The highs and lows of Baltimore Orioles baseball were on full display against the Houston Astros during Thursday’s doubleheader.
Against the 20-win New York Yankees? They will need a lot more of those highs. All betting sites in Canada would suggest the same.
New York is the top of the food chain in the American League. They lead the league in combined home runs hit and team ERA through their first 31 games of the season.
Birdland has seen the best and the worst of the O’s over their past three series. So, which will it be as they head to the Bronx for the first time this season?
The Yankees have not lost a series since April 12, when they lost three games to the Tampa Bay Rays. New York has won 10 of its last 12 games, including a series sweep of the Boston Red Sox, who the O’s dropped two of three to before they faced Houston. They hold an 8-5 record at home with 5.8 runs scored per game.
Cade Povich was recalled from the Triple-A Norfolk Tides ahead of Friday night’s contest. The talented 26-year-old left-hander will make his fifth career start against the Yankees in the series opener. Last time fans saw Povich, they gave him a standing ovation after he allowed one run in 6 ⅔ innings in a rubber match against the San Francisco Giants. Since then, he was optioned to Norfolk and has accumulated a 3.27 ERA in his past two starts.
Povich will face New York right-hander Will Warren in his third start of the season. Warren, 26, marks one of three Yankee starters with a sub-three ERA that Baltimore is set to face. The former eighth-round pick by New York has allowed just nine earned runs through his first six starts. His 10.63 strikeouts per nine innings ranks 12th in the MLB.
Kyle Bradish is projected to take the mound on Saturday as he makes his seventh start of the new season. The 29-year-old has scuffled early in the season with command issues being most prominent. Bradish has started seven games against the Yankees in his career, allowing one or less runs in four of them.
Ryan Weathers will mark the seventh left-handed starter to face the Orioles. Thus far, that has meant good luck as Baltimore currently sits at 0-6 when they face a left-handed starter. Weathers has a 3.21 ERA through his first six starts of 2026. Can they break the lefty starter curse against a pitcher that has never faced the O’s in his career?
Baltimore has yet to name a starter for Sunday’s game after the postponement of Wednesday’s game has left Chris Bassitt one rest day short to be available. The team has former starter Albert Suarez in Triple-A and could potentially use him in an opener. Though, they could turn to options like Keegan Akin or Tyler Wells in the bullpen for the same purpose.
Unfortunately, the unnamed starter will take on New York’s ace, Max Fried. The league-leader in innings pitched is as dominant as they come, with 11 earned runs allowed through seven starts. Fried’s 2.09 ERA ranks ninth among qualified MLB starters. His 0.80 WHIP, second. Baltimore’s bats will need to be on point as they take on one of the league’s most feared starters.
Bassitt is set to close out the series against New York, making his 10th career start against the O’s AL East foe. After a hiccup against the Kansas City Royals, the 37-year-old had a strong 6 ⅔-inning versus Houston. Bassitt has held the Yankees to two or less runs in six of his nine starts against them, hoping to continue that trend against a team that leads the league in homers.
Right-hander Cam Schlittler will face Baltimore in the series finale. The 25-year-old has allowed one earned run in his last 20 innings pitched. He has tossed less than six strikeouts in one of his seven starts this season. Schlittler has been nothing short of dominant to start the season, in alignment with the rest of New York’s starting rotation.
Birds to Watch
Adley Rutschman, C
Adley Rutschman is as hot as anyone in this baseball league.
You probably could not pay this guy to stop hitting.
With a .440 batting average since exiting the injured list, Rutschman will look to continue his dominance against a familiar foe. The former first overall pick has a .303 batting average in his big league career against New York.
His ability to hit consistently from either side of the plate will prove crucial as two dominant lefties await the O’s amid the series.
Pete Alonso, 1B
Polar Bear Pete Alonso is returning to New York for the first time since his departure.
There is not a team Alonso has more strikeouts against in the AL than the Yankees, sitting at 31 in his major league career.
The former New York Mets first baseman hit 2-for-9 (.222) against Houston and has launched a home run in two of his last three series. Not eye-catching numbers, but maybe this is the turning point in what has been an underwhelming season for Alonso.
Grant Wolfram, LHP
Grant Wolfram had his worst outing of the season in the series finale against Boston.
That simply cannot continue as they face a booming offense that is slightly worse against lefties than it is against righties.
Wolfram will look to return to the version of himself that allowed one earned run in nine relief appearances since April 26. He was not deployed at all against the Astros, signaling that manager Craig Albernaz and company may understand the value that he holds in this upcoming four-game series.
Keys to the Series
Strong left-handed outings
New York’s offense has been as electric as any this season. But, against left-handed pitchers, they hit .213 compared to their .237 average against righties. They also average slightly more strikeouts per at bat against lefties. Thus, the outings from Povich, Wolfram and Akin could prove to be extremely crucial against the Yankees.
Capitalize with runners in scoring position
The Yankees do not allow a lot of baserunners. They are the second-best in walks allowed and third in hits allowed. And, did I mention they lead the league in team ERA? The point is that it’s somehow tougher to hit New York than to prevent them from hitting. That means the few baserunners that Baltimore can net need to be driven in if they want any chance at stealing some road games against the Yanks.
Limit the long ball
New York’s offense is extremely home run-centric. The Yankees have hit a league-leading 48 long shots, but rank 28th in the MLB in combined hits. In nine of their 10 losses in April, New York was held to one or less home runs. So, the key? Don’t give up bombs and this series may just be salvageable. Heck, you do that, it might be winnable.
