The New York Yankees will head to Baltimore to take on the Orioles in what is the most important series of the year to date.
Tight playoff race? Check. Division rivals? Check. September baseball? Check.
OK, this series in Baltimore between the New York Yankees and Orioles has become a must-watch event as the winner will gain an advantage in the race for the second American League Wild Card spot.
The Bombers currently sit 2.5 games behind the O’s, who are in a tie with the Detroit Tigers for the second slot, and a series sweep or win can unmistakably put them in a better position to eventually punch their ticket for the one-game playoff on October 4.
Taking the hill for New York will be 25-year old rookie right-hander Chad Green (2-3, 4.09 ERA) who will be making his second consecutive start against the Birds.
Last time out, he went just 4.2 innings and was tagged for four earned runs thanks to three long balls, two to Chris Davis, by the team that currently leads the league with 209 dingers.
SEE ALSO: September Provides Realistic Postseason Path
Entering that start, Green had only surrendered one home run through 24 innings of starting and relieving. In that span, the young hurler maintained an ERA of 1.50 with an opponents batting average of .241.
Opposing him will be Dylan Bundy who fell to the Yankees on Saturday at Yankee Stadium. He gave up five runs on seven hits and three walks with six strikeouts over four innings en route to his fifth loss of 2016.
In 16 games at Camden Yards (five starts) this season, the righty has held opponents to 18 runs across 47.1 innings of work while allowing a BAA of .240 compared to .284 on the road.
We're in Baltimore taking on the Orioles this weekend! Find out what to expect here : https://t.co/ZQiEejI0BC pic.twitter.com/qGvQAeOmY7
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 2, 2016
Lineups:
Yankees at Baltimore at 7:05pm on @YESNetwork and @WFAN660 pic.twitter.com/Ww3EyIwhkZ
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) September 2, 2016
Tonight's lineup for the series finale vs Toronto. Yovani Gallardo on the mound. #Birdland pic.twitter.com/NdI8EujxMk
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) August 31, 2016
Player To Watch:
Chris Davis
Perhaps nobody loves hitting off Yankees’ pitching more than Davis (well … maybe David Ortiz).
In just 102 games played against New York, the man who led the league with 47 home runs in 2015 has slugged 26 long balls and has driven in 75 RBI to pad his juicy .511 slugging percentage against them.
Among teams he has played at least 100 times, that slugging percentage is the second-highest as he has a higher percentage against the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays.
40-Man Roster Expansions:
Today, the rosters expanded to 40 men. Take a look at who will be joining the Yankees in their quest for October:
ROSTER MOVES: The Yankees have recalled INF Rob Refsnyder, RHP Nick Goody and RHP Luis Severino from Triple-A Scranton/WB, … (1/4)
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) September 2, 2016
ROSTER MOVES (cont'd.): … recalled RHP Kirby Yates from Rookie-level Pulaski, selected RHP Jonathan Holder and OF Eric Young Jr. … (2/4)
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) September 2, 2016
ROSTER MOVES (cont'd.): … from Triple-A Scranton/WB and signed them to MLB contracts. Additionally, have reinstated … (3/4)
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) September 2, 2016
ROSTER MOVES (cont'd.): … RHP Nick Rumbelow from the seven-day D.L., recalled him from Scranton/WB and placed him on the 60-day D.L. (4/4)
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) September 2, 2016
This Date In Yankees’ History:
On September 2, 2001, Mike Mussina was flirting with a perfect game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park but lost it with one out in the ninth thanks to a soft single by Carl Everett.
On this day in 2001, Mike Mussina falls 1 strike short of a perfect game vs. Boston (WATCH): https://t.co/XRulokJpX8 pic.twitter.com/SIoLRo52Ku
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) September 2, 2016
Bold Prediction:
Green will struggle as Davis and Mark Trumbo both take him deep. However, thanks to a dominant relief performance by Luis Severino, the Bombers make a comeback and win thanks to a go-ahead shot by Aaron Judge in the eighth.
