Bud Norris probably didn't know at the time when he was lifted out of May 10's game against the New York Yankees (33-26 SU, +4.39 Units) that he wasn't going to pitch again until the beginning of June.
He'll look to post a second straight great start since returning from the DL for the Baltimore Orioles (28-30 SU, -1.98 Units) against the Bronx Bombers on Saturday.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Norris will have to be forgiven for his last outing against New York in which he allowed four runs in 3.1 innings of work before being lifted for feeling ill with what proved to be a four-week bout with bronchitis.
He came back from the DL earlier this week and was excellent against the Indians, allowing just one run in five innings, striking out seven along the way. Norris did need 85 pitches to get through the five frames, which isn't the most efficient stat line ever, but he did have a 5/1 ground out to fly out ratio, fantastic against a team which has a ton of pop in the lineup and can make a lot of things happen if the ball gets in the air.
Norris still has an ugly stat line, one which includes an 8.63 ERA. However, his FIP is just 4.84, while his xFIP is 4.97. He has the worst BABIP on the team of .352, a number which absolutely has to improve just by the law of averages, especially knowing that he has done a nice job keeping the ball on the ground and isn't giving up gobs of homers.
To the contrary, his foe on Saturday night is CC Sabathia, who really looks like a shell of his old self. Sure, he had consecutive strong outings against the Angels and Mariners, but he also hasn't even gotten to 95 pitches in a start since May 11.
Odds have it, if Sabathia goes deep into this one, he's probably going to end up in a little bit of trouble. We just don't see him as a man capable of pitching seven innings in a game at this point in his career, and he'll pay the price if he is asked to do so in this one.
ADVANCED STATS
Getting Matt Wieters back in the lineup is going to be a huge boost for the Orioles. They are slugging .402 as it is as a team, and they have already mashed 62 homers.
Now, they have reintroduced to the lineup a man who is around a .270 career hitter with tons of power for the catch position. Wieters blasted 22, 23 and 22 homers in his last three fully healthy seasons, though it should be noted that he is just back for the first time in a full year after going through Tommy John surgery.
TALKING BULLPENS
The Yankees have a big problem right now in their bullpen. Andrew Miller is on the DL for at least the next two weeks, which leaves Dellin Betances to close games. We're definitely going to want to see how Betances looks when he is set to close. He didn't look good in Spring Training in the ninth inning, and he just might not be cut out for this job in spite of the fact that he is a fantastic eighth inning man with a ton of velocity on his fastball.
The Bronx Bombers do have the sixth-best bullpen in baseball by ERA, but taking Miller and his svelte 1.03 ERA out of the equation is going to really hurt a ton.
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The game between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles will start at 7:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 13, 2015 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, MD. The matchup will be televised regionally on FOX.
