The Pinstripes will look to beat the Orioles again as 1.5 run favorites on the road
It doesn’t seem like the Yankees were too affected by the latest changes to the Major League Baseball schedule. The Yanks’ series against the Philadelphia Phillies was postponed due to Coronavirus concerns. Instead, New York began play against the Baltimore Orioles and conclude a two-game road trip tonight at Camden Yards.
To put it lightly, the Orioles were crushed by the Yankees yesterday. The game was tied 2-1 after two innings. However, the Yanks’ bats came alive for seven more runs, giving New York the eventual 9-3 victory. Aaron Judge and DJ LeMahieu homered in the game while the Orioles were held to just five hits.
The Yankees’ victory should come as a surprise to nobody. The Bronx Bombers have dominated this matchup for the last three years. 2016 marked the last time that the Orioles won their regular-season series against the Yanks. Since then, this matchup has been a disaster for Baltimore. Following yesterday’s victory, the Yankees are 41-16 against the Orioles head-to-head since 2017. The victory also gives the Pinstripes a 17-game win streak over the Orioles. The last time Baltimore beat the Yankees was March 31st, 2019.
Another issue for Baltimore has been the fact that these games have not been close. During the Yankees’ 17-game win streak, the Yankees were held to less than four runs just one time. The Yanks have also scored 145 runs during this winning-streak, which averages out to almost 8.5 runs per game. Meanwhile, the Orioles have not been able to keep up. They have 72 runs during the 17-game stretch for an average of 4.2 runs per game, but the pitching has been so bad that Baltimore has never come close to stopping New York. In fact, the Orioles currently have a run differential of -73 during this 17-game losing streak
With 17 straight victories, it almost seems like a foregone conclusion that the Yankees will win tonight’s game. Let’s take a look at the matchup that awaits us. Both teams will have pitchers making their 2020 season debut. JA Happ gets the nod for the Yanks while Baltimore sends out promising lefty John Means to defend home field.
JA Happ has never wowed me since coming to New York. He’s been decent against some of the weaker teams in the league, but he hasn’t always been able to get the job during crunch time. However, Happ did prove himself valuable against the Orioles, going 4-1 in five starts against Baltimore last season.
As for John Means, it was a rough outing for the youngster against the Yanks last season. Despite being named an All-Star, he surrendered 11 runs in five games against the Bronx Bombers. That is a pretty good ERA, but it was usually never enough to get the job done as Means finished the season 1-4 against the Yanks. For that reason, I’m going to give the Bronx Bombers a slight advantage in the pitching department.
I would be absolutely shocked if the Baltimore Orioles won this game. I am not going to say they have a zero percent chance of winning because that is never true in sports. However, I will say they have about a one percent chance of winning this game. Neither pitcher is all that good, so I expect the bats to be busy. The Yankees have the lineup to get into a shootout; the orioles do not. Yankees win in a high scoring game and manage to cover the spread.
