Yanks Go Yard Radio Show Rewind: Orioles-Yankees Preview (7/21-7/23)

On last night’s episode of the Yanks Go Yard Radio Show, brought to you by KNODA.com, I started off the episode by talking about the New York Yankees (50-41) taking two out of three games from the Seattle Mariners this past weekend in their first series back from the All-Star Break. In both wins, New York got game-winning home runs from Alex Rodriguez (Friday) and Mark Teixeira (Sunday).

However, the big storyline from the weekend was a player that was sent down. After going 2-for-12 in his first four games, second baseman Rob Refsnyder was sent back down to triple-A as Carlos Beltran was activated from the disabled list. While Beltran did have the game tying RBI single against Felix Hernandez on Sunday, the main story was about why Refsnyder’s stint in the Bronx was so short and why the team didn’t designate Stephen Drew or Brendan Ryan for assignment.

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Before heading out on a ten game road trip, the Yankees will take on the Baltimore Orioles (46-45) in a three game series at Yankee Stadium, starting tonight. In ten games this season, both teams have won five of them, but the Yankees are 3-1 in four home games against Buck Showalter’s club. The O’s enter tonight four games behind the Yankees in the AL East.

In Baltimore’s first series back from the All-Star Break, they took two out of three games from the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Baltimore won the last two games of the series by a combined score of 12-3.

The strength of the Orioles’ squad is on offense. They are sixth in runs scored, sixth in slugging percentage, and are fifth in the big leagues in home runs. Leading the way in most of those categories is third baseman Manny Machado. The 23-year-old All-Star is hitting .300 with 20 home runs, 50 RBI’s, and has a .367 on-base percentage. Centerfielder Adam Jones has also been a main contributor, hitting .291 with 15 home runs and 44 RBI’s this season.

However, this month, the Orioles have struggled on offense. They have scored 47 runs, which is the third lowest total in the American League. In terms of driving in runs, one of their best players this month is second baseman Jonathan Schoop. In nine games, Schoop is hitting .344 with three home runs and seven RBI’s.

On the mound, the Orioles are tied with the Yankees for ninth in the AL in starters’ ERA (4.22). One of the surprises in their rotation has been Ubaldo Jimenez (7-5, 3.29). Despite struggling in his last start against the Tigers, Jimenez had gone eight straight starts before that outing where he allowed three runs or less.

In the bullpen, the Orioles have a better ‘pen in terms of ERA than the Yankees (3.36). Baltimore’s 2.84 ERA is the third lowest of any team of relievers in the AL. Their bullpen is led by two All-Stars. Closer Zach Britton is 24-for-25 in saves to go with a 1.67 ERA and Darren O’Day is 5-0 with a 1.04 ERA in 36 appearances as the team’s best left-handed reliever.

To talk more about the Orioles, I spoke with Domenic Vadala, the editor of Birds Watcher. Domenic and I discussed Jonathan Schoop’s success at Yankee Stadium, Baltimore’s recent struggles with men in scoring position, and how crucial a series it is for the O’s. Here are some of the other topics we discussed:

• Baltimore’s rumored interest in outfielders Justin Upton and Carlos Gomez
• Looking back at the first half of the season
• Pitching Matchup Breakdown
• Wei-Yin Chen (tonight’s O’s starter) has thrown eight straight quality starts.
• Nathan Eovaldi (tonight’s Yankees’ starter) has gone 4-0 in his last five starts
• Is Kevin Gausman (tomorrow’s O’s starter) here to stay in the rotation?
• Ivan Nova (tomorrow’s Yankees starter) with 14 groundball outs in his last start against the Red Sox
• Was Ubaldo Jimenez’s struggles in his last start a blip or a trend (Thursday’s Orioles starter)
• Masahiro Tanaka (Thursday’s Yankees starter) has pitched six innings or more in his last three starts
• Orioles Players To Watch: Matt Wieters and Ryan Flaherty
• Yankees Players To Watch: Brett Gardner and Carlos Beltran
• Keys for the Orioles in the Second Half

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