One strong week put the Baltimore Orioles into a potential playoff position.
Now the Orioles get a chance to prove if their surge has staying power when they square off with a team firmly in the American League postseason picture.
The New York Yankees, who hold the top AL wild-card spot, begin a three-game series in Baltimore on Tuesday.
The Orioles were on a 5-2 run before dropping the finale of a four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday. Baltimore won the first three contests of the set in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Yankees have wobbled lately, losing three games in a row before pulling out a 4-3, 10-inning victory over the host Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. New York was off Monday.
“This season has tested our character and our resilience, and I think we have a lot of that,” New York manager Aaron Boone said. “We’ve got to keep fighting and know that we’re an incomplete team, but we have a chance to be who we want to be.”
The Yankees have had major offensive woes, due in part to injuries, including the loss of Aaron Judge. They have been held to one run or none in four of their past seven games.
The Orioles are three games under .500, but they came within a few innings of sweeping the AL-best Rays. The Baltimore bullpen failed to protect a two-run, seventh-inning lead on Monday, and the Orioles wound up losing 7-6.
“It was a really good series for us,” Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz said. “We’re trying to win every game we can knowing where we’re at in the season.”
Despite the setback, the Orioles are in a three-way tie for the final AL wild card, level with the Rangers and the Tigers. Four other pursuers are within two games of Baltimore, Texas and Detroit.
The Orioles’ recent surge coincided with a strong stretch from Pete Alonso. The first baseman homered again Monday, and he is within two long balls of his sixth consecutive season with 30 or more. With 63 walks, he already has eclipsed last year’s total of 61 free passes when he played all 162 games for the New York Mets.
Earlier Monday, Alonso was chosen the AL’s Player of the Week after going 12-for-22 (.545) with two homers, five RBIs and four walks. With the honor, he has secured weekly recognition at least once in five consecutive seasons — the only major league player to have accomplished that feat.
Over his past eight games, Alonso is hitting .567 (17-for-30) with five homers, 10 RBIs and six walks.
The Yankees have won five of seven meetings with Baltimore this year, though the Orioles won two of three at home. The teams haven’t met since May 13.
New York will welcome back left-hander Carlos Rodon (4-2, 3.30 ERA) for the series opener. He is coming off the injury list for his first big-league appearance since June 28, having recovered from elbow inflammation.
The Yankees cleared room for Rodon’s return by placing left-hander Max Fried (bone bruise in left elbow) on the injured list on Monday.
Rodon has faced the Orioles nine times (eight starts) in his career, racking up a 2-3 record and 4.53 ERA in 43 2/3 innings.
Right-hander Shane Baz (4-12, 4.00 ERA) will start for the Orioles. He has gone more than two months without a victory, and Baltimore has lost the last five games he has pitched. Over his past 10 starts, Baz is 0-6 despite logging a 3.92 ERA in that span.
Baz gave up five runs on nine hits in three innings at Minnesota on Wednesday, his shortest outing of the season.
In a May 4 road start against the Yankees, he allowed six runs, five earned, on five hits in 5 2/3 innings as New York won 12-1. That put his career record vs. the Yankees at 0-2 with a 7.00 ERA in seven starts.
–Field Level Media
