The Yankees and Orioles are both in the hunt for a playoff spot and the four games coming up in the Camden Yards could determine who makes it. CC Sabathia (13-11, 4.86 ERA) gets the ball first against Chris Tillman (15-5, 3.71 ERA.) Sabathia was better his last time out against the White Sox Wednesday, giving up three runs on five hits over 7 1/3 innings. In four starts against the Orioles this season, he is 2-1 with a 4.67 ERA.
In a 4-3 loss in Cleveland his last time out, Tillman had unusual control troubles. He walked five and struck out three in just 5 1/3 innings. He’ll try to fix that in the series opener with the Yanks.
This past weekend, Baltimore took three of four from Chicago, while the Yankees lost three of four against the first-place Red Sox, making this series even more important.
Monday’s game gives Sabathia the chance to come through with an ace like performance when his team needs it most, toward the tail end of what’s been a disappointing season for him. “I feel like I’m getting better,” Sabathia said. “Like I’ve said, I’ll keep building, keep working and try to help the team win.” The Yankees took two of three from the Orioles in last weekend’s three game series, which kicked off the Yankees’ 10 game homestand.
Derek Jeter was out of the lineup on Sunday with soreness in his surgically repaired left ankle, and is likely to miss a few days with the issue. He had a precautionary CT scan after Saturday’s game, and the results were negative. Joe Girardi said the team has not considered shutting him down for the season.
Notes on the game.
The Yankees are 33-30 against the AL East this year. The Orioles are 27-30.
The Yanks have scored at least four runs in an inning in five of their last seven games.
First pitch at 7:05 PM on Yes
