Orioles Begin 4-Game Home Series With Yankees
No, that’s not a mistake in the daily MLB standings. The Baltimore Orioles really have pulled abreast of the New York Yankees in the AL East race.
In trying to explain these developments, we are compelled to borrow the title from the recent book released by the very attractive political pundit Monica Crowley, "What the (Bleep) Just Happened?"
We’ll try to make sense of it all in just a moment. For the time being, please note that the O’s and Yankees get together for a very crucial four-game set at Camden Yards beginning on Thursday night. The pitching matchup in the opener pits New York’s young David Phelps against the Birds’ Jason Hammel, off the DL and making his first start since July 13 but previously one of several recycled arms who have performed beyond the call of duty for manager Buck Showalter.
A quick check of the Don Best MLB odds screen notes that Phelps has been posted as a $1.15 favorite at Las Vegas sports books, with the take-back on Hammel at +105. The early total is nine, shaded to the ‘under’ at -115. Early Run Line prices have the Yanks at +135 minus the extra run and the O’s at -155 plus the extra run.
First pitch is scheduled at 7:05 p.m. (ET) at Oriole Park, which means there’s a good chance the game will be completed by the time President Obama makes his acceptance speech at the Democratic Convention at Charlotte a few hours later.
Now, what the bleep has happened in the AL East?
Baltimore’s latest surge, and the Yankees’ recent fade, both rate as surprises, although the Orioles’ ascent has caught a lot of observers off guard. The Birds seemed to be ready to fade out of contention just after the All-Star break, destined for their 15th straight losing season since 1997, as Showalter’s overworked bullpen gave hints of cracking at the seams as the starting pitchers had mostly faltered since a quick break the first two months of the season.
The O’s, however, caught their second wind in late July and entered Wednesday’s game at Toronto having won 30 of their last 45 games. Included in that uptick was taking two of three last weekend at Yankee Stadium to confirm Baltimore’s intention of staying in the playoff chase.
Baltimore has also won seven of the last 10 meetings vs. the Bronx Bombers this season after losing the first four against the Yanks in April. Baltimore is an astounding 24-6 in one-run games, including a staggering 13 wins in a row, although in their four wins previous to Wednesday’s game at Toronto, the O’s had outscored their foes (the Yankees and Blue Jays) a combined 30-4. A recent hot streak by free-swinging 3B Mark Reynolds, who had five homers in six games into Wednesday at Toronto, has helped fuel the most-recent surge.
Remarkably, the Birds are still at -19 in run differential for the season despite their recent winning margins.
As for Thursday’s starter Hammel, he returns to big league action for the first time since mid-July after going on the shelf for seven weeks due to arthroscopic knee surgery. Those knee issues had caused Hammel to struggle in his four outings prior to going on the DL but the O’s had won 11 of his previous 14 starts.
Interestingly, however, two of those losing starts came against the Yankees, including a shaky outing on May 14 when Hammel allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits in just five innings of an eventual 8-5 Baltimore defeat.
Note that Hammel has had problems vs. the Yankees throughout his career, winning just one of seven previous starts and posting a 6.75 ERA in the process.
Meanwhile, the Yankees need to find some traction in a hurry or risk missing out on the playoffs for the first time since 2008. It took just 47 days for New York to surrender all of a 10-game lead it built up over the Orioles in late July, and now Joe Girardi’s club not only has to concern itself with the division race but also has to worry about the AL wild card picture after being pulled into that whirlpool along with the surging Rays, Tigers, White Sox, A’s and Angels.
The Yanks, with considerable postseason experience, still like their chances in a sprint to the wire, but they entered Wednesday’s game at Tampa Bay having lost five of six. The offense has been culpable in the recent skid as New York managed six hits or fewer in five straight games for the first time since a similar punchless stretch in 1990.
Girardi, however, will be crossing his fingers regarding starter Phelps, the former Notre Dame star who has had a mostly encouraging debut in his rookie campaign and fared well for a while when promoted into the starting rotation but has been wobbling lately, allowing 10 earned runs in 17 2/3 IP over his last three starts (5.09 ERA).
Phelps has seen work vs. the Orioles on four different occasions this season covering 9 2/3 IP, with a 2.79 ERA. Only once, however, has he started against them, a shaky 4 2/3 IP stint last Saturday when allowing three hits and six walks while surrendering three runs. He left the game with the Yankees trailing but was spared a defeat when Girardi’s club rallied for a 4-3 win, the only success for New York in last weekend’s series in The Bronx.
