New York @ Baltimore preview
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Last Meeting ( Sep 7, 2011 ) Baltimore 5, NY Yankees 4
THE STORY: Same teams, different city. After completing a three-game series at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles will square off for the 18th and final time this season at Camden Yards on Thursday afternoon. The makeup contest marks the start of a 10-game road trip for New York, which sits in first place in the American League East with a 2 1/2-game lead over the Boston Red Sox. The season series has been decidedly lopsided in favor of the Yankees, who have won 13 of the 17 meetings this season. Baltimore snapped New York’s six-game winning streak in Wednesday’s soggy series finale.
TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, YES, MASN
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Ivan Nova (15-4, 3.89 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Alfredo Simon (4-8, 4.64 ERA).
If not for an ill-advised decision to send Nova to the minors in early July, he could be looking at a 20-win season. Nova has won all seven starts since he was recalled from Triple-A, including a pair of victories over Baltimore. He is 11-0 in his last 12 outings and hasn't lost since June 3. Nova has gone seven innings in both wins over the Orioles, allowing a total of five runs. Vlad Guerrero is 4-for-6 with a homer against him.
Simon has lost his last two starts and was pelted for six runs on seven hits (five doubles) by Tampa Bay last time out. He had a solid effort against the Yankees on Aug. 29 but came out on the wrong end of a 3-2 decision after yielding three runs in seven innings. Nick Swisher has been a nemesis for Simon, going 4-for-7 with two homers and four RBIs against him. Mark Teixeira is 4-for-8 with a homer.
ABOUT THE ORIOLES (56-85): Baltimore stranded 13 runners and struck out 15 times, but managed to snap its four-game losing streak on Mark Reynolds’ RBI single in the 11th inning. Reynolds struck out four times in the game to raise his AL-leading total to 174. Chris Davis fanned five times and is 0-for-10 with seven strikeouts in two games since coming off the disabled list. Robert Andino is 7-for-18 during a four-game hitting streak. Pedro Strop has made a strong early impression with the team. He notched his first career win Wednesday and has five strikeouts and one hit allowed in three appearances.
ABOUT THE YANKEES (87-54): New York committed four errors in Wednesday’s 5-4 loss, including the second of the game by shortstop Eduardo Nunez in the 11th inning that opened the door for the winning run. Highly touted prospect Jesus Montero has lived up to his reputation as an opposite-field hitter. He had a two-run single to right field Wednesday and blasted a pair of solo homers in that direction in Monday’s series opener. He has five RBIs – all against the Orioles – in 17 career at-bats. Alex Rodriguez’s two-run double represented his first game with multiple RBIs since June 25. Dave Robertson struck out the side to give him 89 in 58 1/3 innings.
FINAL PITCH: Rodriguez and closer Mariano Rivera could reach major milestones on the road trip. Rodriguez needs two homers to tie Ken Griffey Jr. (630) for fifth place on the all-time list, while Rivera is three saves shy of tying Trevor Hoffman (601) as baseball’s career leader.