Tyler Wells heads to the bump in a rubber game against the Yankees.
It would be nice if the Orioles could win this game. Beating the Yankees is fun, and it’s better when it clinches a series in the process. However, the offensive performance on Saturday night doesn’t provide much confidence that they will be able to breakthrough against lefty Nestor Cortes.
Cortes was good against his former club last season, holding the Orioles to a .156/.194/.172 batting line and no runs allowed over three starts. It was pure domination as he also racked up 31 strikeouts across the 18.1 innings that encompassed those three outings.
But maybe Tyler Wells is up to the challenge. The righty was impressive in the Texas series, entering the game as a surprise reliever following Kyle Bradish’s injury. All he did was deliver five hitless innings against a Rangers lineup that had blown up the Phillies pitching staff just a few days prior. Hopefully he can achieve similar results in a starting role.
One positive from the loss on Saturday was that Brandon Hyde did not need to turn to any of his big bullpen arms. So he should have Félix Bautista, Cionel Pérez, and Bryan Baker read to roll in a close game.
Orioles Starting Lineup
- Cedric Mullins, CF
- Adley Rutschman, DH
- Ryan Mountcastle, 1B
- Anthony Santander, RF
- Austin Hays, LF
- Ramón Urías, 2B
- Jorge Mateo, SS
- Gunnar Henderson, 3B
- James McCann, C
Tyler Wells, RHP (0-0, 0.00 ERA in 2022)
Yankees Starting Lineup
- D.J. LeMahieu, 3B
- Aaron Judge, CF
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Giancaro Stanton, DH
- Gleyber Torres, 3B
- Oswaldo Cabrera, LF
- José Trevino, C
- Franchy Cordero, RF
- Anthony Volpe, SS
Nestor Cortes, LHP (1-0, 1.80 ERA)