The New York Yankees are riding high after a Sudnay sweep — and they’re ready to turn up the pressure in the AL East.
Starting Monday night, the Yankees open a three-game set against the Baltimore Orioles, giving them a golden opportunity to bury a division rival early in the season.
Yankees sending Will Warren to the mound for game one
The series will kick off with young right-hander Will Warren getting the ball.
Warren has had a bumpy start to his MLB career, posting a 4.79 ERA across 20.2 innings so far. While his strikeout rate is solid at 9.15 per nine innings, he’s struggled to limit baserunners, allowing a 64.7% left-on-base rate and giving up a fair share of hard contact.
Still, the Yankees believe in Warren’s upside, and a matchup against a slumping Orioles offense could be just what he needs to find his footing.
Opposing Warren will be Baltimore’s Tomoyuki Sugano, who carries a 3.54 ERA through 28 innings this season. Sugano isn’t an overpowering strikeout artist, but he has a reputation for giving up the occasional long ball — a weakness that could prove costly against a Yankees lineup built around power hitting.
Yankees riding momentum after doubleheader sweep
Coming off a dominant sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, the Yankees are surging with confidence.
They tallied 16 total runs across the two games and saw key offensive contributions from up and down the lineup, including a resurgent performance from Anthony Volpe.
Meanwhile, the Orioles limp into the series having dropped three straight games to the Detroit Tigers, scoring just six runs across the three-game set. Their bats have gone quiet, and they’ll need to snap out of it quickly against a Yankees team that’s finally finding its rhythm.
Early season divisional matchups could pay off big later
It’s still early May, but make no mistake — these divisional games matter.
The Orioles sit at the bottom of the AL East with a 10–17 record, already staring up at the rest of the pack. If the Yankees can handle business over the next three games, they’ll not only add to Baltimore’s misery but also continue to build separation at the top of the standings.
In a division as competitive as the AL East, stacking wins now could make all the difference when the playoff race heats up in September.
The Yankees have a chance to keep their foot on the gas — and they’re not planning to let up anytime soon.