In another dimension this could have been a crucial late-season battle for the AL East title. But the Orioles had such a bad start to the season that they have been relegated to spoiler. The Yankees haven’t been as good as they expected to be either, although still a contender obviously. This series remains important though.
The Yankees are probably going to the playoffs as a wild card team. They currently sit in the top AL wild card spot, 2.5 games clear of the teams on the outside. They also play seven
games against the Orioles in the final 10 days of the season. If the Orioles somehow swept them, it is possible that the Yankees head home in September, right along with the O’s.
At the very least it gives us all something to root for. Even better, tonight’s game is on national television. Nothing riles up a fan base more than losing to a sub-.500 team for everyone to see. And no fan base gets more riled than the New York Yankees.
Let’s see what happens.
Orioles lineup
- Ryan Mountcastle, DH
- Jordan Westburg, 3B
- Gunnar Henderson, SS
- Tyler O’Neill, LF
- Jeremiah Jackson, RF
- Coby Mayo, 1B
- Samuel Basallo, C
- Jorge Mateo, CF
- Luis Vázquez, 2B
LHP Cade Povich (3-7, 5.05 ERA)
Yankees lineup
- Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
- Aaron Judge, RF
- Cody Bellinger, LF
- Giancarlo Stanton, DH
- Amed Rosario, 2B
- Trent Grisham, CF
- Anthony Volpe, SS
- José Caballero, 3B
- Austin Wells, C
LHP Max Fried (17-5, 3.03 ERA)
