Yankees-Orioles Preview 7/13/24
It sure was an interesting bout between the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles last night. The Yankees came out on top by a score of 3-1, and this was certainly a morale booster for a New York team that was statistically the worst team in baseball throughout the month of June. The crazy thing is that their record was so good prior to June that they managed to lose 15 out of 20 games and still be in second place in the competitive American League East division, currently with a solid record of 57-39. Lately, it’s been looking like the Orioles are entering their own slump, as they’ve lost four straight as of Saturday morning. The frustration brewed last night for them, as Orioles manager Brandon Hyde attempted to rush the Yankee dugout after young stud Heston Kjerstad was hit in the head, though it was almost certainly by accident. This scene last night has left all watchers of the series with great anticipation going into today’s game.
Beginning at 4:05 PM EST, Luis Gil will take the mound for the Yankees, and Grayson Rodgriguez will take the mound for Baltimore. Gil got off to a blazing hot start as he had a sub-2 ERA going into June but has cooled down, though he still boasts a solid ERA of 3.27 and has the lowest opponent batting average in the American League, at .168. Rodriguez is having a solid season himself, as he is 11-3 with a 3.52 ERA. Both teams will have to hit extremely well to win this game, as it will be a battle of two solid pitchers. However, we know what happened the last time Gil faced the Orioles. His ERA went up from 2.03 to 2.77, and he allowed seven runs in 1.1 innings pitched. He’ll have to put that in the past, and just focus solely on today’s game as a new beginning. This game does carry great importance, though, as the Yankees are just one game back from the Orioles, and a win today would put them in a tie for first in the division.
The bigger picture going into today is how things will play out in terms of a fight between these two teams. One could say that this is to be expected after last night's troubles, and we may see some intentional hit batters. The Yankees will be keen on protecting Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, as well as everybody else, but those two are the most likely targets, as they really can’t afford to have either of them get injured. As we look ahead, this game should be a really interesting one.
