Back and forth the 97-68 New York Yankees and 95-71 Baltimore Orioles went in Game 3 of the National League Division Series until Raul Ibanez single-handedly beat Baltimore with his second home run of the game.

NY's biggest play of the game was pinch-hitting Ibanez for Alex Rodriguez with one one during the ninth inning. Ibanez homered a few seconds later to force extras with the Orioles who jumped out to 1-0 and 2-1 leads during the top of the third and fifth on Ryan Flaherty's and Manny Machado's HRs. Derek Jeter's RBI-triple getting Russell Martin home during the bottom of the third tied the game for the Yanks. Ibanez beat Baltimore during the 12th with a lead-off HR 3-2.

The Orioles had won their last 16 extra-inning games. Baltimore tries to rebound with 1-0 Joe Saunders and a 1.59 ERA. Saunders triumphed at the 93-70 Texas Rangers already this postseason 5-1 giving up a run during 5.2 innings. That was just Saunders' eighth start with the Orioles after being acquired from the 81-81 Arizona Diamondbacks at the end of August.

While with Baltimore Saunders beat New York 5-4 yielding two runs to the Yankees during 5.1 innings. NY is 67-for-221 with 37 RBIs against Saunders. The Yanks are led by Ibanez and Nick Swisher with six RBIs each. The Orioles are an absurd 3-1 in Saunders' away appearances this year just losing 3-2 at the 95-70 Oakland Athletics in mid-September.

16-13 Phil Hughes with a 4.23 ERA goes for New York next hoping to beat the Orioles who he's 2-2 versus this season. In Baltimore Hughes won 8-5 courtesy of a six-inning three-run two-earned affair on Sept. 7. Five days earlier Hughes was bashed by the Orioles at Yankee Stadium 8-3 conceding five runs during five innings.

Also in NY the Orioles parked four runs in during 5.2 innings of 7-1 Hughes loss while Hughes won 12-3 wielding a run during six innings to Baltimore who owns a 56-for-218 with 30 RBIs mark in the batter's box against him. Adam Jones and Nick Markakis have six RBIs apiece as Reynolds has five in just 12 plate appearances versus Hughes. The Yanks are 12-4 when Hughes hurls at home. Hard not to go with New York to finish off the Orioles in four at Yankee Stadium Thursday, but again this could come down to the very end so I'm hesitant to lay more than a run on the home team who I expect to be favored again.