The Baltimore Orioles have played 21 consecutive series against the American League East without losing a single one. The Yankees will look to snap that streak when the Orioles travel to the Bronx for a three-game set this week.
The Yankees will get a boost to their starting rotation with the return of Gerrit Cole on Wednesday. The reigning Cy Young Award winner has been slowly working his way back from an elbow injury that has sidelined him since the start of 2024. His highly anticipated return provides added intrigue to an already important series for the Yankees.
The Orioles are 8-2 in their last ten games, including series wins against the Braves and Phillies. The Orioles are second in the league in runs scored and team ERA, trailing only the Yankees in both categories. Baltimore is led by a budding superstar in Gunnar Henderson who continues to rake with a .958 OPS and 22 home runs. Their pitching staff has been equally impressive despite multiple injuries to their starting rotation. That trend continued this past weekend when Kyle Bradish was placed on the injured list with a UCL sprain. Likely without John Means and Tyler Wells for the remainder of the season, an injury to Bradish will be a further test of the Orioles’ starting pitching depth.
The Yankees are coming off an ugly series loss to the Red Sox in which Boston ran circles around the Bombers, including a franchise record nine stolen bases on Sunday. Poor performances by the Yankees pitching staff have been rare this season, but Marcus Stroman and Carlos Rodón both struggled to find answers against the Red Sox. It ultimately was too much for the Yankee offense to overcome.
A battle for first place commences tonight. Here are the probable starters for the series:
Tuesday: Nestor Cortes vs. Albert Suárez (7:05 pm ET)
It has felt like a grind for Nestor Cortes over his last handful of starts. Short outings and traffic on the basepaths have plagued the veteran left-hander, who had not completed six innings in four straight starts. However, a solid outing against the Royals in his last outing saw Cortes fire seven innings of quality ball while limiting Kansas City to only two runs. His 3.59 season ERA remains solid, but this will be a tough test against an elite team like the Orioles.
Albert Suárez is a great story. The veteran righty had not pitched in the majors since 2017 and entered the 2024 season with the Orioles after spending his previous two seasons in the KBO. The Orioles turned to Suárez when injuries riddled their starting staff, and he has made the most of his opportunity.
Suárez has pitched 44.2 innings, including seven starts for the Orioles this season. He has a 1.61 ERA and has only given up three runs in his last 25 innings pitched. While Suárez has not made it past the sixth inning in any of his starts this year, he has provided stability to an unstable situation within the Orioles starting staff. A fly ball pitcher, the Yankee offense will present a unique challenge within the confines of Yankee Stadium.
Wednesday: Gerrit Cole vs. Cade Povich (7:05 pm ET)
Gerrit Cole will return to the Yankees rotation when he takes the mound on Wednesday night at the Stadium. He is coming off a 2023 campaign that saw him make his third consecutive All-Star team, win the American League Cy Young Award, and pitch to a 2.63 ERA over the course of 33 starts. A leader on and off the field, the Yankees will welcome back the heartbeat of their rotation and one of the best pitchers in the game. Cole himself talked about the need to ramp up his pitch count, as he only threw 70 pitches in his last rehab start, but what the exact plan is for Wednesday is yet to be seen.
Cade Povich made his major league debut on June 6th and had a tough start against a Toronto squad that tagged him for six runs in 5.1 innings pitched. A bounce-back start against Atlanta saw the 24-year-old rookie chuck six scoreless innings. With the injury to Bradish and the impending return of Dean Kremer, it will be interesting to see what the Orioles decide to do with the young lefty following his start against the Yankees.
Thursday: Luis Gil vs. Cole Irvin (4:05 pm ET)
Luis Gil continues to cement himself as one of the best starters in the American League. He throws his elite-level fastball 55 percent of the time, and opponents have hit just .134 against that pitch this season. However, Gil’s last two outings have not been as crisp as we have seen for the majority of his 2024 campaign, as he battled through five innings in his last start against Boston but only gave up one run. His 198 ERA+ on the season is still astonishing.
After a slow start, Cole Irvin has consistently given the Orioles solid starts this season. Despite his success overall, Irvin has given up 25 hits over his last 17.2 innings pitched. He has shown a propensity to limit damage, but this is a concerning trend if you are an Orioles fan. Look for the Yankees to jump on his four-seam fastball, since opponents have had an expected batting average of .298 against that pitch this season.
