MLB

Shane Greene (who?!) dominates as Yanks blank Baltimore

BALTIMORE — Say what you want about Shane Greene, but there is no denying he has tossed a battered Yankees rotation a small life jacket.

Is Greene as good as he has been in the first two major league starts? Is he a flash in the pan?

Those answers are in the future, but there is no denying what the right-hander has meant to the Yankees, who are desperately attempting to stay relevant in the AL East despite losing four of five starters to serious injuries.

“Everybody is a big leaguer here, everybody can do the job,’’ Francisco Cervelli said of Greene after the Yankees topped the Orioles, 3-0, in front of 46,667 at Camden Yards on Saturday. “We lost a lot of big names, it doesn’t mean younger guys can’t do the job.’’

At 25 and with three games (two starts) in the big leagues, Greene certainly qualifies as a younger guy. So far he also qualifies as a savior. Who knows what happens later, but what he did to a muscular Orioles lineup was impressive.

“I’m glad I got the opportunity and glad to help the team win,’’ said Greene, who went 7¹/₃ innings in which he allowed four hits, walked two and fanned nine.

The Yankees moved to within four games of the AL East-leading Orioles.

Most impressive was Greene striking out All-Star Nelson Cruz in the second, fourth and sixth innings. The last K came with two outs, a runner on third and the Yankees clinging to a 1-0 lead.

“It’s pretty cool,’’ Greene said of whiffing the man tied for the AL lead in homers (28) when Saturday’s action started.

After retiring Steve Clavinger for the initial out in the eighth, Greene was replaced by lefty David Huff to face the left-handed hitting Nick Markakis.

As Greene strolled off the mound, he received an elongated standing ovation from the Yankees fans who infiltrated the Orioles’ living room.

“How could you not?’’ Green said of noticing the ovation. “It gave me goose bumps.’’

As usual these days, Greene didn’t get much support from the bat rack. Mark Teixeira drove in the game’s first run with a two-out double that scored Brett Gardner in the third inning. Derek Jeter and Jacoby Ellsbury delivered two-out, run-scoring hits in the seventh to make it 3-0.

“Anytime guys get opportunities you have to make the most of it,’’ Jeter said, talking of Greene. “He has done that.’’

Greene, who is 2-0 with a 1.32 ERA in two starts, watched Shawn Kelley bail out Huff in the eighth and David Robertson notch the final three outs for his 23rd save in 25 chances.

“The more he pitches the more confident he will get,’’ Jeter said. “But we have confidence in him on the mound.’’

The Orioles’ first hit was Manny Machado’s two-out single in the fifth and was followed by Ryan Flaherty’s single that put runners at the corners. Greene responded by whiffing Nick Hundley.

Greene’s biggest challenge surfaced in the sixth, when Markakis and Steve Pearce singled to start the frame. Green induced Adam Jones to hit a grounder up the middle that second baseman Brian Roberts turned into a 4-3 double play. Greene stranded Markakis at third by fanning Cruz.

Working with a 95 mph fastball and a biting slider, Greene made it easy on Cervelli.

“I put my glove and he threw it,’’ Cervelli said.

Of course, it’s never going to be this easy for Greene. The day is coming when he gets punished for bad pitches.

Nevertheless, two games before the All-Star break, when the Yankees were begging for good starting pitching, Greene delivered. And in a world where today means a whole lot more than tomorrow, the Yankees certainly will enjoy it.