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          New York Yankees

          Dominant Pineda escapes sticky situation

          • Andrew Marchand, ESPN Senior WriterSep 22, 2014, 11:31 PM ET
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              Andrew Marchand is a senior writer for ESPNNewYork. He also regularly contributes to SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight, ESPNews, ESPN New York 98.7 FM and ESPN Radio. He joined ESPN in 2007 after nine years at the New York Post. Follow Andrew on Twitter »
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          NEW YORK -- On Tuesday, it will have been exactly five months since he became Michael PINEda. The infamous Pine Tar game occurred at Fenway on April 23. On the 53-degree night, Pineda needed a make-up artist to conceal his pine tar, but instead got thrown out of the game.

          Embarrassed, suspended and eventually hurt, Pineda would miss months. But look at him now. Pineda pitched another gem Monday against the Baltimore Orioles, going 7⅓ scoreless innings, allowing just a hit and a walk. He struck out eight. His ERA on the year is now 1.93.

          Pineda pitched as well as he did on Monday night against the Orioles, even as the temperatures dipped into the 50s.

          "You have to remember the night that he pitched was miserable," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi, remembering the rain and wind that combined with the cold at the Fens in April. "Yeah, I do think it is important to give him confidence when it is windy and it is cooler."

          Derek Jeter has noticed how Pineda (4-5) has pitched in his 12 starts. Besides the Boston game, he has only given up more than two runs once.

          "He's been outstanding," said Jeter, who had a two-run double and three RBIs and is now 9-for-29 on the homestand. "Every time out he's almost been dominant."

          If Pineda and Masahiro Tanaka can stay healthy next year and pitch to their abilities, the Yankees could be on par with the best 1-2 punches in the games. On Monday, Pineda gave a glimpse that he might be an all-season pitcher.

          Elimination Number: The Yankees' elimination number dropped to three, because the Kansas City Royals won their night cap with the Cleveland Indians. That means that any combination of Yankees losses and Royals wins that adds up to three would end the Yankees' playoff hopes. Girardi said he thinks the Yankees must win every game for the team to even have a shot.

          The biggest problem for the Yankees is not only are they down in the standings, but they have to hurdle Seattle and Cleveland. Plus, the Yankees, having won two in a row, would have to end the season with a nine-game winning streak.

          Ready for action: Jose Pirela drilled an RBI triple and was running so hard out of the box he almost fell down. Pirela, who hit better than .300 at Triple-A, was thrilled to be in the lineup. He batted ninth as the DH.

          "When I saw the lineup, I was so excited," Pirela said.

          Pirela, 24, has not been considered a top prospect by the Yankees.