Baltimore @ New York preview
Yankee Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jun 30, 2013 ) NY Yankees 2, Baltimore 4
The New York Yankees will be out to avenge last weekend's three-game series sweep to the Baltimore Orioles when the American League East rivals open a three-game set in the Bronx on Friday. The Yankees' bats awoke from their slumber by belting out 29 runs en route to a four-game sweep of reeling Minnesota. Vernon Wells drove in three runs and Ichiro Suzuki and Travis Hafner both had three hits and two runs scored in New York's 9-5 triumph on Thursday.
If the Yankees are considering matching their season-high winning streak of five on Friday, they must do a better job containing Chris Davis. The major league leader with 32 homers, Davis went deep three times and drove in six runs in the final two contests of last weekend's series. Speaking of the long ball, Baltimore was done in by one on Thursday as Adam Dunn went deep in the ninth to lift the Chicago White Sox to a 3-2 victory.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MASN (Baltimore), YES (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles RH Miguel Gonzalez (6-3, 3.77 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Ivan Nova (2-2, 4.63 ERA)
Gonzalez recorded his fourth win in five starts after allowing three runs and striking out nine over 6 2/3 innings versus Cleveland on June 27. The 29-year-old Mexican pitched well in his last outing against New York, but his sterling seven-inning performance only netted him a no-decision. Gonzalez owns a 2-1 career mark with a 2.70 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP versus the Yankees.
With Hiroki Kuroda nursing a hip flexor injury, Nova will receive another crack at the Orioles. The 26-year-old Dominican settled for a no-decision after yielding two runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings of relief on Saturday. Nova, who owns a 3-2 career mark versus Baltimore, has permitted just two homers in 35 innings this season.
WALK-OFFS
1. Davis greeted Nova with a home run during Baltimore's 11-3 victory on Saturday. Davis has gone deep twice among his six career hits versus the right-hander.
2. New York 2B Robinson Cano was held hitless on Sunday after enjoying a blistering 14-for-24 stretch in his previous six contests. Cano is just 2-for-12 lifetime against Gonzalez.
3. Yankees C Francisco Cervelli will be shut down for two weeks due to a stress reaction in his right elbow.
PREDICTION: Yankees 5, Orioles 4