The Baltimore Orioles (3-2, 3-2 away) and New York Yankees (3-2, 3-2 home) meet up in the final game of a three-game set on Wednesday night in an American League East clash. New York is poised to sweep the series against the Orioles after taking the series’s first two games.
Wednesday’s first pitch is at 6:35 p.m. EST inside Yankee Stadium in New York, N.Y. The Yankees are favored in the final game (-195), while the total is 9.5.
What to Know – Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore aims to hold off the series sweep in Wednesday’s finale. The Orioles have got to get the offense going to take down the Yankees after scoring two runs in the first two outings.
John Means toes the rubber for the visitors after firing seven innings of no-run ball in his season debut. Means surrendered one hit, issued no free passes, and struck out five in a victory over the Boston Red Sox.
The Orioles’ offense has cooled after plating 18 runs in the opening series. One of the bright spots in the Baltimore lineup has been outfielder Cedric Mullins. Mullins is hitting .524 (11-for-21) with four runs scored in five games played.
Baltimore’s pitching staff has one of the better team earned run averages through the opening week, sporting a 3.09 ERA, ninth in the majors. Cesar Valdez got the call in both save-situations early on this season, shutting the door in both.
What to Know – New York Yankees
New York dropped two of three to the Toronto Blue Jays in the season-opening set but have bounced back to take the first two against the Orioles and sit in a tie atop the AL East standings.
Jameson Taillon makes his season debut in a Yankees uniform. The right-hander did not pitch last season, last appearing with the Pittsburgh Pirates in May of 2019. Taillon is 29-24 over four seasons with a 3.67 career ERA and 1.25 WHIP over 466.0 innings pitched.
Outfielder Aaron Judge looks back in form after an underwhelming 2020 season. Judge is batting .364 (8-of-22) and has a pair of home runs, five RBI, and three runs scored over the first five contests.
The Orioles’ pitching staff has been good, while the Yankees’ pitching staff has been great. The Yankees have a 1.70 team ERA and a 10.2 strikeouts per nine ratio. New York has surrendered only seven earned runs this season.
The Pick is In
There was a lot of chatter this spring regarding the prospectus of Means. The left saw an uptick in velocity last season and was putting together a solid spring. All of that was on display in his opener against the Red Sox, and Means could emerge as the cornerstone of the Orioles starting rotation.
New York counters with Taillon, who also was solid this spring. Taillon, when healthy, has shown flashes of excellence stuff that once pegged him as one of the top pitching prospects in the game.
The Yankees have the offensive advantage and will take advantage of the Orioles bullpen in the later innings and sweep the series.
The Pick: New York Yankees -1.5
