The New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles are set to face off in an AL East Clash from Camden Yards.
With a feel-good 5-4 win in Detroit last night, the New York Yankees improved to 3-4 on their current road trip. In Baltimore, they will look to make it a much more respectable ten game, four city swing and make up ground in the American League East.The Yanks got off to a formidable start in Tampa by taking two out of three, but then were miserably swept away at Rogers Centre. Last night’s performance from Michael Pineda and a late offensive breakthrough made a partly successful road trip in the realm of possibility.
Baltimore is coming off a pivotal divisional match-up with the Boston Red Sox. They dropped the first two of the series before outbursting for 25 runs in the final two games to earn a split. The O’s (30-22) sit in second place in the AL East, a game behind the Red Sox and five and a half ahead of the fourth place Yankees (25-28).
The two teams have only faced off once thus far in 2016, a three-game set in Baltimore to kick off May. Coming out victorious in the series were the Orioles, taking two out of three from the Yanks, who were experiencing major disorder at the time.
For a series in early June, the outlook of the division can be shifted drastically based on this weekend’s outcome.
With that, here’s ESNY’s extensive series preview with everything you need to know ahead of tonight’s opener.
Pitching Matchups:
Nathan Eovaldi (6-2, 3.71 ERA) vs. Chris Tillman (7-1, 2.92 ERA)
Tonight’s series opener will feature two right-handers who have been superb for their respective teams.
Nathan Eovaldi has won his last five starts, lowering his ERA to 3.71 in the process. He can thank the deflated ERA due to a 6-0, 2.72 ERA split over his last seven starts. The flame thrower has been everything the Yankees could have hoped after a slight rough patch to start the season.
Tillman has been brilliant all year for the Orioles. The numbers speak for themselves, and he carries a 6-0, 2.33 ERA split of his own over his last seven starts. He faced the Yankees back on May 3rd, coming out victorious by striking out nine over seven outstanding frames.
Ivan Nova (3-3, 3.98 ERA) vs. Tyler Wilson (2-4, 3.83 ERA)
Saturday’s matchup will see another face off of right-handers with upside.
Ivan Nova will take the ball for New York. The 29-year-old has been stellar since rejoining the rotation, pitching to a 3.41 ERA in five starts. However he has allowed four runs in each of his last two starts, losing both to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Tyler Wilson will oppose Nova on the mound for the O’s. The 26-year-old has spent his last seven appearances in the starting staff after initially coming out of Baltimore’s bullpen. In those starts, he has pitched to a 4.35 ERA and has averaged just under six innings an outing.
CC Sabathia (3-4, 2.85 ERA) vs. Kevin Gausman (0-3, 3.78 ERA)
Sunday’s series finale will feature yet another plus pitching matchup.
CC Sabathia pitched to an absolutely terrific 1.04 ERA in the month of may as he continues to make an Andy Pettitte-like transformation. He has developed an ability to throw the right pitches in the right counts. The 35-year-old’s sinker is staying down and away, his changeup has been effective, and he has re-found an outstanding backdoor slider. A tough-luck loss was charged to CC in his last outing as he surrendered only five hits and two runs in six-plus innings.
Kevin Gausman, a 25-year-old power arm for Baltimore, has yet to pick up a win in eight starts this season. His ERA was not helped in his last outing, when he allowed five earned runs in a loss to Boston at Camden Yards.
Key to a Series Win
Keep the ball in the park
If this weekend’s starters can keep the ball out of the outfield stands, the Yankees will be well on their way to a series win.
The Baltimore Orioles, 76 long balls, are second in baseball to only the Seattle Mariners in home runs. They have also thrived at Camden Yards, blasting 40 dingers in 29 games at home.
Their 76 home runs put them on pace for an outstanding 237 for the season. Their latest win over the Boston Red Sox featured seven home runs: two off the bat of Mark Trumbo, one from Manny Machado, one from Pedro Alvarez, two from Adam Jones, and one from Francisco Pena.
Mark Trumbo has been the exceptional pickup for Baltimore, coming through with the power stroke time and time again. He has a .288 average, a .928 OPS, 17 homers, and 42 RBIs.
Keeping the likes of Trumbo and Machado in the park will be pivotal to the Yankees’ success this weekend. The O’s have lived and died with the long ball.
Players To Watch
Alex Rodriguez
The man with 693 career homers continue to struggle at the dish for the Bronx Bombers.
His slash entering this weekend is an awful .177/.240/.406 and his only mark since coming off the disabled list was his blast in Tampa.
His latest memory in Baltimore was pulling up lame chugging down the first base line. The injury to his hamstring disrupted the early stages of his season immensely.
Manny Machado
The 23-year-old has emerged into an AL MVP candidate as he continues to anchor Baltimore’s potent offensive attack.
He has played in each and every game this season, slashing .318/.386/.616 with 14 homers and 34 RBIs. His OPS amounts to 1.002. His Gold Glove has been exactly what the O’s have needed on the defensive side as well.
The Orioles need him to produce against three formidable Yankee right-handers and the Yanks must hold him in check. Keep a close eye on Machado.
Game Times
- Friday, 7:05 pm ET, YES
- Saturday, 7:15 pm ET, FOX
- Sunday, 1:35 pm ET, YES
Bold Predictions
The Yankee offense comes alive and scores a combined 20 runs in the weekend set. The Yanks get a brilliant start out of Nathan Eovaldi in the series opener to set the stage and end up sweeping their division rivals to make up major ground in the division.