The Yankees and Orioles meet for the final time in the regular season with a three-game series in Camden Yards beginning Friday at 7:05 p.m.
The Yankees come into the weekend with a split in the Subway Series against the Mets. They could get a huge boost with Aaron Judge potentially returning to the lineup against Baltimore.
After winning three of four and overtaking the Rays for first place in AL East, the Orioles dropped two out of three to the Phillies. Baltimore is still 8-5 since the All-Star Break and is on pace for its best season since 2014 when the team made it to the American League Championship Series.
Through the first 10 meetings this season, it’s a deadlock with both the Yankees’ and Orioles winning five games. They most recently split a four-game series in the Bronx pre All-Star Break.
Here are my picks and predictions for this three-game AL East showdown:
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Friday, 7:05 p.m.: Gerrit Cole (9-2, 2.78) vs. Grayson Rodriguez (2-2, 6.91)
While he might not have a win since the All-Star Break, Cole has been lights out his last two starts. The 32-year-old ace has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 21:2 and surrendered just three runs on seven hits in his past 12 1/3 innings pitched. Cole has gone nine straight appearances without giving up more than three runs and has made it to the sixth inning or beyond in every outing this month.
It’s been an up-and-down rookie season for Rodriguez. The 11th pick in the 2018 MLB Draft posted a 11.14 ERA in May and has given up at least four runs in four of his previous starts. The most concerning part for Rodriguez is his numbers at home. The 23-year-old carries a significant 9.11 ERA with opponents hitting .348 against him in six starts at Camden Yards. This is compared to a 4.91 ERA on the road.
Even with Cole on the mound, I believe the series opener is a high-scoring contest with the Yankees coming out on top in this one.
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