The New York Yankees will look to extend their dominance over the Baltimore Orioles when they visit Oriole Park at Camden Yards again tonight.
These AL East foes are coming off an exciting 5-4 duel, in which Aaron Judge homered twice to give the Bronx Bombers the win.
This will be the third of a four-game series, with the Yankees winning the first two games thus far. So, who'll prevail? Let's break it down!
The New York Yankees have been the best team in all of baseball this season. They have an MLB-best 27-9 record and have won eight of their past 2 games. Moreover, they trail only the Dodgers (+81) for the largest run differential (+78) in the league after 36 games.
Despite not boasting many prominent names on their rotation, they continue to dominate from start to finish, although Aroldis Chapman's level continues to be a big concern.
Last night, The Cuban Missile allowed three hits and one earned run, getting the save but taking his ERA to 2.63
The Baltimore Orioles weren't supposed to compete at all, so it's not a disappointment to see them sitting at the bottom of the AL East.
Then again, they've put together a promising, young squad that's played way better than their 14-23 record might make you think.
They're still years away from contention but at least they won't cave in without putting up a fight.
Both teams have important players on the shelf right now. For the Orioles, Jorge Mateo and Ryan Mountcastle are on the injured list, while the Yankees miss Tim Locastro and Ben Rortvedt.
When it comes to trends, it's worth noting that the Yankees are 7-0 in their last 7 road games vs. a right-handed starter, 8-1 in their last 9 vs. American League East, and 9-2 in their last 11 road games.
Also, the Over is 4-1 in the Yankees' last 5 vs. American League East, and 4-1 in the Yankees' last 5 games vs. a right-handed starter.
Aaron Boone will put the ball on Gerrit Cole's (3-0, 2.95 ERA) hands for tonight. The Yankees' ace is 4-1 with a 1.41 ERA against the Orioles in his career, allowing just 1 earned run in eight hits against them in 2021.
The Orioles will counter with Jordan Lyles (2-3, 4.38), who's coming off a loss at Detroit last weekend. Lyles gave up six runs on seven hits in his last game against the Bronx Bombers.
The edge in the pitching matchup is too big not to back up the Yankees tonight. They're the better team in every single aspect and should get an easy win on the road against the lesser Orioles.
