Listen Live: Baltimore Orioles Vs New York Yankees [Live Audio] MLB
Where: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland
The sliding New York Yankees look to snap a pair of five-game losing streaks when they begin a three-game series at Baltimore on Tuesday. Although their bats finally broke out after an extended slump, the Yankees fell 8-7 in Boston on Sunday for their fifth consecutive setback, matching their longest skid since a six-game run last May.
They enter Camden Yards desperate for a turnaround but also carrying a five-game slide versus the Orioles, who have won 21 of the last 34 meetings overall. "I think everyone believes in each other in here," New York first baseman Mark Teixeira told the New York Daily News after being swept by the Red Sox. "We just have to play better. That's just the way it is. It's a small sample size right now, but it's getting bigger." One of the many players the Yankees need to turn it around is right-hander Luis Severino, who gave up 32 hits in 19 2/3 innings in April and will oppose Baltimore's Chris Tillman in the opener. The Orioles, who dropped a pair of games to the Chicago White Sox over the weekend to fall out of first place in the American League East, placed shortstop J.J. Hardy on the disabled list Monday with a hairline fracture in his left foot that is expected to keep him out of action for at least six weeks.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Luis Severino (0-3, 6.86 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Chris Tillman (2-1, 3.24)
Severino had seemingly turned a corner with a solid outing in a no-decision against Oakland on April 21, but he was hammered for six runs on seven hits in just three frames at Texas last Tuesday. He has allowed two home runs and walked just three but opponents are hitting a robust .372 against the 22-year-old. Severino faced the Orioles in his final start of the 2015 season, holding them to three runs in a career-high seven innings.
Tillman also was roughed up in Texas on April 14 but has bounced back with back-to-back solid starts while allowing two runs in 12 2/3 innings. He struck out a season-high nine and yielded two hits in a win at Tampa Bay on Wednesday, the third straight start in which he has not given up a home run. Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez is 6-for-13 with four home runs against Tillman, who sports a 4.96 ERA in 16 career starts versus New York.
WALK-OFFS
1. Rodriguez is 6-for-14 with three home runs in four games since taking two days off to rest a strained side.
2. Orioles 3B Manny Machado has four straight two-hit games.
3. Yankees All-Star RHP Dellin Betances has surrendered a home run in three straight appearances, including two go-ahead blasts against Boston.
PREDICTION: Orioles 5, Yankees 4
