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Series Preview: Orioles (31-27) at Yankees (34-23)

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After ending their one-night stand in our nation’s capital, the Orioles will now enter phase two of their eight-game road trip by taking on the Yankees in the Bronx over the weekend.

While the Orioles couldn’t pull off another victory in the delayed final game of the MASN Cup last night, they should be feeling pretty good going forward after posting a 6-3 mark over their latest nine-game home stand.

The Orioles (31-27) are just 3.5-games off the pace of the division-leading Yankees, and a series win in the Bronx to reduce the deficit would be just what the doctor ordered.

The one thing that is concerning, however, is the Orioles’ poor form away from Camden Yards as of late. The Orioles are now on a six-game road losing streak after last night’s 6-1 loss to the Nationals and haven’t won a game on tour since May 16th.

Since the turn of May, the Orioles have gone a woeful 3-12 on the road and as a result, their away record stands at a dismal 10-17.

The good news is that the Orioles love to turn it up a notch when facing their division rivals. They own a stellar 21-13 record versus the AL East to date in 2017.

The first-place Yankees (34-23) have been coasting along with the second-best record in the American League and the second-best run differential (+85) in the majors as they prepare to host the Orioles this weekend. Like the Orioles, the Yankees have been very good at defending their home park this season and own a stellar 19-9 record at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees’ success this season has been well-balanced. Their offense is currently second-best in the AL (5.5 runs per game), while they also rank second in batting average (.268), third in home runs (90) and fourth in stolen bases (36).

They’ve been just as impressive on the mound. The Yankees pitching staff ranks second in the American League in ERA (3.65), WHIP (1.20) and home runs allowed (66) while owning the AL’s lowest BAA (.230).

Can the Orioles bring their road struggles to a halt in the bright lights of NYC? only time will tell. Let’s take a look at the starters.

 

Game One

Dylan Bundy (6-4, 2.93 ERA) will take on southpaw Jordan Montgomery (3-4, 3.67 ERA) in tonight’s series opener.

While he didn’t have his best stuff during his last start versus Boston, Bundy still owns a sparkling 2.84 ERA over his last three starts and has recorded a quality start in ten of his twelve starts this season. The O’s ace will be making his fourth career start versus the Bronx Bombers on Friday. He’s 2-1 against them with a 4.43 ERA over five games (three starts).

Montgomery has gotten off to a promising start to his rookie campaign, and has been getting stronger as the year grows on. Over his last three outings, the South Carolina alum has gone 1-1 with a stellar 1.06 ERA. He’s coming off a stellar start in which he allowed just three hits over six shutout innings in a winning effort against the Blue Jays.

 

Game Two

Chris Tillman (1-3, 5.59 ERA) will get the nod against Luis Severino (4-2, 2.90 ERA) on Saturday.

Tillman has struggled since his return off the DL, and hasn’t won a game since his season debut on May 7th versus the White Sox. He’s gone 0-3 with a dreadful 7.90 ERA over his last three starts. Over twenty career starts versus New York, Tillman has gone 8-7 with a 4.93 ERA.

Severino has bounced back to his 2015 form this season, and has only gotten better as the season rolls along. Severino has recorded a perfect 2-0 record and a superb 1.27 ERA over his last three outings. After allowing just two runs on six hits over seven stellar innings against Toronto his last time out, the Yankees rising ace has now allowed two runs or fewer in five of his last six starts.

 

Game Three

Kevin Gausman (3-4, 5.86 ERA) will take the hill in the series finale versus Masahiro Tanaka (5-6, 6.55 ERA) on Sunday.

Gausman has finally started to turn the corner this season after going 2-1 with a respectable 4.01 ERA over his last four outings. To make the news even better, Gausman owns a stellar 7-3 record and 2.63 ERA over twenty career games (fourteen starts) versus the Yankees. Look for him to have a strong start in the Bronx.

Tanaka has gone through a real-life nightmare this season, and his 6.55 ERA is nearly doubles his career ERA (3.55). While Tanaka has been the Yankees’ ace for the past three seasons, one must wonder if he’s trying to pitch through an injury. He’s 0-5 with a laughable 10.27 ERA over his last five starts.

 

Notes

– Friday will mark the third time that the Orioles have faced Montgomery this season. Joey Rickard (2-for-5), Mark Trumbo (2-for-5, 1 RBI) and Jonathan Schoop (1-for-4, 2 RBI) have had the most success, while the temporarily-injured Manny Machado (0-for-4) and Chris Davis (0-for-3) are still hitless against him.

– Severino will be facing the Orioles again after just recently holding them to one run over 6 1/3 innings in a winning effort on May 30th. Davis (2-for-13), Adam Jones (1-for-8) and J.J. Hardy (1-for-8) have struggled against the Yankees promising young hurler, while Trey Mancini (3-for-3), Trumbo (4-for-10, 2 HR, 3 RBI) and Machado (4-for-14, 3 HR, 5 RBI) have tagged him hard.

– Tanaka may be in the worst form of his life, but he’s held the O’s in check during his career with a 3.72 ERA over seven starts. Davis (4-for-18), Machado (4-for-20), Schoop (4-for-20), and Trumbo (1-for-8) have been silenced by the Yankees All-Star, and only Jones (6-for-18, 1 HR, 4 RBI), Seth Smith (5-for-14) and Hardy (4-for-14, 1 HR, 1 RBI) have had any major success against him.

– Since the start of the 2014 season, the Orioles are 38-28 against the long-loathed Yankees.

– Yankees superstar Aaron Judge (.330, 18 HR, 41 RBI) leads the league in homers, but he’s not the only one lighting it up for the Bronx Bombers. He’s joined by in-form sluggers Brett Gardner (.266, 13 HR, 29 RBI), Starlin Castro (.319, 9 HR, 33 RBI) and Gary Sanchez (.256, 8 HR, 21 RBI). The Orioles pitching staff will have to bring their “A-Game” to silence these guys.

0 Responses

  1. Hey Dan how about getting some pitching before the season is lost. Hey Buck how about putting some of these guys on a much shorter leash. It’s time for them to realize this is the bigs and performing like that on a regular basis is unacceptable. Maybe find a new pitching coach.

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0 Responses

  1. Hey Dan how about getting some pitching before the season is lost. Hey Buck how about putting some of these guys on a much shorter leash. It’s time for them to realize this is the bigs and performing like that on a regular basis is unacceptable. Maybe find a new pitching coach.

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