Listen Live: NY Yankees at Baltimore Orioles [Live Audio] MLB
Where: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland
The New York Yankees finally showed signs of breaking out of their offensive slumber, and the timing couldn't be better as they visit the Baltimore Orioles on Friday for the opener of their three-game series. It's the final stop on a 10-game road trip for New York, which snapped its three-game losing streak with a 5-4 victory at Detroit on Thursday.
Recent callup Rob Refsnyder collected a pair of hits with an RBI and two runs scored as the Yankees matched their run total from their previous four games combined. They may need the offense to keep up with the Orioles, who salvaged a split of a four-game series with American East-leading Boston by scoring 25 runs over the last two contests to close within one game of the Red Sox. Mark Trumbo blasted a pair of homers Thursday to earn a share of the major-league lead with 17 while Adam Jones added a pair of shots and is 6-for-15 over his last three games. New York's Nathan Eovaldi looks to win his sixth straight start as he opposes Chris Tillman, who hasn't lost since April 14.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Nathan Eovaldi (6-2, 3.71 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Chris Tillman (7-1, 2.92)
Eovaldi ran his winning streak to five in somewhat miraculous fashion last time out, allowing one run over six innings and earning the victory despite the Yankees managing only one hit. The 26-year-old has permitted a total of seven runs during his winning streak, although he has failed to go beyond six frames in each of his last four turns. Eovaldi has made three career starts against the Orioles, logging a 1-0 record and 3.86 ERA.
Tillman stretched his unbeaten streak to eight starts after allowing four runs and four hits - three homers - over six innings at Cleveland on Sunday. It marked the first time Tillman yielded more than three earned runs since his lone defeat in mid-April and the fifth time in six turns that he has walked at last three batters. He pitched seven innings of one-run ball versus the Yankees on May 3 to improve to 7-6 with a 4.68 ERA against them.
WALK-OFFS
1. Orioles SS Manny Machado has recorded five RBIs in the last two games and has hit safely in nine of his last 10 contests.
2. Yankees CF Jacoby Ellsbury drove in three runs Thursday to end his eight-game RBI drought.
3. Baltimore sent RHP Mike Wright to Triple-A Norfolk and promoted LHP Brian Duensing.
PREDICTION: Orioles 4, Yankees 3
