photo credit: Rob Carr-Getty Images
Respectfully, the Yankees should have no problems manhandling the upcoming series. Taking on the struggling 1-5 Baltimore Orioles is an excellent chance for the Yankees to generate some momentum and get a nice streak going. It’s no secret that the Yankees’ hitting hasn’t shown its full potential at 100%, but against the O’s, they have the best chance to unlock themselves. History does not favor the Yankees here. With an all-time record of 8,899-9,923, and a 4,108-5,328 record on the road with Baltimore, the Yankees will have some catching up to do to even that lifetime series at .500 (1,024 wins to be exact).
New York Yankees (4-3, 1st AL East) vs. Baltimore Orioles (1-5, 5th AL East)
Here is the information to watch or listen to the Yankees this series:
Friday
7:05 PM
Watch on: YES Network
Listen on: 101.9 FM or 660AM
Saturday
7:05 PM
Watch on: YES Network
Listen on: 101.9 FM or 660AM
Sunday
1:05 PM
Watch on: MLB Network/YES Network
Listen on: 101.9 FM or 660AM
The Orioles have been struggling… for about five years now? I lost count. The fact is, this is a team that should be a sweep. The Orioles should be a cakewalk with minimal pitching support outside of John Means and very little slugging power. Except this is the Yankees. Every time something should be considered anything as a walk in the park for them, they find a way to make it far closer than it should be. Giving the O’s credit where it’s due, they have rising talent in Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, an already established Trey Mancini, and the future catcher of the Orioles, Adley Rutschman. Unfortunately, Rutschman is yet to appear this season, and it’s puzzling as to why. Aside from that, baseball is far from being a three-person sport, so Mullins, Mountcastle, and Mancini can’t be accountable for carrying the Orioles to the promised land. The Yankees as a whole need to click now more than ever. Should the upcoming series be a struggle for them, there are more problems with the Yankees than we all thought.
Players to watch: Joey Gallo, Josh Donaldson, Anthony Rizzo
I picked these three with precise reasoning. Joey Gallo, for a start, needs to get going. It’s already been said, Gallo will be critical for the Yankees’ long-term success this season. And seeing that two of the three pitchers the Yanks will see will be righties, Gallo needs to have a big series. Josh Donaldson has had a slow beginning to 2022. We all know he can be better. Expect the Bringer of Rain to bring a torrential downpour to the Baltimore area this weekend. Anthony Rizzo shouldn’t be on here. We all know what he can do and has been doing. But it would be nice to see him continue his excellent start to the season by torturing Baltimore pitching.
Series expectation: 2-1 Yankees
I know this counteracts all the slander I put on the Orioles in this article, but I’m just being realistic. Sweeping an MLB series is not easy. A 3-0 sweep would be fantastic and let’s all hope this prediction is wrong, but even the best teams have their hiccups.
