Baltimore @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 14, 2015 ) NY Yankees 5, Baltimore 3

Jonathan Schoop has hit the ground running after missing 2 1/2 months with a right knee injury. The 23-year-old second baseman looks to continue his torrid pace as the visiting Baltimore Orioles open a three-game series versus the American League East-leading New York Yankees on Tuesday.

Schoop, who belted a three-run homer in Sunday's 9-3 win over Detroit, went 6-for-12 over the weekend and is 11-for-32 with three home runs and seven RBIs since returning from the disabled list. The Orioles remain four games in back of the Yankees, who also took two of three from Seattle over the weekend to improve to 9-4 in their last 13 contests overall and 18-7 in their last 25 home games. Slugger Mark Teixeira continued his bounce-back season by belting a solo homer in the eighth inning among his three hits in a 2-1 victory over the Mariners on Sunday. The Maryland native has also gone deep versus Tuesday starter Wei-Yin Chen, but is batting just 2-for-11 (.182) against him.

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

PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles LH Wei-Yin Chen (4-5, 2.78 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Nathan Eovaldi (9-2, 4.50)


Chen suffered his first loss since May 30 despite allowing three runs on eight hits in as many innings of a 3-2 setback to Washington on July 12. The Taiwan native will look to celebrate his 30th birthday in style on Tuesday versus New York, against which he improved to 3-4 in his career after permitting one run in seven frames in a 6-2 win on May 9. Chen has struggled with the home-run ball of late, yielding two in each of his previous three outings before keeping the ball in the park versus the Nationals.

Eovaldi improved to 4-0 with a 2.93 ERA in his last five outings on July 12 after allowing three runs on seven hits in five innings of an 8-6 victory over Boston. The 25-year-old has done well to overcome the big blow, keeping the ball in the park in each of his last six appearances while surrendering just eight homers in 18 starts this season. Eovaldi has yielded three blasts in two starts versus Baltimore this season, but picked up the victory in the latter outing after working 5 2/3 innings of a 4-3 triumph on May 7.

WALK-OFFS


1. Baltimore OF Adam Jones is a blistering 9-for-18 with three homers and four runs scored in his last four games.

2. Yankees OF Brett Gardner saw his eight-game hitting streak come to an end on Sunday and is batting just .222 in his career against Orioles' pitching.

3. The American League East rivals have split their first 10 meetings this season, with Baltimore claiming two of three at Camden Yards on June 12-14.

PREDICTION: Yankees 4, Orioles 3