The top two teams in the AL East are both slumping lately. One of them will feel a little better after tonight’s game.
The Orioles are mired in a funk, coming off a sweep at the hands of the mediocre-at-best Cubs, and now they’ve got three games against the Yankees before everyone can rest over the All-Star break. It is a concerning set of circumstances and possibly the only thing that might make me feel a little bit better about it is that the Yankees have been mired in an even worse funk for a longer period of time. They are probably not going to be thrilled to see the O’s as they try to limp into the break too.
Actually, no, it doesn’t make me feel any better. As any longtime reader of this site knows, confidence is mostly not something I feel about the Orioles. My lifetime of experience has provided too many examples of why not being confident is the way to go. No matter how much they’re slumping lately, the Yankees are the $300+ million payroll juggernaut. They have two of the five best players in the league so far this season. Tonight’s starting pitcher won the Cy Young last year. This can only go one way.
A hallmark of the Orioles since about this time two years ago is that they don’t let the rough patches go on for too long. The last time the O’s were swept by an NL Central team, they won their next five games straight and eight of nine overall. They bounced back from the recent five-game losing streak with four wins in a row and seven wins in eight games.
They need to find a way to do it here. Winning this series would both guarantee that the Orioles take a three-game division lead into the All-Star break and ensure that they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker at season’s end, in case things get to that point. They’ve mostly passed the tests they’ve faced up to this point in the season. That’s why they’re on pace to win 97 games right now. There’s no denying that the next three days, facing their closest competition in the midst of this swoon, is another test.
There is a national broadcast of the game available on ESPN for those outside of the MASN broadcast area. MASN is still airing the game locally. (This will be different with Sunday’s Roku streaming broadcast, which will NOT have a MASN parallel.)
Orioles lineup
- Gunnar Henderson – SS
- Adley Rutschman – C
- Anthony Santander – RF
- Ryan O’Hearn – DH
- Jordan Westburg – 2B
- Heston Kjerstad – LF
- Ryan Mountcastle – 1B
- Cedric Mullins – CF
- Ramón Urías – 3B
The last time tonight’s Orioles starter, Cade Povich, faced the Yankees, he only gave up one run over a 4.2 inning start, but he also walked five guys. Don’t walk so many guys! Don’t give up homers while not walking guys, either. Povich has been bad about the homers in his MLB career to date too.
Yankees lineup
- DJ LeMahieu – 3B
- Juan Soto – RF
- Aaron Judge – CF
- Ben Rice – 1B
- Gleyber Torres – 2B
- Alex Verdugo – LF
- Anthony Volpe – SS
- Jose Trevino – C
- Jahmai Jones – DH
Gerrit Cole takes the mound for the Yankees, making his fifth start of the season. Things haven’t gone well for him yet. Those who feel confident – which, again, is not me – might believe that’s a sign he’ll continue to struggle including tonight. Those who have been made miserable by the Orioles offense lately probably expect a complete game shutout.