Oswaldo Cabrera corners Corbin Burnes as Luis Gil outduels Orioles’ ace in Yankees win

BALTIMORE — With the Yankees facing a 2-0 series hole and Corbin Burnes readying for his seventh start as an Oriole, Yankees manager Aaron Boone had nothing but praise for the Cy Young winner.

The manager labeled the right-hander, a rumored Yankees’ target over the winter, as “one of the game’s best” and a “bulldog.”

“You know you gotta take advantage of the few opportunities you get with him,” Boone added before the game, “but he’s tough one.”

Oswaldo Cabrera did exactly that in the fifth inning, lining a middle-in cutter to the right-field corner at Camden Yards. The ball just barely cleared the wall and stayed fair, but a quick replay review showed the sphere stuck in the foul pole’s grating.

Jose Trevino, who singled earlier in the inning, scored on the dinger, Cabrera’s fourth of the season. The homer proved pivotal in a 2-0 Yankees win.

Cabrera is now tied for second on the Yankees with 18 RBIs after capitalizing on the only major mistake Burnes made all night.

The pitcher was otherwise sharp, holding the Yankees to those two runs, four hits and one walk over six innings. He also struck out six.

It was a strong performance, but Luis Gil outlasted and outdueled the O’s ace.

The 25-year-old permitted just two hits over 95 pitches and a career-high 6 1/3 innings. Gil added five strikeouts and one walk, a personal best this season, while lowering his ERA to 3.19.

Gil had some trouble finding the strike zone in his first handful of starts, but he’s issued just three free passes over his last two games.

The Yankees bullpen kept the Orioles in check after Gil exited the game to a mix of cheers and boos, though it took a five-out save from Clay Holmes to do that after Ian Hamilton started the eighth with a walk and a hit-by-pitch.

Holmes has yet to allow an earned run through 15 games.

With the Yankees back in the win column, the team will look for a series split on Thursday. Carlos Rodón will start the matinee.

The southpaw has been the team’s best starter in Gerrit Cole’s absence, recording a 2.48 ERA through six outings. Rodón is coming off two particularly crisp performances, totaling one run, three hits, three walks and 12 strikeouts over 13 innings against the Athletics and Brewers.

The Orioles will pose a tougher test, though. They had yet to announce their Thursday starter at the time of publication, but Kyle Bradish is expected back from a UCL sprain soon and would be on five days’ rest.

The righty recorded a 2.83 ERA while making 30 starts last season.