Yankees and Orioles stumble into a head-to-head series before the All-Star break
BALTIMORE – Before they head into the All-Star break, the Yankees have to make a statement.
How about a series win against the first-place Baltimore Orioles?
These 2024 Yankees haven’t won a series in a month, going 0-7-1 in their last eight series after losing two of three games in Tampa Bay.
After a 2-1 win on Wednesday and a 5-4 loss to the Rays on Thursday, the Yankees (56-39) have lost 17 of their last 23 games – and yet they are only two games behind the leading Orioles (57-36) in the AL East.
The Yankees arrive at Camden Yards for a three-game series starting Friday after the O’s just lost three games at home to the Chicago Cubs.
“We have to play a little better,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters, including MLB.com, after the Cubs beat his club 21-2.
The Orioles have not conceded a goal in their last two games, and their streak of 24 scoreless innings now stands at 24.
Yankees aces Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil, who has made a good start after four losses, will start the first two games.
But Carlos Rodon, the Yankees’ starter on Sunday, is 0-5 with a 10.57 ERA in his last five starts.
During the Rays’ series, none of the Yankees’ three starters – Rodon, Marcus Stroman, Nestor Cortes – went five innings, with Cortes scoring five runs in 4.1 innings on Thursday.
This continued a startling trend: Cortes is now 0-5 with a 6.03 ERA in 10 road games this year, compared to 4-3 with a 1.81 ERA in 10 home games.
While the Yankees will likely focus more on signing a relief pitcher and possibly a corner infielder before the July 30 trade deadline, the O’s could use a reliever and a starter.
While the Orioles lost starters Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells, John Means and closer Felix Bautista to season-ending elbow surgeries, one would expect them to bring in reinforcements.
What they don’t need is more confidence against the Yankees.
The O’s have won five of their seven meetings with the Yanks in 2024, and only one regular-season series remains: Sept. 24-26 at Yankee Stadium, which could determine the division or the top AL wild-card spot (which the Yankees currently hold).
Meanwhile, in the Rays’ series, the Yankees achieved only a .125 batting average (2 of 16) with runners in scoring position.
Juan Soto hit a double and a home run in Thursday’s loss, but he was also seen shaking his right hand and wincing in pain after several misses (he told reporters he was fine).
Aaron Judge (0-for-4, walk on Thursday) is in a 4-for-31 slide (.129) without an extra-base hit since July 2.
Judge, Soto and closer Clay Holmes will head to Texas for the All-Star Game after Sunday’s game, and the rest of the Yankees will break up for a four-day break.
Before that, they need more than a few spirited at-bats and a starter who can last five innings. They need to win a series. This series.
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