The New York Yankees (18-11) moved three games clear at the top of the AL East standings with a narrow 4-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles (12-13) last night. The Yankees will look to stretch that advantage even further when they take on the Orioles in the second game of their four-game set later tonight.
Who will emerge victorious in this divisional matchup? Read on below for a breakdown of this AL East game and while you’re at it you can check out our MLB previews of Atlanta vs. Washington and Kansas City vs. Detroit.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees Preview
Where: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York
When: Friday, May 8, 7:05 PM ET
Line: Baltimore Orioles (+112) at New York Yankees (-122); total: 8.5 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Baltimore Orioles
[sc:MLB240banner ]Baltimore’s road woes continued on Thursday night as the Orioles suffered a stinging 4-3 defeat to the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The Orioles are now 2-9 in their last 11 road games as they remained winless in their trip to New York, having lost their previous two games against the Mets.
The Orioles will look to turn their fortunes around later tonight when they take on the Yankees in Game 2 of their four-game series. Starting for the Orioles in this game is right-hander Miguel Gonzalez (3-1, 2.59 ERA). The 30-year-old was superb in his last outing for Baltimore, pitching 7.2 innings of four-hit ball in the Orioles’ 4-0 win against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Gonzalez has already tasted some success against the Yankees this season, tossing seven innings of one-run ball in Baltimore’s 4-3 win against New York on April 15. The main concern for the Orioles, though, is his spotty record at Yankee Stadium. He’s 2-2 with a 4.29 ERA in six starts at New York’s home ground. He has also allowed seven home runs in his career at Yankee Stadium, the most he has given up at any park outside of Camden Yards.
With that being said, it’s crucial for the Orioles to put some runs on the board for Gonzalez. Expected to lead the Orioles attack are J.J. Hardy, Adam Jones and Chris Davis. Hardy, who made his season debut Thursday, is 3 for 5 in his career against Yankees starter Adam Warren. Adam Jones is 3 for 6 while Chris Davis is 2 for 4 against Warren.
The total has gone under in the Orioles’ last three road games.
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Betting on the New York Yankees
The long wait is finally over.
Alex Rodriguez passed Willie Mays for fourth on the home run list, drilling his 661st career homer in New York’s 4-3 win against Baltimore on Thursday. The third baseman hit a liner off Chris Tillman into a secure area just to the left of Monument Field in the third inning to lead the Yankees to their fifth win in the last seven games.
Rodriguez has been a vital cog to the Yankees’ early success this season. He is second on the team in homers (7), RBIs (18) and walks (16) this campaign. He went 2 for 3 last night against Tillman with a couple of RBIs to up his batting average to .245.
Another hitter who’s been in fine form for the Yankees of late is Mark Teixeira. He leads the team not only in home runs (10) but also in walks (18) and RBIs (25) as well. To put that into perspective, Teixeira didn’t reach the 25-RBI mark until May 22 last year.
Another key factor behind the Yankees’ strong start is their excellent bullpen. The Yankees are fifth in the majors in bullpen ERA with a 2.19 average this season. The Yankees’ relievers showed their prowess in the series opener, throwing 3.1 shutout innings in the one-run win.
That will be crucial for the Yankees tonight as their scheduled starter, Adam Warren (2-1, 4.78 ERA), has had trouble with the Baltimore Orioles in the past. Warren has only faced the Orioles as a reliever before, going 1-2 with an 8.18 ERA – his highest against an opponent he’s faced at least five times (10 appearances).
Warren has allowed at least one run in each of his five starts this year and hasn’t gone six innings in any of them. With that being said, the Yankees will fancy their chances of grabbing back-to-back wins against the Orioles because of their stellar offense. The Yankees lead the American League in home runs with 47 this season. They are also third in the league in RBIs with 128 thus far this year.
The Yankees are 6-4 in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Yankees (-122) win, 7-4.
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