The New York Yankees will start a three-game series tonight with the Baltimore Orioles at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. All this under the veil of the Covid 19 virus that presently surrounds the Yankees. The Yankees are coming off two series wins, two out of three against the Astros at Yankee Stadium and two out of three against the Rays at Tropicana Field. Although they won those two series, they haven’t scored many runs as the bottom of the lineup has been sorely deficient in its hitting. For the most part, stellar pitching has saved the Yankees.
Tonight’s game and the entire series will not have Gleyber Torres in the Yankee lineup as he is quarantined back in Tampa after testing positive for the coronavirus. He is on the Covid 19 IL, which requires he be away from the team for 10 days or until he tests negative for the virus three days in a row. Seven other Yankees have tested positive for the virus, including first base coach Reggie Willits, third base coach Phil Nevin, and pitching Coach Matt Blake. The other four are unnamed support staff. All are quarantined at the team hotel in Florida or their homes.
Friday, May 14th, 7:05:
The first game of the series at Camden Yards will have 2 times Cy Young winner Corey Kluber on the mound for the Yankees. The right-hander is 2-2 with an ERA of 3.06 across 7 games. After not pitching in almost two years, Kluber got off to a slow start this season but has improved greatly in his last three games, all of which the Yankees won. In his May 2nd start against the Tigers, he was brilliant, going 8 complete innings without allowing a run. In his last three starts, he is 2-0 with an ERA of 1.33.
The Baltimore Orioles will start Dean Kremer. Kremer has already faced the New York Yankees twice, giving up 9 runs in 7 1/3 innings of work. He is 0-3 with an ERA of 6.23. Tonight he will be looking for revenge for his first two losses against the Yankees. The game tonight will be televised on MASN in the Baltimore area, WPIX and its affiliates in the New York area, and on MLBN.com out of market.
Saturday, May 15, 7:05:
Saturday’s evening game will feature Domingo German on the mound for the Yankees. German is 2-2 with an ERA of 4.02. He is another Yankee pitcher that didn’t pitch last season and got off to a bad start in his first game and was sent down to Scranton to figure it out. However, the Yankees have now won his last four starts as he has gone deeper into games. German, when he is on his game, can be lights out. He is the same pitcher that was 18-4 during the 2019 season.
German will face Orioles pitcher Jorge Lopez who is 1-3 with an ERA of 5.63. Like so many pitchers this season, Lopez got off to a slow start but is coming off of his best start of the season when he went 5 2/3 innings in his start against the Boston Red Sox. He only allowed 1 run and didn’t allow a walk for the first time since the 2019 season. The game on Saturday will be televised in the Baltimore area on MASN and New York on the YES Network.
Sunday, May 16th, 1:05 pm:
The New York Yankees will call on Jordan Montgomery to start the matinee on Sunday. Montgomery is 2-1 with an ERA of 3.96. Montgomery is coming off his longest start of the season when he went six innings in the Tampa Bay Rays game one. In the game, he got 9 strikeouts, a career-high. Montgomery has already faced the Orioles twice this season, going 11 innings with an ERA of 1.64.
The Yankees might be in trouble Sunday as they face John Means. The lefty is the Orioles’ best pitcher. He is 4-0 with an ERA of 1.21. With the Yankees’ ongoing hitting problems, they will have to be extra careful against Means; he is a strikeout machine. In his starts so far this season, he has 53 strikeouts. He is hot coming off a no-hitter and a 15 inning scoreless streak. Sunday’s game will be televised on the YES Network and in Baltimore on MASN.