New York @ Baltimore preview
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Last Meeting ( Apr 14, 2013 ) Baltimore 0, NY Yankees 3
The Baltimore Orioles face their first real adversity this season, having lost their last five games at home including two in the ninth inning. The Orioles look to change their fortunes when they host the first-place New York Yankees on Monday to start a three-game series. Baltimore has dropped into a tie for third with Tampa Bay, four games behind the Yankees in the American League East. The Orioles went 1-2 last month at New York, which won nine of 12 games before being rained out Sunday.
Manny Machado and Adam Jones are among the league leaders in hits and Chris Davis is near the top in homers (12) and RBIs (40). But the Orioles’ starting pitchers have lasted more than six innings once in the last 10 games. Yankees slugger Robinson Cano is coming off a two-homer game Saturday and is batting .338 with 24 blasts in his career against Baltimore.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN, YES (New York), Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees LH CC Sabathia (4-3, 3.19 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Freddy Garcia (0-2, 5.51)
Sabathia was slated to pitch Sunday before the rainout, so he will take the mound against a team he has had a lot of success against. The veteran left-hander is 17-4 in 26 career starts against Baltimore with a 3.03 ERA. Sabathia has allowed three or fewer earned runs in seven of nine games in 2013, but has only one victory in his last five turns. He has surrendered eight homers in 59 1/3 innings.
Garcia has allowed four homers in 16 1/3 innings during his first three starts for the Orioles. The veteran right-hander, who owns a 152-103 career record, gave up two runs over 6 2/3 innings during his first outing before being touched up for eight in 9 2/3 frames his last two. Garcia is 5-4 in 12 starts with a 4.09 ERA against the Yankees. Travis Hafner is 15-for-33 with four home runs against him.
WALK-OFFS
1. Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is 16-for-16 in save opportunities, his second longest streak to start a season. He converted the first 28 chances in 2008.
2. Jones is 14-for-44 with three homers and 10 RBIs in his career against Sabathia.
3. The Yankees, off to their second best 43-game start in the last 15 years (27-16), are 18-0 when scoring the first run.
PREDICTION: Yankees 5, Orioles 3