Baltimore was in first place earlier in the season but has fallen off lately and has dropped into third place in the division. The Orioles have regularly been in the hunt for the playoffs the past few seasons and would love to close the gap on the Yankees with a strong showing at home in this showdown.
This series will be contested from Monday, May 29 through Wednesday, May 31, 2017 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. Monday’s matchup will be broadcast on ESPN.
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Pitching Matchups
The Yankees will begin the series by sending Jordan Montgomery to the hill. The young left-hander is 2-3 with a 4.30 ERA on the season. Opposing batters are only hitting .228 against him and Montgomery gave up only one earned run against the Kansas City Royals in 6.2 innings last time out. The Orioles will counter with Dylan Bundy. He is 5-3 with a 2.92 ERA. Bundy has a low WHIP but he doesn’t have overwhelming strikeout numbers, which could be a little concerning moving forward.
On Tuesday, New York is scheduled to start Luis Severino. He is 3-2 on the season with a 3.11 ERA, striking out 61 batters in only 55 innings. Severino has a great fastball and has flummoxed hitters this year. The Orioles’ scheduled starter is Chris Tillman. He is 1-1 with a 4.43 ERA in four starts this season.
In the series finale, Masahiro Tanaka is scheduled to take the hill for the Yankees. He is 5-4 on the season with a 5.86 ERA but was magnificent last time out. Tanaka struck out 13 batters and didn’t walk any in 7.1 innings of one-run ball against the Athletics. The Orioles are scheduled to send Kevin Gausman out. He is 2-4 with a 6.17 ERA on the year and must pitch better to keep the Yankees at bay.
Player to Watch
Aaron Judge -- It’s hard to believe it’s the Yankees starting right fielder’s first full season in the majors with the way he’s playing this year. Judge is currently tied with the Angels’ Mike Trout for the most home runs this season with 16.
He hit his first career grand slam on Sunday in the Yankees 9-5 win over the Oakland A’s. Judge is hitting .321 with an on-base percentage of .421.
The 25-year-old also has 34 RBIs this season. He was drafted 32nd overall by the Yankees in 2013 and homered during his first major league at bat last season, which was some foreshadowing to the power binge he’s been on this season. The Yankees have a lot of players who have hit well on the season but none has been more impressive than Judge.
Key Stat
Seven. That’s how many games in a row the Orioles have lost coming into this series. Baltimore was swept in its last two series against the Twins and Astros and have a record of 25-23 on the season.
Two of those losses in the team’s recent skid were shutouts. The Orioles fell 8-3 to Houston in their most recent matchup on Sunday.
Center fielder Adam Jones, who missed the last two games with an ankle injury, is expected to return to the lineup Monday. The O’s will be hoping he adds a spark as they begin a nine-game homestand beginning with the Yankees.
Baltimore is chasing a pair of formidable teams in the East in the Yankees and Boston Red Sox, so head-to-head matchups are crucial for them in order to stay close.
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