Orioles’ bullpen squelches Yankee rally in 7th, still 1-1

So you know Nick Swisher has the worst postseason statistics in the history of, not only the postseason, but also statistics generally.

When Swisher led off the seventh, he almost made up for all of that -- well, most of it; well, some of it -- with one swing. He picked on Tommy Hunter’s first pitch, put a real good swing on it, and drove a long fly ball to deep right field where ... Chris Davis camped on the warning track and made the catch. Leaving Swisher to wonder just what he has to do.

Russell Martin lofted Hunter’s first pitch into right field, too. But not nearly as far into right field. It was shallow enough for second baseman Ryan Flaherty to do his best Pete Kozma impression:

Well, it wasn’t perfect. At least Flaherty got plenty of leather on the ball. Too much, actually.

It wasn’t Hunter’s fault, but Buck Showalter summoned Troy Patton from the bullpen to face Curtis Granderson, who lofted an easy fly to left field (where it was actually caught). But Showalter wasn’t finished, because Patton gave up a line-drive single to Jayson Nix.

With Derek Jeter coming up. So Showalter brought in right-hander Luis Ayala, who hadn’t pitched in more than a week.

Ayala’s a tough pitcher. Jeter’s a tough hitter.

Ayala threw a ball, then started pounding the strike zone. Jeter took a couple of strike, then fouled a few off. And then Ayala made what was, at least according to the guy who mattered, a perfect pitch:

I don’t know. Looks pretty good to me.

And so it goes. After seven innings, this one’s still tied at one run apiece.