It’s time to shine for the first-place Baltimore Orioles.
The Orioles and visiting New York Yankees play the rubber match of their three-game series in primetime on Sunday night. It’s the first Sunday night game broadcast from Camden Yards since 2018.
“I’m happy that our guys are going to play on national TV,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “Now we’re on Sunday Night Baseball again, that’s going to be a lot of fun. Everybody will be able to see our team play and it will be the only game going on.”
The game time for this series finale was shifted a couple of weeks ago. It shapes up as a much bigger deal for the Orioles, who’ve rarely been in the spotlight in recent years. New York’s star power frequently has the Yankees in showcase-type games.
So the Orioles are embracing this.
“Some big games here, so we’re excited,” designated hitter/first baseman Ryan Mountcastle said.
The American League East-leading Orioles have lost three of their past four games. The lone victory in that stretch came Friday night on Anthony Santander’s home run in the ninth inning, giving Baltimore a 1-0 win.
The return of Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge for this series after a toe injury kept him out since June 3 has proved large. He hit a go-ahead home run in Saturday night’s 8-3 victory.
The timing wasn’t ideal for the Orioles.
“You know what Judge has done against the league and against us,” Hyde said. “It’s obviously a huge threat.”
The eight runs for the Yankees matched their largest total of the month.
“That’s what it’s supposed to look like,” New York manager Aaron Boone said. “That’s what we’re working to (do).”
The 12 hits for the Yankees were particularly encouraging. Boone categorized those as coming from workmanlike plate appearances.
“Guys were getting really tough at-bats,” he said. “That’s us and that’s who we want to be and that’s what we’re working to be.”
Trying to win back-to-back road games for the first time since June 28-29 in Oakland, the Yankees will have right-hander Luis Severino (2-4, 6.46 ERA) as their starting pitcher. He was the losing pitcher July 6 at home when the Orioles tagged him for seven runs on 10 hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Overall against Baltimore, he has a 7-2 record and 4.21 ERA in 13 appearances (11 starts). The seven victories are his second-most against an opponent, behind only the eight versus Tampa Bay.
Severino is coming off a July 23 home victory against Kansas City, but he hasn’t posted consecutive victories since the end of last season.
The Orioles will go with right-hander Dean Kremer (10-4, 4.59), who didn’t factor in the decision Monday despite holding the Philadelphia Phillies to one run in seven innings. Baltimore has won games in all four of his starts this month.
Kremer allowed four runs in five innings in an April 7 no-decision versus the Yankees. He then was the winning pitcher by giving up two runs (one earned) while striking out 10 in seven innings during the Orioles’ 6-3 win July 5 at New York.
All-time against the Yankees, he’s 2-3 with 4.87 ERA in eight starts covering 40 2/3 innings and has yielded eight home runs.
–Field Level Media
