The American League East has been controlled by the Tampa Bay Rays this season due to a strong start but the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees have refused to let up and continue a crucial series on Tuesday in New York.
New York Yankees (-125, 9) vs. Baltimore Orioles
The Yankees will start Clarke Schmidt, who has pitched significantly better lately since posting a 6.84 ERA in April.
Schmidt has a 3.30 ERA in his last 11 starts and has allowed three runs or fewer in eight straight starts. It has not yielded wins, however, with the Yankees losing six of their last seven games where Schmidt got the start.
From May 9 to June 3, when Aaron Judge returned to the lineup until he got hurt again versus the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Yankees ranked second in the league in runs scored.
In the last 24 games since Judge went on the injured list, the Yankees have posted an 11-13 record with the second-fewest runs scored — averaging 3.7 runs per game scored and four runs or fewer plated in 17 of those 24 games.
The Orioles will try to prolong the offensive woes by giving veteran Kyle Gibson the start on the mound. He has allowed at least three runs in four straight starts with a 4.66 ERA this season, but there is reason to believe he bounces back against a struggling Yankees squad.
Gibson posts a fielding independent of 3.89 with just 0.7 home runs and 2.9 walks per nine innings allowed and has a better road ERA (4.22) than home ERA (5.19).
The Orioles’ core behind Gibson has also provided lots of road run support this season, averaging 5.3 runs per game, which ranks eighth in the league. The bullpen has the only pair of teammates in Yennier Cano and Felix Bautista to both register an ERA below 1.34 with at least 15 innings pitched by both players.
Despite Schmidt’s improvement and the Yankees having the league’s top bullpen in ERA this season, the team’s lack of offense has led to a losing record since Judge went down and the Orioles will lend just enough run support on Tuesday to secure Gibson the victory.
The Play: Orioles +105