The Orioles send their best pitcher to the mound as they look to avoid a three-game sweep in the Bronx.
Remember those couple of weeks when the Orioles had one of the best pitching staffs in baseball? Those were good times.
Regression to the mean, unfortunately, appears to be underway. In their last six games, O’s pitchers have been knocked around for 37 runs, including 17 in the first two games of this series at Yankee Stadium. They’ve also been tagged for 14 home runs in that six-game span, with at least one every game, and seven by the Yankees alone.
If there’s anyone who can reverse this troubling course, it’s Bruce Zimmermann, the Baltimore-born lefty who has emerged as the Orioles’ best pitcher this year. Zimmermann carries a tidy 1.20 ERA through three starts this season, striking out better than a batter per inning and allowing just one home run so far. He may not be John Means, but Bruce has capably stepped up to help fill that ace-lefty-sized void in the rotation.
He’ll be opposed this afternoon by veteran righty Jameson Taillon, who’s facing the Orioles for the second time in two weeks. The O’s chased Taillon in the fifth inning April 16 in a game they eventually lost, with Cedric Mullins tagging him for a home run. The Birds’ lineup will be without Ryan Mountcastle (neck stiffness) for the second straight day.
Can the Orioles get out of Yankee Stadium with a win to finish their 10-game road trip? Let’s find out together.
Orioles lineup:
DH Cedric Mullins
RF Anthony Santander
1B Trey Mancini
LF Austin Hays
2B Rougned Odor
SS Jorge Mateo
CF Ryan McKenna
C Anthony Bemboom
3B Kelvin Gutierrez
LHP Bruce Zimmermann
Yankees lineup:
2B DJ LeMahieu
RF Aaron Judge
1B Anthony Rizzo
DH Giancarlo Stanton
3B Josh Donaldson
LF Joey Gallo
CF Tim Locastro
SS Marwin Gonzalez
C Kyle Higashioka
RHP Jameson Taillon