After taking it to the Nationals in this year’s rendition of “The Battle of the Beltways,” the Orioles will look to stay in overdrive and blow past the Yankees in the Bronx this weekend.
It’s always easier said than done, but with first place just a game out of reach, the Orioles surely won’t need any extra motivation.
After their sublime performance versus DC, the Orioles (70-57) went from being 2.5-games off the pace of the Red Sox and Blue Jays to nipping at their heels again while also holding a two-game lead over Detroit for the final wild card spot in the AL.
Despite their fire sale at the deadline, the Yankees (65-61) have exceeded pretty much everyone’s expectations and have posted a very solid 13-9 record in the month of August. The Bronx Bombers are currently holding down fourth place in the division and face a 5.5-game deficit for first place.
The O’s carry a 5-5 record against the Yankees this season as they head into the bright lights of NYC, but will be looking to improve upon their 1-3 record at Yankee Stadium. The O’s have also dropped four of their last six against their long-loathed rivals.
Yovani Gallardo (4-5, 5.08 ERA) will take the mound in the series opener against 24-year-old rookie Luis Cessa (3-0, 4.01 ERA).
The road hasn’t been kind to the 30-year-old Gallardo this season, as the former All-Star owns a 2-4 record and a 6.14 ERA away from Camden Yards on the year. However, Gallardo turned in an impressive outing in his last start versus Houston by allowing three earned runs over seven innings in a 5-3 loss on August 21st and has registered a very solid 3.50 ERA over his last three outings.
In four career starts versus New York, the former long-time Brewer owns a 1-2 record and a 5.47 ERA.
Cessa is set to make just his second MLB start on Friday after shutting down the Angels to the tune of just three hits over six scoreless innings along with five K’s in the Yankees 5-1 win.
Dylan Bundy (7-4, 3.33 ERA) is set to take on Chad Green (2-3, 3.66 ERA) in the middle game of the series on Saturday.
After turning in a fine performance versus the Nationals, Bundy will carry a 4-1 record along with an impressive 3.10 ERA this month into what will be his final start of August in the Bronx. The Orioles 24-year-old rookie owns a 4-2 record and a respectable 3.74 ERA away from the confines of Camden Yards this season.
Going into his first career start versus the Yanks, Bundy will be looking to dish out some payback after getting tagged by the Bombers in his only two career appearances against them this season. Bundy owns a 7.36 ERA against the Yankees on the year.
Green, 25, will be making his first career start versus Baltimore on Saturday. The Louisville alum has been in sparkling form as of late, and after allowing just one run on five hits over six innings along with five strikeouts in a 2-0 loss versus the Angels last Monday, the rookie owns a 1-1 record and a stellar 2.30 ERA over his last three outings.
In his only appearance versus Baltimore this season, Green allowed two hits over 2.1 shutout innings with one strikeout in the Orioles 4-1 win on July 21st.
Kevin Gausman (5-10, 3.92 ERA) will get the nod versus Michael Pineda (6-10, 5.02 ERA) in the series finale on Sunday afternoon.
The Yankees must be cursing their luck to face Gausman again as the Orioles 25-year-old flamethrower has registered a ridiculous 1.31 ERA and 0.91 WHIP against them over three starts this season, but somehow has a 0-1 record to show for it…run support is a fickle mistress.
In fact, Gausman has owned the Yankees since breaking onto the MLB scene, and has recorded a nasty 2.28 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over 14 games (eight starts) versus NYY since his rookie campaign in 2013. Still, his record versus the Bombers stands at an even 3-3.
Too bad Gausman can’t face the Yankees every game…but it’s still only a matter of time before the LSU alum starts doing this to every team.
Pineda, 27, carries a 4-4 record along with a 4.70 ERA at home this season into Sunday’s matinee and a 3.86 ERA over his last three outings.
The Dominican native has fared well over ten career starts versus Baltimore, going 4-2 with a respectable 3.68 ERA.
The Orioles will head into the Bronx with their eyes dead set on reclaiming first place, even if the Blue Jays are hosting the lowly Twins. The Red Sox, however, face the talented Royals squad next, so there may be another opportunity for the Orioles to force their way back into a tie for first place heading into the final days of August.
While Chris Tillman’s disheartening but necessary trip to the DL served as a massive blow to the Orioles pitching staff, if Bundy and Gausman can carry the torch for just a few shorts weeks, the Orioles will still be very much alive in the hunt for October when Tillman is ready to rejoin the club.
And led by the sparkling quintet featuring the deadly Manny Machado (.303, 29 HR, 78 RBI), super-slugger Mark Trumbo (.257, 38 HR, 93 RBI), captain Adam Jones (.276, 24 HR, 74 RBI), spark-plug Jonathan Schoop (.282, 20 HR, 67 RBI) and the dangerous Chris Davis (.223, 30 HR, 69 RBI), this Orioles offense is hitting top gear at exactly the right time.
Just 35 games remain on the schedule and from our viewpoint, 35 games left until October baseball.
Here’s to letting the good times roll in the Bronx!
