The first month of the season couldn’t have ended more differently for the AL East rivals. The Orioles ended April in first place while the Yankees were looking up from the cellar after their worst opening month in two decades.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
Baltimore continues its 10-game homestand and finishes up the first meeting of the season with NL East rival New York on Thursday. The Orioles took the first two of their home stay against Chicago last week but settled for a split after a pair of ugly losses. The O’s scored 23 runs in the first three games before managing just one against Chris Sale in a 7-1 defeat on Sunday. Baltimore pitching was pounded for 15 runs and 23 hits in the final two contests, allowing the Red Sox to leapfrog the O’s into first place after completing a sweep of the Yankees.
Speaking of ugly, that’s what the season has been so for the Yanks. Failures by the starting rotation, lack of run production, and, to make matters worse, their usually overpowering bullpen faltered again Sunday in Boston. New York came to Baltimore having lost five straight and its 8-15 record is the worst since 1984. All five losses are part of New York’s current nine-game road trip, which mercifully comes to an end.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
The Yankees will likely run Masahiro Tanaka (1-0, 2.87 ERA) to the hill in the series finale. He did not factor into the decision Friday after throwing 6.2 innings with five strikeouts and two runs allowed in Boston. Cruising along until the bottom of the seventh, the Red Sox chased him for both runs on three hits to even the score.
Tanaka continues to display strong command and has been the only reliable starter on the Yankees staff so far. He has a sparkling 2.87 ERA and has surrendered two runs in each of his five starts, but has just one victory due to a lack of run support.
The spot in the Orioles rotation belongs to Mike Wright (1-2, 5.40 ERA), who looks to build off his best outing of the season. He took a no-decision against the White Sox on Friday, racking up six strikeouts over six innings of two-run ball. The right-hander scattered five hits and departed with a 3-2 lead, but the bullpen was unable to protect the advantage.
Wright struggled in his initial three starts and delivered a much needed quality start, though he still carries a lofty 5.40 ERA. In his only start against the Yankees, Wright surrendered five runs on six hits over four innings on June 14, 2015.
LIVE BETTING
The month of May started the same way April ended for the Yankees – with a loss. But at least the pin stripers showed some signs of an offense, busting out Sunday for their highest run total in 18 games – against Boston ace David Price, no less – but still lost 8-7 for its season-high fifth consecutive defeat. The Yankees had totaled just five runs in their previous four games.
The recent plate attack by Alex Rodriguez is hoping to catch on with his teammates. A-Rod is finding his stroke, as he drove in four runs Sunday with his third home run in four games and a two-run double. Rodriguez enters the Orioles series needing eight homers to join the 700-club. He’s hit 67 career home runs against the Orioles with 33 of those coming in Camden Yards.
QUICK PICK
Right now it seems like the only chance the Yankees have of winning a baseball game is when Tanaka is on the bump. So that’s good news for them in the finale of a nine-game road trip. With the exception of Tanaka, the Yankees rotation has been shaky at best. The righty continues to pitch well and will make his first career start in Camden Yards, but he needs some support from his offense to collect a W.
The Yanks showed signs of breaking out of their offensive malaise on Sunday, roughing up Boston’s David Price for eight hits and six runs, but they still lost. If they can put it all together at the same time, the Yanks can make strides. They have a good chance of doing that against Wright and the O’s.
MLB Odds: New York 5, Baltimore 2
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! First pitch for the game between the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles is scheduled for Thursday, May 5, 2016, at 7:05 p.m. ET at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. You can watch the contest live on the MLB Network.
