The New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles wrap up a three-game series on Wednesday night. New York has won the first two in the series as well as 12 of the first 14 meetings between the two teams this season, including the last 11 straight.
Cruise Control
The Yankees are now 74-39 after winning their last game against the Baltimore Orioles where they hit six home runs and scored nine runs all together to the Orioles’ four, despite each team having 11 hits. New York is nine games out in front of the Rays in first place in the AL East. They are on the road for this series where they are 31-21 this season.
Yankees pitcher James Paxton is scheduled to get the start in this game. Paxton is 6-6 after picking up a win in his last outing where he allowed two runs over six innings against the Red Sox. Coming out of the All-Star break, the Yankees’ pitching was horrible, but lately, they have got back on track, and with the help of their solid hitting they have won their last seven games.
Speaking of the Yankees batting, they are hitting .271 this season with an astounding 198 home runs. They are led by 24 home runs by catcher Gary Sanchez, who is currently going to catch in rehab games to get ready to come back. First baseman Luke Voit — also out injured — leads the team with his .278 batting average, and DJ LeMahieu leads with 76 runs batted in.
Same Old Story
Baltimore is 38-75 this season, almost the exact opposite of the New York Yankees. To say the Orioles are rebuilding is a gross understatement, as they have a lot to figure out as a team and will use the rest of the season to decide which players they will keep to build around. They are at home for this series where they are just 17-40 this season.
John Means will be getting the start for Baltimore in this game. Means is 8-6 this season with a 3.12 ERA and 78 strikeouts. Despite the rough season, the 26-year-old has been a bright spot for the Orioles. They will be looking for a solid outing from him in this one if they want a chance to beat the Yankees.
Another solid part of the Orioles’ club is their 27-year-old rightfielder, Trey Mancini. Mancini has 26 home runs with a .278 batting average and 64 runs batted in. Aside from him, Baltimore is batting .245 with 142 home runs this season. They need a lot of work and will take a very good game to beat the Yankees, who have been on fire this month.
What To Expect
This one is just as cut and dry as it would seem, Baltimore does have a solid arm on the mound in this one, but they are simply very, very outmatched in this game. Even with the Yankees’ injuries and ups and downs with their pitching, they should easily dominate this whole series.
