New York @ Baltimore preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 1, 2018 ) Baltimore 7, NY Yankees 5

The New York Yankees have spent the bulk of August playing mostly sub-.500 teams, but they haven't been able to make much of a dent in the American League East standings. The Yankees hope to make some more headway in that regard beginning Friday when they visit Baltimore for the first of four games against the league-worst Orioles.

New York (79-47) began the month by dropping its first five contests to fall 9 1/2 games behind division-leading Boston after the Red Sox swept them in a four-game set from Aug. 2-5, but the club proceeded to win 11 of its next 16 - 10 of the victories coming against teams with losing records. The Yankees dropped 9 1/2 games back of Boston following Wednesday's 9-3 setback at Miami and a win by the Red Sox on Thursday, but maintained their 3 1/2-game edge over Oakland for the first wild-card slot in the AL. New York has inexplicably struggled to take advantage of the Orioles (37-90) this season, splitting 12 meetings against the team with the worst record in the majors. Baltimore is on pace for the second-worst season in franchise history - the 1939 St. Louis Browns finished 43-111-2 - and lost for the 11th time in 13 games following Wednesday's 6-0 defeat at Toronto to conclude a 1-5 road trip.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, YES (New York), MASN (Baltimore)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees LH CC Sabathia (7-4, 3.32 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Alex Cobb (4-15, 5.09)

Sabathia is expected to come off the disabled list and make his first start since Aug. 12 when he earned the victory after yielding one hit over six scoreless innings against Texas. The former Cy Young Award winner has struck out at least seven in three of his last four turns, but the last outing was his first quality start since July 4. Adam Jones is 24-for-84 with five homers and 15 RBIs against Sabathia, who is 0-1 with an 8.00 ERA in two starts versus Baltimore this season.

Cobb has turned his season around in August, going 2-1 with a 1.55 ERA this month after holding Cleveland to two runs in his first complete-game victory of the season. The 30-year-old Bostonian, who went 2-14 with a 6.08 ERA through the end of July, has produced five quality starts in as many tries after recording eight in his first 18 turns. Cobb's month began with a win in Yankee Stadium on Aug. 1, limiting New York to one run while fanning six in six frames.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Yankees placed LHP Aroldis Chapman, the team's closer, on the disabled list with left knee tendinitis prior to Wednesday's game.

2. Baltimore was shut out for the 12th time this season Wednesday, matching last's year total in 35 fewer games.

3. New York OF Giancarlo Stanton needs one home run to become the fourth-quickest (1,111 career games) and ninth-youngest (28 years, 289 days old) player in major-league history to reach 300.

PREDICTION: Yankees 4, Orioles 3