BALTIMORE — Just in time for the All-Star break, Luis Gil is pitching like an All-Star again.
The right-hander, who followed a terrific 14-start stretch to start the season with an abysmal three-start span that likely cost him a spot in this week’s Midsummer Classic in Texas, delivered a second straight solid performance to close out the first half.
On another sweltering day at Camden Yards, facing a first-place Orioles team in the midst of a slump, Gil gave up just one run in six innings, as the Yankees won back-to-back games for the first time in a month with a 6-1 victory.
And this time, Gil picked up the win, something he wasn’t able to do in his previous start, when he allowed just one run over 6 ²/₃ innings against the Red Sox last Sunday in a game the Yankees dropped, 3-0.
Gil didn’t dominate on Saturday, but was effective and a better slider was a key reason why he was able to limit Baltimore despite not necessarily having his best stuff, according to Aaron Boone.
“The slider was really good again,’’ Boone said. “It speaks to how good he can be when he’s not perfect.”
Boone noted that Gil altered the grip on his slider “a couple weeks ago. We saw the results. It’s definitely a pitch that’s a factor for him.”
Gil said through an interpreter he feels more “comfortable” with the slider since the grip change.
“It’s not slipping away,’’ Gil said. “I feel comfortable executing the pitch.”
Along with the four-seam fastball, catcher Austin Wells said the slider gives Gil “another plus pitch.”
And he was also helped by an early eruption from the Yankee offense.
The beneficiary of the Yankees’ four-run first, Gil pitched around a pair of singles in the bottom of the first, when he got Ryan O’Hearn to pop out and Jordan Westburg to fly out to left.
He gave up a run in the fourth after O’Hearn led off with a triple and scored on a Ryan Mountcastle groundout.
And it was a much different performance than the one Gil delivered the last time he faced the Orioles on June 20, which began his brutal three-start span.
That day, Gil was lit up for a season-high seven runs in just 1 ¹/₃ innings.
He was pounded by the Mets for five runs in 4 ¹/₃ innings on June 26 and the Reds for four runs in just four innings on July 2 before the bounce-back game in The Bronx versus Boston.
That start gave Boone optimism that the worst was behind Gil, thanks to some mechanical adjustments Gil made alongside pitching coach Matt Blake.
“His last outing was [very] much in line with what we saw the first couple months of the season,’’ the manager said before the game. “He found his delivery right away in the first inning and did a good job establishing his fastball. It all comes down to delivery.”
Barring a last-minute change to the American League All-Star roster, Gil won’t be in Texas, but it’s more important to the Yankees that he pitches well down the stretch.
Asked if he had any concern about when he would get back to pitching well during his nightmarish three-start stretch, Gil said, “Like any athlete in any sport, there are moments where things are not gonna go your way. When you go through moments like that, you have to believe in yourself even more and stay strong.”
Boone called the two consecutive solid outings before the break “a good sign, I hope” and added he expects Gil to be better for what he’s gone through.
“Just who he’s been all year, with the focus, the — at times — greatness [and] the bumps in the road he’s had, the learning moments he’s had,” Boone said. “There’s a lot to be gained from an experience standpoint. He’s continued to meet the challenge.”