New York Yankees Storylines Heading Into Baltimore Orioles Series
An IBWAA member previews this week's important Yankees/Orioles series
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
. . . The final week of the season lines up multiple series between two teams that are both competing for the playoffs.
The first of those series opens tonight with Seattle, still clinging to hope of a Wild Card spot, visiting the Houston Astros.
Tuesday will begin three series between two playoff contenders - the Baltimore Orioles at the New York Yankees, the New York Mets at the Atlanta Braves, and the San Diego Padres at the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The final weekend of the season will have five series with two playoff contenders squaring off (assuming all those within two games of a playoff spot heading into play on Monday are not eliminated by Friday). Houston will travel to face the Cleveland Guardians, the Kansas City Royals travel to Atlanta, Baltimore will travel to face the Minnesota Twins, the Mets will visit the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Arizona Diamondbacks will host the Padres.
Buckle up for a wild week!
Leading Off
Yankee Storylines Going Into Baltimore Series
By Bobby Santoro
The New York Yankees have already clinched a spot in the postseason, but they are just one win away from clinching the American League East. Everyone looked to this upcoming series with Baltimore all season long as deciding who would win the division. The Orioles and Yankees have been back and forth throughout the season, with neither team capitalizing on the opportunity to pull away from the other,
The Yankees started to pull way before they hit the road, and after a 5-1 West Coast trip, they return home to face Baltimore for three games. Clarke Schmidt will get the first shot at closing the division, followed by Nestor Cortes and Gerrit Cole in front of what is sure to be a capacity crowd in the Bronx. Forget about winning the division; the Yankees should look to sweep this series en route to the bigger goal of getting the top seed in the American League. There will be a lot of areas to watch during this big series in the Boogie Down.
It's Been a While
It’s hard to believe the last time these two teams met was right before the All-Star break on July 14. The O’s stormed back to beat the Yanks after two misplays in the 9th inning. Since then, the Yankees are 34-24, while Baltimore is 28-32, meaning a lot has happened these past few months.
Let’s not forget that these teams were ready to go at it just a few months back and there may still be some of that fire left this coming week.
Bullpen Questions
Each team has struggled in the bullpen and protecting leads late in the game; however, Luke Weaver has since become the Yankees’ de facto closer to ride out the end of the year, with Clay Holmes relegated to a late-inning setup role. After not acquiring one of the top reliever targets at the deadline, the Yankees bullpen has been shaky in the second half but has found life in unlikely names.
Tim Hill has become a reliable lefty for manager Aaron Boone to use in late innings and can get righties and lefties out when summoned. Before going on the Injured List Jake Cousins became a staple along with Tommy Kahnle for the middle and late innings. The latest news of Marcus Stroman being sent to the pen is a risky move that could be detrimental.
Stroman has only come on in relief nine times in his career, posting a 5.51 ERA while allowing 21 hits over 16.1 innings of work. While he has not fared well in the postseason as a starter, it still seems to be an odd move, but one they will need to test out this series against the Orioles.
Can Judge Get to 60?
The Yankees’ captain belted his 55th homer of the year Sunday afternoon in Oakland. He has just six more regular-season games left. The question will now be whether he can finish with more than 60 home runs for the second time in his career and become the first American League player to do so.
Getting to or surpassing 62, while there is no doubt that he can do it, seems to be a long shot at this point. With the Yankees fighting for the division and the best record in the American League, we will see Judge in each game of the O’s series, giving plenty more at-bats in this magical season.
Who are the Starting Pitchers in the ALDS?
If the season ended today, the Yankees' ALDS rotation would obviously start with Gerrit Cole in Game 1. Carlos Rodon is sure to be another lock as a starter (I'm not saying he would start Game 2, but he would start one of the games), which begs the question: Who will be the third Yankee pitcher to take the ball in October?
Nestor Cortes is the answer, with Luis Gil set as the fourth starter in a longer series. Gil has been everything this team has asked for and more, which is all the more reason why he should be the last line of defense if we need to force a fifth game. It will be interesting to see how the Yankees manage their pitchers' innings this series to make everything line up after their first-round bye.
Finish Strong
The Yankees will host Pittsburgh to end the regular season next weekend, and depending on how things look after the Baltimore series, we could see some players getting a day of rest here and there. There cannot be enough stress on this team to finish the season strong and riding a wave of confidence into the ALDS.
This year’s team has shown its emotions, whether good or bad, each time it takes the field. We have seen them look melancholy and defeated when things are going rough, but they have also let out vicious screams right along with them when things are flying high. That Yankee postseason magic and intensity starts this week at the stadium at 7:05 p.m. See you there!
Bobby Santoro is a lifelong Yankees fan and has covered baseball at all levels.
Timeless Trivia
In the history of the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees, 271 players have spent time with each organization. Of those, nine have won at least 20 games with each organization.
Who was the last of that nine who led the American League in a pitching Triple Crown category (wins, ERA, strikeouts)?