three of New York's 18 hits and scored three times.

Severino earned his third consecutive win. He was perfect until walking Mark Trumbo to begin the fifth, and all of Severino's strikeouts came on swings.

Chris Davis and Joey Rickard homered for the Orioles.

BULLPEN SHUFFLE

The Yankees designated LHP Tommy Layne for assignment after the game and will recall RHP Domingo German from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Layne has a 7.50 ERA in 18 appearances this season, all in relief. German, 24, has not appeared in a major league game.

STRANDED

Caleb Joseph's pinch-hit RBI single in the ninth snapped an 0-for-45 stretch by New York opponents with runners in scoring position, dating to May 31. It was the Yankees staff's longest such streak in the expansion era (since 1961) and the longest stretch of hitless at-bats with runners in scoring position in the majors since the Montreal Expos also held opponents hitless 45 times in 1982.

POUNDING THE GAVEL

The exit velocity on Judge's solo shot was 121.1 mph, making it the hardest-hit home run recorded since Statcast began tracking the statistic in 2015.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Orioles: C Welington Castillo (testicular injury) was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list prior to the game. He was 0-for-3. ... LHP Zach Britton (left forearm strain) threw a successful bullpen session on Saturday and has another scheduled for Monday. On the disabled list since May 6 (retroactive to May 5), the All-Star closer will throw live batting practice on Thursday.

Yankees: 1B Greg Bird (right ankle bruise) went 2-for-5 with an RBI at Triple-A on Saturday in his ninth rehab game. There is no timetable for his return. "Our people determined that he's not ready to come back yet," manager Joe Girardi said. ... LHP Aroldis Chapman (left shoulder) struck out three and walked one in one inning during a simulated game against minor leaguers on Saturday morning. He has been on the DL since May 14 with rotator cuff inflammation. Chapman is scheduled to pitch one inning on Tuesday with Class A Tampa and another at Double-A Trenton on Friday. Girardi hopes that the 29-year-old can be activated next weekend in Oakland. ... CF Jacoby Ellsbury (concussion) will not join the Yankees on their upcoming West Coast trip. He will work out with Trenton, although he is not expected to play in any games this week. Ellsbury has been riding an exercise bike, running on a treadmill and playing catch.

UP NEXT

Orioles: RHP Kevin Gausman (3-4, 5.86 ERA) tries to help Baltimore avoid a sweep in the series finale. He beat the Yankees May 31 in Baltimore despite allowing eight hits and five walks over 5 1/3 innings.

Yankees: RHP Masahiro Tanaka, originally slated to start, was pushed back to Monday in Anaheim. He has lost five straight starts during the worst stretch of his career (27 runs in 22 2/3 innings, including 11 home runs). RHP Chad Green (0-0, 1.62 ERA in seven relief outings) will make his first start of the season in Tanaka's place.