Yankees: It’s Ronald Torreyes that lights a fire under the team!

Ronald Torreyes provided the spark that woke up a listless, but proud Yankees team after a morale-breaking loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.

A day after playing 14 innings, losing 7-3 to the Orioles, where four players went to the DL or succumb to illness,  the Yankees found out what their team is made of.

When injuries force regulars to sit out, it is the teams backup players that have to pick up the slack if the club is to win a championship. It is not only crucial for the win-loss column, but it is essential to the moral of the team.

As I was watching the third game of the series between the Yanks and O’s, I couldn’t help get the feeling that Yankees were playing lackluster and without any fire.

On a day when the team sent out Sonny Gray in the “stopper” role, not only to prevent the Bombers from losing three straight, and dropping below .500, but pitch deep into the game to give the decimated bullpen a rest.

Brett Gardner got it going in the second inning with a two-out RBI single to right field off Orioles’ starter Chris Tillman, driving in Torreyes, who had previously doubled, and Romine who had replaced Andujar on a fielder’s choice.

The O’s bounced right back in the third scoring two runs on a two-out Manny Machado flyball to left field that Jace Peterson really should have caught. Peterson was called up from Triple-A Scranton due to the Yankees’ injury-depleted outfield.

The Orioles scored the go-ahead run in the fourth inning on a double by Pedro Alvarez which was misplayed by Aaron Judge and then compounded when he threw to the cut off man and not directly to the plate, to potentially cut down the runner.

After watching Judge, an exceptional defensive player miscalculate that play and allow the birds to retake the lead; I uttered to myself, “Here we go again.”

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The Yanks certainly tired after playing 14 innings in the cold the night before, seemingly stocked with emotionless play — without the zeal, they entered the season with.

Then, in the really top of the fifth inning, came the play believe ignited the Yankees. With one out, Trey Mancini hits what seemed like a sure single through the hole between first and second base.

Ronald Torreyes made a brilliant snare for the second out. Gray applauded and then struck out Machado, the one-man Yankee wrecking machine.

Onto the bottom half of the fifth; Torreyes singles, and is pushed to second base by a Gardner walk. With Judge at the dish, alert base running by Torreyes gets him to third base on a Tillman off-speed pitch in the dirt, blocked just in front of the O’s catcher, Chance Sisco.

Aaron Judge then grounded out to first, but Torreyes scored, tying up the game. It was Torreyes’s hustle that put himself and the Yankees in position to score that tying run. Torreyes finished the day going 3-for-4 with two runs scored.

Gray shut down Baltimore in the top half of the sixth and finished his day after just 86 pitches, giving up three runs on four hits while striking out four. In the bottom of the inning, the rest of the club comes to life.

Didi Gregorius opens the Yanks’ half by drawing a walk; Tyler Austin singles, advancing Didi to third and then Andujar brings Sir Didi in on a sacrifice fly. Then Jace Peterson gets on second, and Austine Romine brings him home with a single and the Yanks’ second run of the inning.

Adam Warren enters to pitch the seventh and doesn’t have it, giving up two hits before handing over the ball to David Robertson with men on second and third. I could feel the confidence oozing from D-Rob, as with first base open, no intentional walks were going to be issued today.

Robertson goes right after the heart of the O’s order and strikes out Machado and then Jonathan Schoop. In total, D-Rob pitched 1.2 innings, allowing zero hits while fanning four. Houdini is back.

The Yankees are back at it bottom of the seventh, as Gardner walks; Judge doubles to score him, Gregorius is intentionally walked, steals second and finally, Austin singles for two more runs.

As I said, Robertson shut down the Orioles in the eighth and Luis Cessa, another call-up after Jonathan Holder was sent back to Triple-A, closes out the ninth.

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The Yankees played with pride on Saturday. The high-flying Boston Red Sox should pay attention because this Yankee team is deep and will never give up no matter how desperate the situation seems. That is what championship caliber clubs do.