Baltimore @ New York preview
Yankee Stadium
Last Meeting ( May 3, 2010 ) Baltimore 1, NY Yankees 4
A.J. Burnett had no trouble with the Baltimore Orioles last week - and with the way the New York Yankees have been crushing the ball lately, he should get all the help he needs to succeed again this week.
Burnett will be looking to lead the Yankees to their third straight win when they meet the Orioles on Tuesday.
The right-handed Burnett turned in his strongest start of the season last Wednesday at Baltimore, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out four in eight scoreless innings en route to New York's 4-0 win.
Tuesday will mark Burnett's second start at home against four on the road. His only other start at Yankee Stadium came on April 17 against the Texas Rangers and resulted in a win after he yielded six hits in seven scoreless innings.
Always at his best when he limits his walks, Burnett has issued only nine free passes this season and no more than three in any one start. The Orioles have never been a huge challenge for the veteran, who owns a career 10-2 record in 14 starts against the division rivals.
New York has won five of six and took the series opener on Monday, 4-1. Randy Winn hit his first homer as a member of the Yankees and Nick Swisher had three hits. Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie did manage to do something that most other pitchers in the league have found impossible this season, holding Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano to a combined 0-for-8 effort at the plate.
Cano entered Monday's game with the highest batting average in the majors at .387, but saw that slip to .371. He was passed by former Yankee farmhand and current Detroit Tigers rookie Austin Jackson, who is sitting at .377.
Matched up again against Burnett will be rookie Brian Matusz. The 23-year-old left-hander allowed nine hits and three runs in six innings against New York last week to suffer his first loss of the season.
Cano and Jeter combined for five hits in the contest.
Matusz, who Baltimore plans on building its rotation of the future around, has surrendered three runs in each of his last three starts and owns a 4.40 ERA this season. His underlying stats have predicted better success, however, as the youngster has issued only four walks against 22 strikeouts over his last four starts.
The Orioles swept the Boston Red Sox over the weekend but still own the majors' worst record at 7-19. The offense has been the biggest issue, with the club ranked last in the American League East with 91 runs scored.
Nick Markakis and Ty Wigginton have been two of the bright spots while Adam Jones has struggled, recording 26 strikeouts and batting just .204.