The Baltimore Orioles keep standing up to the test. The May gauntlet has seen the Birds turn in a 12-7 record while utilizing strong pitching, clutch defense and timely hitting to exceed expectations and garner national attention.
This time, the Orioles will take on the Goliath of New York, the Yankees. Once again, the Birds will be fighting to maintain second place against the Yankees, who are 14-5 since falling to 15-15 on May 1 and are riding a four-game winning streak.
The Orioles are coming off their first series sweep of the Blue Jays from Rogers Centre since 2005. The offense was clicking on all cylinders, scoring 20 total runs in the three games played.
The Orioles will send Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells and Kyle Gibson to the mound for another big showdown series. The Yankees will counter with Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes and Clarke Schmidt.
BATTERY ❌-FACTOR
Usually, in this spot, we look towards a player, a group or a few players to be the difference makers. This go around, we are looking at the opposing team for the BATTERY ❌-FACTOR.
Since Aaron Judge has returned from the IL, the Yankees are 10-3. The reigning AL MVP is hitting .378 with seven homers and 18 RBIs during that time.
In 90 career games against the Birds, Judge is hitting .313 and has 37 home runs and 82 RBIs with 90 runs scored. Judge enjoys playing the Orioles, and he will be a factor in the outcome of the series.
In order for the Orioles to seize control of this series, they will need to lock down Judge. That means carefully pitching to him, especially with runners on.
GAME 1 STARTING LINEUPS
Baltimore Orioles (31-16): Managed by Brandon Hyde
1. Cedric Mullins CF
2. Adley Rutschman C
3. Anthony Santander DH
4. Ryan Mountcastle 1B
5. Adam Frazier 2B
6. Austin Hays LF
7. Gunnar Henderson 3B
8. Terrin Vavra RF
9. Jorge Mateo SS
SP. Kyle Bradish RHP (2-1, 3.90 ERA)
New York Yankees (29-20): Managed by Aaron Boone
1. Gleyber Torres 2B
2. Aaron Judge RF
3. Anthony Rizzo 1B
4. DJ LeMahieu 3B
5. Harrison Bader CF
6. Willie Calhoun DH
7. Anthony Volpe SS
8. Kyle Higashioka C
9. Oswaldo Cabrera LF
SP. Gerrit Cole RHP (5-0, 2.01 ERA)
All three games are slated for 7:05 p.m. EST start times. This big AL East clash is set to get underway on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
How do you see this series playing out? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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Stephen … “carefully pitching” to Judge? Why pitch to him at all? I’d suggest the Barry Bonds treatment.
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It’s funny you say that because here at The Battery, we have had the same conversation. Don’t let him beat you, make someone else do it.
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