Life is pretty good right now if you’re the Yankees. Sure, they’re not 6-0 like the Tampa Bay Rays, but winning two straight series with a 4-2 record is a great outcome for the first homestand of the year.
New York will now embark on a six-game road trip that’ll begin at Camden Yards against the Orioles. Here’s what the probable pitching matchups look like at the moment.
As you can see, there are still some announcements to be made. Once they happen, we’ll update this article.
Friday at 3:05 p.m. ET: Clarke Schmidt vs. Dean Kremer
Schmidt’s new cutter looked good and his pitch mix generated some whiffs. His real problem was laboring with 32 pitches in the second inning and fatigue hit early. A rough game from umpire Andy Fletcher didn’t help either (here’s his Ump Scorecard to serve as proof).
Dean Kremer proved to be a valuable piece of Baltimore’s rotation last year. He posted a 3.23 ERA and 1.25 WHIP across 125.1 innings. His first start of 2023 against the Red Sox didn’t go well, though. He allowed five runs on six hits (two homers), one walk, and three strikeouts. In 28.2 career innings against the Yankees, Kremer owns a 5.34 ERA and 1.43 WHIP.
Saturday at 7:05 p.m. ET: Jhony Brito vs. Cole Irvin
Rookie right-hander Jhony Brito had a terrific MLB debut at Yankee Stadium last week. He allowed just two hits and one walk with six strikeouts across five shutout innings against the San Francisco Giants. Could he be forcing his way into a consistent rotation role while other hurlers are on the shelf?
Cole Irvin is making his second start as an Oriole after getting acquired from the Oakland Athletics in the offseason. He’ll hope things go smoother than they did against Boston. He took the loss after surrendering six runs on eight hits, two walks, and four strikeouts in four innings.
Irvin has made just one prior appearance against the Yankees in his career. It was a seven-inning start where he allowed five runs on six hits (two homers), one walk, and five strikeouts.
Sunday at 1:35 p.m. ET: Nestor Cortes vs. Tyler Wells
Nestor Cortes was solid in his season debut in the Bronx against the Phillies on Monday. He allowed just one run while scattering seven hits with no walks and three strikeouts. The left-hander also ended his night by making a crucial defensive play to bail out Franchy Cordero.
In six games (three starts) at Camden Yards, Nasty Nestor has a 1.64 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 22 innings.
Tyler Wells threw five perfect innings with two strikeouts in his season debut on April 3rd against the Rangers. However, this appearance against the Yankees will be his first start of 2023. He’s appeared in 10 games against New York in his career (four starts). Across 26.2 innings, he’s 0-3 with a 4.39 and 1.05 WHIP with 23 strikeouts.
Josh Benjamin also contributed to this article.
MORE ON ESNY:
• Yankees’ Gerrit Cole now 2-for-2 in terrific hot mic moments this year
• The time is officially now for top Mets prospect Francisco Alvarez
• Yankees-Phillies takeaways: Gleyber Torres’ tear, bottom of lineup
• Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton can mash anywhere … even the Polo Grounds
• Steve Cohen’s latest Mets adventure: The maternity ward
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
