Three batters into Game 2 of the ALDS, Alex Rodriguez smoked a liner to the right of second base. The Yankees had runners on first and second with nobody out, and A-Rod’s bullet was about to be a single that put the Yanks on the board.
Trouble was, Robert Andino’s glove robbed it.
Andino, the Orioles’ second baseman, dived to his right, catching Rodriguez’s liner with a terrific grab. Then — while lying in the dirt — Andino tossed the ball to second to double off Derek Jeter.
“Unbelievably big,” Orioles center fielder Adam Jones said. “What it did is, it prevented a big inning. … Our defense has helped us out a lot this year.”
It’s already helped the Orioles out a lot this series. Baltimore has made three errors in two games (as have the Yankees), so Buck Showalter’s boys are hardly playing flawlessly. Shortstop J.J. Hardy has two errors (including one grounder that went between his legs) and first baseman Mark Reynolds has the other.
But the Orioles have made multiple terrific defensive plays in this series, helping prevent the Yankees’ offense from exploding. In the second inning of Game 1, the Yankees had a runner on first with one out and Reynolds robbed Curtis Granderson of a hit with a diving stop of his grounder, throwing to second base from his knees to get the force play. The Yankees didn’t end up scoring that inning.
Or look at the seventh inning of Game 1 when Andino almost cost the Orioles, short-hopping a throw to home plate while trying to nail Russell Martin, who was attempting to score the go-ahead run. Catcher Matt Wieters picked the short hop beautifully, then tagged Martin to keep things tied. Showalter called Wieters the “best catcher I’ve ever had,” saying he’s “real lucky to have had him pass my way.”
This is not simply isolated defensive excellence for the Orioles. From Aug. 9 through the end of the season, the Orioles led the majors with a .990 fielding percentage (the Yankees tied for third at .988). The significance of Aug. 9 is that it’s the day Baltimore’s 20-year-old prodigy, Manny Machado, made his major league debut at third base.
“[Our defense] all changed when Machado got called up,” Hardy said, “and started playing third base the way he’s been doing it.”
Keep in mind the Orioles are also missing right fielder Nick Markakis, a Gold Glove winner last year. Baltimore’s defense is shining regardless, Andino, Reynolds and Wieters all delivering so far in the ALDS.
mark.hale@nypost.com