The New York Yankees final destination on this nine-game road trip is Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles.
By Christian Kouroupakis
It won’t come easy, though, as they head to Baltimore to conclude their nine-game road trip against the Orioles who they sit 5 1/2 behind of.
Not only has New York dropped five games in a row, but they have lost five straight contests to the O’s. The Orioles are coming off a series split against the Chicago White Sox last week in a series in which they scored 23 runs in the first three games.
The Yankees’ offense was able to break out for the most runs scored since April 9th but still fell to Boston 8-7 to fall six games out of first place and in the cellar of the American League East.
Bottom line: the Yankees need to get a series win. Yes, it’s early, but how long are we going to say that the Yankees have time before they are sitting seven games under .500 in August?
Hopefully for the Bronx Bombers, they can live up to their nickname and put this whole slump behind them. Here’s a full preview of the series in which the Yankees look to do just that.
Pitching Match-Ups:
Luis Severino (0-3, 6.86 ERA) vs Chris Tillman (2-1, 3.24 ERA)
Luis Severino will take the mound for New York as his team desperately needs him to turn around his slow start to his season. Honestly, he’s about one or two starts away from a demotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Poor command of his fastball and slider are the primary causes of his 0-3 record and 6.86 ERA. Last time out, the Texas Rangers slapped him around for six runs and seven hits in Sevy’s three innings of work.
The inconsistent Chris Tillman will be sent to the mound for the Orioles. He finished April off on a high note with 6.2 scoreless innings against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.
In his career against the Yankees, Tillman is 6-6 with a 4.96 ERA in 16 starts.
CC Sabathia (1-2, 5.06 ERA) vs Tyler Wilson (1-0, 3.06 ERA)
CC Sabathia is coming off an outing against the Texas Rangers in which, for his fourth straight start, allowed three runs and the second time he’s gone six innings in 2016. In total, he only let up the three runs on five hits and struck out five while walking three.Sabathia is 10-6 with a 3.82 ERA in 20 career starts at Camden Yards.
Sabathia is 10-6 with a 3.82 ERA in 20 career starts at Camden Yards.
The 26-year-old Wilson, who opened the season in the bullpen, got the win over the Kansas City Royals in his first start OF 2016 and struck out three in 4.2 innings pitched last time out against the Chicago White Sox.
On June 14th, 2015, he had a relief appearance against the Yankees and he tossed 3.1 scoreless innings while only surrendering three hits.
Masahiro Tanaka (1-0, 2.87 ERA) vs Mike Wright (1-2, 5.40 ERA)
Not only has Tanaka been the greatest pitcher on the Yankees’ staff, but he’s channeling his inner ace in the process.
In his latest outing against the Boston Red Sox, Tanaka went 6.2 innings of two-run ball and struck out five compared to zero walks. His ERA is down to 2.87 and it was the 27-year old’s third straight quality start.
Tanaka is 1-1 with a 3.03 ERA against Baltimore and has a 10.0 K/9 against them.
Last Friday against the White Sox, Wright allowed two runs on five hits, walking two and striking out six over six innings, but came away with a no-decision.
Wright has one career start against the Bombers and it certainly was a forgettable one. In four innings of work, he surrendered five runs off six hits including an RBI double to Mark Teixeira.
Key To Series Win:
Forget About April:
April was a month the 2016 New York Yankees would like to overlook, but that’s a tall task.
Their 8-14 record marked the worst start since 2005 but the positive aspect of that statistic is that the team finished 95-67 with a division crown.
Their .189 batting average with runners in scoring position also ranked dead last, but the good thing is that they’re getting chances to score and, hopefully, that will turn around as the season progresses.
If you’re looking for a positive note for every stat I’m about to give you, you’ve come to the wrong place.
They scored 75 runs in the opening month of the season which found them ranked dead last in all of Major League Baseball in runs scored. Yes, even below the pitiful Atlanta Braves in a league in which pitchers bat.
To add insult to injury, their .633 OPS was fourth-worst in baseball behind the Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and Los Angeles Angels.
It’s obvious that the team is pressing, so what New York has to realize is that they’re better than this slump tells them they are. Proving that is the key in this series.
Players To Watch:
Alex Rodriguez:
After struggling mightily in the first part of April and drawing questions if age has caught up to him, Rodriguez has caught fire.
In the last seven days, A-Rod owns a .429 batting average with three home runs and six RBI in 14 at-bats. Along with his terrific streak, he loves hitting at this series’ venue.
In 126 career games at Camden Yards, Rodriguez owns a .274/.361/.532 with 33 home runs and 106 RBI. Against this week’s pitchers, A-Rod 6-for-17 (.352) with four home runs.
Mark Trumbo:
Trumbo loves hitting New York Yankees’ pitching. In 27 games against them, he has six “Trum-Bombs” and a .317/.369/.604 slash line.
Against Thursday’s starter, CC Sabathia, Trumbo is 5-for-16 (.313) with a home run.
The Yankees also might look to avoid using Ivan Nova against this guy, as Trumbo is batting .563 with a 1.000 slugging percentage and two home runs in 16 at-bats against the long-reliever.
Game Times:
- Game 1: Tuesday, 7:05 PM ET, YES Network
- Game 2: Wednesday, 7:05 PM ET, YES Network
- Game 3: Thursday, 7:05 PM ET, YES/MLB Network
Injury Notes:
New York:
- Aaron Hicks (shoulder): day-to-day, expected to be a full-go.
Baltimore:
- JJ Hardy (foot): will be out for 6-to-8 weeks due to a hairline fracture in his foot.
- Yovani Gallardo (shoulder): 15-day DL, does not have a timetable for when he’ll be able to resume throwing.
- Zach Britton (ankle): day-to-day, may be able to return to action either Tuesday or Wednesday.
Bold Prediction:
A-Rod hits a home run in his third straight series, Luis Severino deals a quality start to prove he’s not done, and the Yankees win their third series of 2016.