American League East Baseball: Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees
The Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees will wrap up their four game series on Sunday night. The Yankees will be going for the series sweep, after winning the first three games of the series. New York won both games of a day-night doubleheader on Saturday.
The Yankees still trail the Boston Red Sox by a wide margin in the American League East but have a playoff spot all but locked up. New York has a 4.5 game lead over the Oakland Athletics for the top Wild Card spot in the American League. The Orioles continue to have the worst record in the Major Leagues and are building towards the future. The New York Yankees are -270 over the Orioles in the series finale.
Severino Starts For Yankees
New York Yankees ace, Luis Severino will make the start for the Yankees in the series finale. Severino has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season and comes into this game with an American League-leading 16 wins. His 3.28 earned run average is a career best, and he should be a finalist for the American League Cy Young Award this season.
Giancarlo Stanton has been carrying the Yankees offense in the month of August. Stanton leads the team with 32 home runs and 81 runs batted in. The Yankees are without several key members of their everyday lineup but are still scoring runs at healthy pace. They look to take advantage of a struggling Orioles pitching staff in this one.
Bundy On Mound For Orioles
25-year-old Dylan Bundy will start for the Orioles on Sunday night. The right-hander has struggled with the Orioles this season, posting a 7-12 record to go along with a whopping 5.31 earned run average. Bundy has given up 33 home runs this season, a trend that won’t work well for him against the slugging Yankees.
Manny Machado still leads the Orioles in most statistical categories, despite being traded to the Dodgers in July. Veteran outfielder Adam Jones leads the team with a .280 batting average and is now the leader of the Orioles offense. Baltimore is trying to audition a slew of young players in hopes of turning their franchise around in the coming seasons. The Orioles offense will have a tough task against Severino on Sunday night.
Yankees Win Series Finale
The Baltimore Orioles have little to play for this season, and it appears that the players realize it. Baltimore has had a miserable month of August and they haven’t been a real threat to the Yankees this weekend. The Baltimore lineup will face a tough matchup on Sunday night.
The New York Yankees have closed the gap on the Boston Red Sox, but are still unlikely to catch their rival. The Yankees’ main goal is to get their entire roster healthy before beginning the playoffs. Look for the Yankees to slug their way to another victory in the series finale. Bet the Yankees -270 over the Orioles.