AL East contenders square off in a pivotal three-game series starting on Friday, as the New York Yankees welcome the Baltimore Orioles to the Bronx.
Now without leading AL vote-getter at catcher, Matt Wieters, who is sidelined for the rest of the year due to upcoming Tommy John surgery, the Orioles are left scrambling. The O's are 16-10 in games started by Wieters this year and 21-24 otherwise.
Second-place New York will bring a lot of confidence out of a series sweep of the division-leading Toronto Blue Jays - something which they look to build off of by creating some distance this weekend between and the third-place O's.
Snapshot:
Home: New York Yankees (38-33, 15-16 home)
Away: Baltimore Orioles (37-34, 21-17 away)
Key Stat:
Is the Orioles' Nelson Cruz a dark horse Triple Crown candidate? He currently leads the AL in home runs (22) and RBIs (58), and is just a hot streak away from pushing his .299 average (14th in the AL) upwards and into the top-ten of the American League leaderboard.
If he gets there, who knows?
Orioles Notes:
After signing starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez to a $50 million deal this offseason, the Baltimore Orioles were hoping for a little bit more bang for their buck than they've gotten in 2014.
Jimenez is just 2-8 with a 4.86 ERA so far this season, and is currently leading the Majors with 45 walks issued.
However, with Jimenez picking up two extra days of rest after a solid outing against Toronto last Friday, manager Buck Showalter hopes the extra time away from the mound pays dividends for the struggling former Cleveland Indians ace.
"I hope," Showalter stated, via David Wilson of MLB.com. "Some people say, 'Well, then is it too far away from pitching?' In his case, he's responded well to it, so we hope it happens again."
Jimenez has a history of being electric after extra days off - something which the Orioles would love to carry over to Friday's start against Hiroki Kuroda and the Yankees.
Yankees Notes:
While Masahiro Tanaka garners all the headlines and back page space in the New York newspaper, another Yankees rookie pitcher is carving his own name in the city at the same time.
After earning his third straight win on Wednesday, holding the Blue Jays to two earned runs in five innings in a 7-3 Yankees triumph, Chase Whitley joined Tanaka as the only pitchers in Bronx Bombers history to open their career with seven straight games without a loss.
“To be able to navigate through without my best command, that’s a testament of growing up a little bit,” said Whitley about just his second game ever at Yankee Stadium, via Howie Kussoy of the New York Post. "This is one of the first times I’ve had to bear down and battle without my best stuff. … Whatever it is in life, adversity is where you grow up.
"To come out of that successful still and us get the win, it’s great.”
What to Watch For:
Any Masahiro Tanaka start is must-see TV. Watching him take on a division rival jockeying with the Yankees for second-place in the division makes it that much more intriguing.
Tanaka (11-1, 1.99) continues his early bid for the AL Cy Young Award on Sunday, opposing O's starter Chris Tillman (5-4, 4.82) on Sunday afternoon.
Is it a mismatch? The 26-year Tillman can deal, but he has been extremely inconsistent all year long. The same cannot be said for Tanaka Time in the Bronx.
What They're Saying About the Orioles:
Orioles Gausman blanks Rays in a world without Wieters (MLBTradeRumors.com)
Appreciating Steve Pearce (Camden Depot)
What They're Saying About the Yankees:
Yankees rookie Chase Whitley keeps on winning (NY Post)
Harper: When it comes to trades, Cash says deal him in (NY Daily News)
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