Jhony Brito produces another solid outing as Yankees beat Orioles

BALTIMORE — It’s still too soon to tell if the Yankees have something with Jhony Brito.

But the early returns sure are promising.

Though not quite as impressive as he had been in his big-league debut last Sunday against the Giants, when he threw five scoreless innings, the 25-year-old rookie still turned in a second straight good start Saturday night.

Backed by Anthony Volpe’s first career triple, a key hit by Aaron Hicks and another bullet of a home run by Giancarlo Stanton, Brito won for the second time in two tries as the Yankees beat the Orioles, 4-1, in front of 30,961 at Camden Yards.

Brito, signed by the Yankees in 2015 out of the Dominican Republic for $35,000, allowed a run in the first inning on Anthony Santander’s sacrifice fly but nothing in the four that followed. The righthander gave up three hits and two walks in a 92-pitch outing in which he struck out two.

“This is a dream from ever since I was a little kid,’’ Brito said through an interpreter. “To me, I just wanted to prove, and to the staff, that I could pitch. This is the best baseball in the world and baseball is tough up here, but at the same time, very grateful for the opportunity.”

Said Aaron Boone: “Grinded. It wasn’t perfect by any means. He pitched behind in the count some, but he never gives in and he doesn’t ever get flustered. It’s a great attribute to have . . . That’s a good example of it doesn’t always have to be perfect, you don’t always have to necessarily be at your best, but he made a lot of big pitches when he needed to. Did everything to put us in position to win the game.”

The Yankees (5-3), who received terrific work from their bullpen after several hiccups in Friday night’s loss, outhit the Orioles 7-4.

Volpe, who had entered the game 3-for-21, led off the fifth with a triple off the right-centerfield wall, barely missing his first career homer. He scored on DJ LeMahieu’s double into the leftfield corner to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead. After a wild pitch, Aaron Judge’s sacrifice fly to center made it 3-1.

“I feel like I wasn’t making adjustments, and that was the most frustrating part to me,’’ Volpe said of his struggles. “I have the best teammates in the world to give scouting reports and stuff like that, so I was probably hard on myself and not giving myself any excuses because I feel like I’m working hard and equipped to go out and perform. For the first week or so, that was frustrating.”

After Anthony Rizzo grounded out for the second out, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde pulled Cole Irvin, who threw 101 pitches, for righty Austin Voth. Stanton took a ball, then ripped a 93-mph fastball to left to make it 4-1. The ball left his bat at 116.3 mph and traveled 436 feet.

Hicks, who had been 0-for-8 to start the season, grounded a two-out RBI single up the middle in the fourth to tie it at 1-1. “Big one to tie the game there for us,’’ Boone said. “Big hit there to get us rolling.”

Michael King, who allowed a combined two runs and eight hits in his first two outings, allowed a hit and struck out three in two scoreless innings. Wandy Peralta struck out two and walked one in the eighth and Clay Holmes earned his second save in two chances with a scoreless ninth in which he walked one and struck out one.

Did King need this kind of outing after back-to-back bad ones? “I wouldn’t say need,’’ he said. “I still feel like I’m kind of getting back into the swing of things. Obviously, it’s great for confidence. It’s always nice to put up zeros, definitely.”