Brandon McCarthy (6-4, 2.79 ERA) and the Yanks travel to the first place Orioles to take on Kevin Gausman (7-7, 3.83 ERA) and fight for their playoff lives in a double header. McCarthy allowed two runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings against the Royals his last time out to improve to 8-4 with a 2.70 ERA in his last 13 starts.
Gausman threw seven innings in his last start against the Rays, giving up two runs on five hits while striking out seven and walking four.. It was the second game in a row in which he went at least seven innings.
Bryan Mitchell gets the night game against Bud Norris (12-8, 3.92 ERA). Mitchell will make his first Major League start in the heat of a playoff hunt, no pressure. He is 4-2 with a 3.67 ERA in eight starts for Triple-A Scranton after being promoted from Double-A Trenton halfway through the season.
Norris had allowed just two home runs in his previous nine starts but gave up four to the Rays in his last start.
Baltimore opens up a 10 game homestand and can clinch the AL East some time during the next week. They haven’t had the chance to clinch the division at home since 1969. “If there comes a day where that is the day that something like that we could be fortunate enough to have it happen, then we can talk about it,” Buck Showalter said, “but we’ve got a lot of roads to cross there.”  Their magic number is down to 8.
Notes on the game
The Orioles haven’t won the AL East since 1997.
The Yankees are 4 games out of the second wild card spot, chasing Detroit.
1:05 & 7:05 pm on Yes.
